Number 10: Allen Iverson.
The fact that AI is the worst player on this list shows Something, and it’s not that he was bad, averaging 26.7 ppg on a surprisingly low 42.5% From the field, 3.7 rpg, and 6.2 apg. Now those numbers may not look like a lot until you take into account that he is 7th in career ppg and for a 5’10 guy if that his rpg ain’t too shabby. Now for some stuff that isn’t measurable, according to nba.com in 2018 Allen Iverson is the greatest ball handler in NBA history here’s a link if you want to see why they say that: iverson crosses mike also here’s the article itself: top 10 ball handlers Allen Iverson made the most out of his stature and skill and is now a well deserved member of the hall of fame.
Number 9: David Robinson.
This was a tough decision between AI and The Admiral but Robinson barely squeaked by, due to his staggering defence, with career averages of 21.1 ppg, 10.6 rpg, 2.5 apg and an unbelievable 3.0 bpg. Let’s start with defence, 3.0 bpg for a season is impressive enough let alone for a 14-year career which in case you didn’t understand (loudly sarcastically coughs mom) is absolutely insane that great defence is what got him cemented as the 1995 Mvp and 1992 Dpoy.
Now onto his offense and when he turned it on only one man in his era could slow him down (they’re on the list later on) but when they weren’t on the court he was a man amongst boys. The hands down greatest thing he accomplished in his career was a Quadruple-double against the Pistons on February 17, 1994, with 34 points, 10 rebounds, 10 assists, and 10 blocks. David Robinson was almost unstoppable and that’s why he’s at this spot.
Number 8: Elgin Baylor
When you think of all time greats you don’t think of Elgin Baylor But he not only is one of the most influential Figures in the civil rights movement, but Also a top 20 nba player ever and here’s Some highlights to start: elgin’s highlights Ok Now that we’re warmed up his career averages are roughly 27.4 ppg 13.5 rpg 4.3 apg. Let’s focus our attention on 13.5 rpg. For a second, you see, it may at first seem easier ‘cause he played in the 50’s but this is not the Case as the average height in the 50’s for NBA players was 6-5.3 and today it’s 6-6.5. When you hear people talk about the Lakers in Baylor’s era you hear about how great Jerry West was But if you take a step back you really see how good Elgin Baylor was.
Number 7: Oscar Robertson.
The only player to average a triple-double until Westbrook did it 3 times in a row, everyone knows how great he was. The big O’s career averages were 25.7 points 7.5 rebounds, and 9.5 assists, .5 assists and 2.5 rebounds away From a triple-double. What puts him at this position on the list over a man like David Robinson is consistency, though Robinson averaged great numbers there were certain players that he didn’t play so well against whereas Robertson day-in and day-out would put up outstanding numbers and that’s why he is at this Spot.
Number 6: Hakeem Olajuwon.
The dream, the man that could dominate the domination, 2 years in a row he ripped Shaq and David Robinson to shreds which goes to show his greatness. With career averages of 21.1 ppg, 11.1 rpg, 2.5 apg, and an elite 3.1 bpg, which makes him the all time blocks leader, no wonder he was picked 1st overall in 1984. He carried his team to the nba championship not once but twice, and another thing to point out is that no one ever says that the rockets shouldn’t have picked the dream over jordan, which is why Hakeem is at this spot.
Number 5: Tim Duncan.
The big fundamental lacks the highlight reels but if you squint really hard you will see how great he truly was, and with averages of: 19.0, 10.8, and 3.0, it does make you wonder why he’s so high on the list and this is where it gets Tricky. Duncan was a paint beast as well as the king of the bank shot, getting his share of points against even the most elite players including Dwight Howard , Pau Gasol, and Shaq among many others. His rebounding was phenomenal , as If Duncan was in the game during the end of regulation in game 6 2013 finals, Ray Allen very likely wouldn’t Have hit the shot because he wouldn’t have got ball as Tim Duncan would’ve probably boxed out Chris Bosh and gotten the board. Tim duncan’s defence was great for, not 1 not 2 not 3 not-, you get the memo, 15 all defensive teams and had possibly the most consistent career of all time as He won 2 MVPs while being a monster on defense. Like it or not Duncan showed us that you don’t need to be fancy to be great.
Number 4: Shaquille O’neal.
When you look back on shaq’s 23.7 ppg, 10.9 rpg, 2.5 apg and 2.3 bpg (including years on suns, cavs and celtics) career, you really can understand why some call him the greatest center of all time even though I personally don’t agree with that assessment. One thing that hurts his legacy is that he could never contain Yao Ming, even in his prime, but on the contrary He won an mvp with 4 titles, and here’s the basketball reference page to back it up: shaq’s reference page If you looked at the page you saw all the other accolades as well and now get why he’s at this spot, but if you haven’t already been convinced then just know that he is 8th for career points, 15th for career rebounds, and 8th for blocks as well, which is fitting for such a great player.
Number 3: Magic Johnson.
By far the worst scorer on this list, yet he was very talented at getting the ball in the basket as in 13 seasons he Averaged 19.5, 7.2, and an Insane 11.2, which is enough to get him 5th on the all time assists, not per game, just flat out Assists for a 13 year career. For reference the four players on the assist list are John Stockton Who had a 19 year career, Jason Kidd who also played 19 seasons, Steve Nash who played 18 Seasons, and lastly Mark Jackson who played 17 years. Just before we move on one could say he’s the most versatile player ever cause in his rookie season, he made the finals and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was injured, so what did Magic do? He went ahead and played center, even though he was their point. That same series he also played every single position,which certainly solidifies him at this spot.
Number 2: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
The Wilt Chamberlain of the 70s if not better as in 1971, his sophomore season, he was on the bucks with The Big O who pretty much gave the ball to Kareem and said do your Thing, which clearly worked since they won the title. Even 20 years into his career he still didn’t damage his stats as his averages were 24.6, 11.2, 3.6, and 2.6 blocks. Here is his basketball reference page in case you want to check it out kareem’s reference page
To call Kareem the greatest center of all time would not be a stretch as he was one of the biggest contributors (no pun intended) in stopping the dip of 70s basketball, let me explain. In the 70s the nba was struggling to get views since Wilt, Bill Rusell, and Jerry West had all retired but when there were other fun players to watch it began to pick back up, that’s what i’m talking about. I hope you understand where i am coming from on this one but without further ado, let’s move on to number one.
Number 1: Lebron James.
This one I didn’t think to hard on, I mean c’mon it’s Lebron he single handedly carried a team to the finals, at 22 might I add. Admittedly Kareem makes a good case but when a player makes the finals 8 times in a row that where I draw the line… oh yeah in case you were wondering his career averages are 27.1 points per game,to go along with 7.4 boards and assists per Game. There’s your list, if you want to see the 2 sites I did most of my research on. I’ll have it on the next page.
https://www.basketball-reference.com
http://www.espn.com/nba/history/leaders
