Who Is The Best Player In Nba History?
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The answer to this question is difficult to determine as there are many great players in NBA history. However, if we looked at the statistics, the answer might be clear.
Michael Jordan
Michael Jeffrey Jordan (born February 17, 1963), also known by his initials MJ, is an American former professional basketball player who is the principal owner and chairman of the Charlotte Hornets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played 15 seasons in the NBA, winning six championships with the Chicago Bulls. His biography on the official NBA website states: “By acclamation, Michael Jordan is the greatest basketball player of all time.” Jordan was one of the most effectively marketed athletes of his generation and was considered instrumental in popularizing the NBA around the world in the 1980s and 1990s.
His Airness
Michael Jordan is widely considered to be the greatest player in NBA history. A ten-time All-Star, he was twice named the NBA Finals MVP and won six championships with the Chicago Bulls. He also won three gold medals as a member of the U.S. Olympic team.
During his storied career, Jordan set numerous league records, including most points in a season (3,041) and most career points (32,292). He remains the Bulls’ all-time leading scorer and was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2009.
The G.O.A.T
Michael Jordan is considered by many to be the greatest basketball player of all time. He was a 10-time NBA All-Star, a six-time NBA champion, and a two-time Olympic gold medalist. He also won multiple MVP awards and Defensive Player of the Year awards. In addition to his individual accomplishments, Jordan was also part of the famed 1992 USA Basketball “Dream Team” that won the gold medal at the Olympic Games.
LeBron James
LeBron James is an American professional basketball player who is widely considered to be one of the greatest players of all time. He has played for the Cleveland Cavaliers, Miami Heat, and Los Angeles Lakers. He has won four NBA championships, four NBA MVP Awards, three NBA Finals MVP Awards, and two Olympic gold medals.
The King
LeBron James is an American professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He is widely considered to be one of the greatest players in NBA history. James has won four NBA championships, four NBA Most Valuable Player Awards, two Finals MVP Awards, three NBA Championships, and three Olympic gold medals. LeBron has also been selected to fifteen NBA All-Star teams, fourteen All-NBA teams, and six All-Defensive teams.
The Chosen One
LeBron James was born on December 30, 1984, in Akron, Ohio. As a teenager, he was touted as “the chosen one,” a designation that put immense pressure on him to succeed. James played high school basketball for St. Vincent–St. Mary High School in Akron and was named the Cleveland Plain Dealer’s Ohio Player of the Year three times. LeBron led his team to state championships in each of his last two years of high school and was named Mr. Basketball of Ohio twice.
In 2003, James was drafted by the Cleveland Cavaliers as the first overall pick. He became the youngest player in NBA history to score more than 1,000 points in a season and was named Rookie of the Year. The following year, he led the Cavs to their first playoff appearance in five years and averaged nearly 25 points per game during the postseason. After another strong season in 2005–06, James again took his team to the playoffs, where they lost to eventual champions the Miami Heat.
In 2006–07, James had one of his finest statistical seasons, averaging 30 points per game while leading the Cavs to aa franchise record-tying 66 wins. The team made it to the NBA Finals for the first time ever but lost to San Antonio Spurs in a hard-fought series. James won his first MVP trophy that year and was named Finals MVP after averaging 27 points per game during the series.
The following season was even better for James and the Cavs as they won an NBA-best 67 games and reached the Finals for a second straight year. Although they lost to the Spurs again, James cemented his legacy as one of the best players of his generation by averaging 34 points per game during the series and becoming just the fourth player in NBA history to be named Finals MVP multiple times.
In 2009–10, James helped lead Team USA to a gold medal at the FIBA World Championships and was named tournament MVP. That same year, he joined Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh on the Miami Heat, forming one of the most star-studded teams in NBA history. The so-called “Big Three” led Miami to an NBA title in their first season together and repeated as champions in 2012 and 2013. Along with his three championships with the Heat, James also won two more MVP trophies (2012 and 2013) and was named Finals MVP each time as well.”
Kobe Bryant
Kobe Bryant was an American professional basketball player. He played his entire 20-year career with the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was one of the greatest players in NBA history.
Black Mamba
Kobe Bean Bryant (/ˈkoʊbiː/ KOH-bee; born August 23, 1978) is an American former professional basketball player. He played his entire 20-year career with the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He is an 18-time All-Star, 15-time member of the All-NBA Team, and 12-time member of the All-Defensive team. He led the NBA in scoring during two seasons, and ranks third on both the league’s all-time regular season scoring and all-time postseason scoring lists. He holds the NBA records for the most seasons playing with one franchise for an entire career, and for the most All-Star selections for a player in a single season. Kobe is also regarded as one of the greatest players of all time.
A five-time NBA champion, Bryant won two NBA Finals MVP Awards while playing with Shaquille O’Neal before establishing himself as the franchise player of the post-Shaq Lakers, winning three more championships along with two more Finals MVP Awards. Despite a dispute between him and O’Neal that saw O’Neal be traded from Los Angeles following the 2003–04 season, Bryant and O’Neal would win a fourth championship together in 2009–10. He was named Most Valuable Player (MVP) of that year’s NBA Finals. Following four consecutive trips to the NBA Finals from 2008 to 2011, he helped lead the Lakers to a fifth championship in 2010–11. In 2012–13, he won his sixth championship with the Lakers by defeating his former team, Orlando Magic 4–0 in that year’s Finals series. He was again named Finals MVP after averaging 28 points on 56 percent shooting across five gamesfor his seventh title overall in 2013–14. Throughout his lofty career accomplishments, he has been awarded several prestigious individual honors: Been chosen as an All-Star game starter a record 18 times; Selected to 16 All-NBA teams (tied for second all time); Named to 12 All Defensive teams (second all time).
Kobe has been honored with 11 retired numbers: eight by high schools across America, one by Lower Merion High School(his alma mater),and two by Body Armor Nutrition sports drink company which has dubbed itself “The official sports drink of Kobe Bryant.”
Mambacita
Kobe Bean Bryant was an American professional basketball player. A shooting guard, he spent his entire 20-year career with the Los Angeles Lakers in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He is widely regarded as one of the greatest players in NBA history. Bryant helped the Lakers win five NBA championships, and was an 18-time All-Star, 15-time member of the All-NBA Team, and 12-time member of the All-Defensive team. He led the NBA in scoring during two seasons, and ranks fourth on both the league’s all-time regular season scoring and all-time postseason scoring lists. He is also the all-time leading scorer in Lakers franchise history.
Bryant is considered one of the greatest players of his generation and has been praised for his work ethic, Dirling ability, and competitive nature. One of eight children raised in Philadelphia, Kobe appeared on national television with then–vice president Bill Clinton at age 10 after winning a youth basketball game. He was named MVP of both the Lower Merion High School district tournament and state championship games after leading his team to a perfect 31–0 record his senior year; as a result he received a full four-year scholarship from Division I college basketball programs across America, choosing instead to declare for the 1996 NBA draft where he was selected by Charlotte Hornets with the 13th overall pick before being traded almost immediately to the Lakers. As a rookie, Bryant earned himself a reputation as a high-flyer and a fan favorite by winning the 1997 Slam Dunk Contest, and he was named an All-Star by his second season. Despite these accomplishments Jerry West – then general manager of Lakers–traded Vlade Divac to Charlotte in exchange for draft rights to 17 year old Bryant which angered Divac who publicly slammed West trade that he considered “the worst trade in [the NBA’s] history”. Nevertheless Jerry West acknowledged that “In [Kobe Bryant] we saw someone who rivaled Michael Jordan”.
In his first three seasons playing under head coach Del Harris, Bryant mostly came off bench behind Eddie Jones; Jones would eventually be traded which allowed for Bryant’s ascent into starting lineup whereupon he quickly became one of best players in league winning back to back Slam Dunk titles in 2000 & 2001; he averaged 28 points per game during 2000–01 season becoming youngest player ever to lead league in scoring . After missing much of 2001–02 season with torn Achilles tendon injury suffered late previous season against Golden State Warriors, 20 year old Bryant came back strong next year averaging 25 points per game; he scored 46 points against cross town rivals Sacramento Kings en route to leading Lakers into 2002 Western Conference Finals where they eventually lost series 4 games to 3 against eventual champion San Antonio Spurs led by future hall of famers Tim Duncan & David Robinson.
Magic Johnson
When thinking of the greatest player in NBA history, there are several players that come to mind. But, when it comes to the best player in NBA history, there is only one player that stands out above the rest, and that is Magic Johnson.
Showtime
Earvin “Magic” Johnson Jr. (born August 14, 1959) is an American former 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 was later named the league’s 1980 Rookie of the Year. In 1982, Johnson earned his first All-Star selection and led the Lakers to the NBA finals, where they defeated the Philadelphia 76ers in six games. He won five more NBA championships as a member of the Showtime Lakers of the 1980s. Johnson retired abruptly in 1991 after announcing that he had tested positive for HIV; however, he returned to play 32 games for the Lakers during their 1992–1993 season before finally retiring for good.[3][4]
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, is the NBA’s all-time leader in average assists per game, at 11.2, and ranks fourth on its all-time lists for career assists (10,141) and steals (1,724). Johnson was a member of 1992 United States men’s Olympic gold medal basketball “Dream Team”, which was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2010.[5][6] He was rated as one of Basketball’s 50 Greatest Players by ESPN in 1996.[7]
After his playing career ended, Johnson formed other business ventures including movie production companies,[8] real estate,[9] restaurants,[10][11] fitness centers/ health clubs,[12][13] property ownership,[14][15] retail investment,[16][17][18] automobile sales,[19][20][21] Minor League Baseball team ownership[22 event promoter/management,[23 global branding[24 fast food chain involvement[25 clothing design and branded merchandise sales.[26 As part of continued philanthropy following his initial announcement about having contracted HIV/AIDS[27 he donated millions to HIV/AIDS charities through his foundation Earvin Magic Johnson Foundation (EMJF), as well as working on awareness and prevention programs.[28 He also became a motivational speaker alongside Jay Leno during this time period giving speeches about AIDS related topics such as how it affects not just homosexuals but also heterosexuals as well even if it may be less likely to contract it from them due to safer sex practices since many don’t know they have contracted it yet which can lead to further spreading it unknowingly.[29
In 2012 President Barack Obama appointed him co-chairman of then newly established President’s Council on Sports Fitness and Nutrition along with NFL Pro Bowler Michelle Obama citing his work with various charities supporting children’s health issues as motivation behind why he deserved such a position while also crediting him being one of most successful African American businessmen after he had retired from professional basketball saying that “he is truly a role model not just for young African Americans but also young people period on how you conduct your life both on and off the court.”[30 During Magic Johnson Enterprises 30th anniversary he was given an award by BET Networks at their annual BET Awards show which recognizes influential African Americans within business among other things.[31
Earvin “Magic” Johnson
Earvin “Magic” Johnson is a former American professional basketball player who played point guard for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA) 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 retired again for four years, but returned in 1996 to play 32 games for the Lakers before retiring for good.
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, and is the NBA’s all-time leader in average assists per game, at 11.2. He is also considered one of the best defenders of all time; he was an All-Defensive First Team member twice. His career achievements led to his induction into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2002