The Best Basketball Players of All Time

Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, and LeBron James are often considered the best basketball players of all time. However, there are other players who are just as talented and have made huge contributions to the sport.

Introduction

Basketball is a sport that has been around for many years. It is a game that is very popular all around the world. There are many great players who have played the game and have made a name for themselves. In this article, we will take a look at the best basketball players of all time.

We will look at players from different eras and see how they compare to each other. We will also take a look at their accomplishments and see how they stack up against each other. We will also look at their impact on the game and see how they have influenced the game over the years.

So, without further ado, here are the best basketball players of all time.

Michael Jordan

There’s no denying that Michael Jordan is one of the best basketball players of all time. He was a gifted athlete with an undeniable drive to win. He led the Chicago Bulls to six NBA championships and was named the NBA Finals MVP each time. Jordan was also a 10-time NBA All-Star and a 5-time NBA MVP. In addition to his on-court accomplishments, Jordan was also known for his endorsement deals and his popular line of Nike sneakers.

LeBron James

LeBron James is one of the best basketball players of all time. He has won three NBA Championships, four NBA Most Valuable Player Awards, three NBA Finals MVP Awards, two Olympic gold medals, an NBA scoring title, and is the all-time NBA playoffs scoring leader. He has also been selected to thirteen NBA All-Star teams and has twelve All-NBA selections.

Kobe Bryant

Kobe Bryant was drafted into the league at the age of eighteen and played for twenty years, winning five championships with the Los Angeles Lakers. He is considered one of the greatest players of all time and was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2020.

Magic Johnson

Earvin “Magic” Johnson Jr. is an American retired professional basketball player and current president of basketball operations of the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played point guard for the Lakers for 13 seasons. After winning championships in high school and college, Johnson was selected first overall in the 1979 NBA draft by the Lakers. He won a championship and an NBA Finals Most Valuable Player Award in his rookie season, and won four more championships with the Lakers during the 1980s. Johnson retired abruptly in 1991 after announcing that he had contracted HIV, but returned to play in the 1992 All-Star Game, winning the All-Star MVP Award. After protests from his fellow players, he was allowed to play in the 1992 Summer Olympics, which marked the first time that active NBA players were allowed to compete in the Olympic Games.

Johnson’s career achievements include three NBA MVP Awards, nine NBA Finals appearances, twelve All-Star games, and ten All-NBA First and Second Team nominations. He led the league in regular-season assists four times, organizes one of only two players ever to average at least 8 assists per game for their careers (the other being John Stockton). He also set several notable records that have never been broken since his retirement. In 1992, Johnson was honored as one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History. He was inducted into both the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and boyd?the NCAA Basketball Hall of Fame as a player and as a coach respectively.

Johnson has also been active in civic causes and philanthropy throughout his career. He founded Magic Johnson Enterprises (MJE), a multibillion-dollar entertainment conglomerate that includes over 30 franchise businesses, condom manufacturing companies like Magic Brand Condoms), real estate development companies like Canyon-Johnson Urban Funds), financial services like Magic Capital Partners), production companies like Aspire Entertainment), charitable foundations like The Magic Johnson Foundation) and health awareness campaigns like AIDS Healthcare Foundation).

Bill Russell

Bill Russell is widely considered to be one of the best basketball players of all time. He played center for the Boston Celtics from 1956 to 1969. He was a five-time NBA MVP and a twelve-time NBA All-Star. He was also named one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History in 1996.

Wilt Chamberlain

Considered one of the most dominant players in the history of the sport, Wilt Chamberlain set numerous records during his illustrious career. A seven-foot-one center, Chamberlain is best remembered for his time with the Philadelphia Warriors and the Los Angeles Lakers. During his 14 seasons in the NBA, Chamberlain won two NBA championships, was named MVP four times, and was selected to 11 All-Star teams. He remains the only player in NBA history to average more than 50 points per game in a season, a feat he accomplished on four separate occasions.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is the best basketball player of all time. He is a 6-time NBA champion, 6-time NBA MVP, 19-time NBA All-Star, and 10-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year. He is also the all-time leading scorer in NBA history with 38,387 points.

Larry Bird

Larry Bird is widely regarded as one of the best basketball players of all time. He was a 12-time NBA All-Star and was named the league’s Most Valuable Player three times. He played his entire professional career for the Boston Celtics, winning three NBA championships.

Bird was born in West Baden Springs, Indiana, and raised in nearby French Lick. He started playing basketball in elementary school and continued to play throughout high school. After graduating from high school, he attended Indiana State University, where he played college basketball for the Sycamores. In his three years at Indiana State, Bird led the team to the 1979 NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Tournament, where they lost to Michigan State in the championship game.

Bird was drafted into the NBA by the Celtics with the sixth overall pick in the 1979 NBA draft. He played for the Celtics for his entire 13-year career, winning three NBA championships (1981, 1984, and 1986). He became one of the league’s most well-known and popular players, being named to 12 NBA All-Star teams and winning three MVP awards. He was also named one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History by the NBA in 1996.

After retiring from playing basketball in 1992, Bird became head coach of the Pacers for one season before becoming their president of basketball operations from 2003 to 2012. In that capacity, he helped rebuild the Pacers into a contending team and led them to five playoff appearances (including two trips to the Eastern Conference Finals) between 2005 and 2012. He was also named Executive of the Year by Sporting News in 2012.

Oscar Robertson

Oscar Robertson is widely considered one of the greatest basketball players of all time. A 12-time All-Star, he was the first player in NBA history to average a triple-double for an entire season. He is also the only player in NBA history to have won an NBA championship, an MVP award, and Olympic gold medal in the same year (1964).

Robertson was born in Charlotte, Tennessee, and played college basketball at the University of Cincinnati. He was drafted by the Cincinnati Royals in 1960 and quickly became one of the most dominant players in the league. In his rookie season, he averaged 30.5 points, 10.1 rebounds, and 9.7 assists per game, becoming the first player in NBA history to average a triple-double for an entire season. He went on to win an NBA championship with the Royals in 1963, as well as MVP honors that same year.

Robertson’s accomplishments weren’t limited to just the regular season; he was also named MVP of the 1961 NBA All-Star Game and helped lead Team USA to a gold medal at the 1964 Olympics. His impact on the game was so great that, upon his retirement in 1974, he was one of only three players who had their numbers retired by every team in the NBA. He was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1980 and was named one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History by the league in 1996.