The Most Dominant NBA Players of All Time
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Looking back at the history of the NBA, there have been some truly dominant players. These are the guys who have completely changed the game and left their mark on the league. Here are the most dominant NBA players of all time.
Michael Jordan
Michael Jordan is one of the most dominant NBA players of all time. He was a 6-Ime Nba champion, 6-time NBA Finals MVP, 5-time NBA MVP 10-time NBA All-Star and the list goes on. He was the ultimate competitor and his drive to win was unrivaled. Although he didn’t start out as the most athletic player, he worked tirelessly to improve his game and become one of the greatest players in history.
Bill Russell
Bill Russell was the most dominant player of his era, and arguably the most dominant player of all time. He led the Boston Celtics to 11 NBA championships in his 13-year career, and was a five-time MVP. He is also one of only two players in NBA history to average 20 points and 20 rebounds per game for his career.
Magic Johnson
Earvin “Magic” Johnson Jr. 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 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, at age 36, 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, is the NBA’s all-time leader in average assists per game at 11.2, and set the single-season record for assists per game in 1982–83 with 13.1. He was a member of 1992 United States men’s Olympic gold medal basketball “Dream Team”, which was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2010.He was rated the Greatest NBA point guard of all time by ESPN in 2007. His friendship and rivalry with Boston Celtics star Larry Bird , whom he faced in the 1979 NCAA finals and three NBA Championship series , are well documented
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is widely considered one of the greatest basketball players of all time. He played for twenty seasons in the NBA, winning six championships with the Los Angeles Lakers He is also the league’s All-time leading scorer, with 38,387 points.
Abdul-Jabbar was a dominant force on both Offense and defense He was a ten-time NBA All-Star and was named the league’s Most Valuable Player a record six times. He was also a member of the legendary “Showtime” Lakers team that won five championships in the 1980s.
In addition to his on-court accomplishments, Abdul-Jabbar is also an accomplished author and activist. He has written several books, including an autobiography and a history of the African-American experience in America. He has also been active in promoting social causes such as racial equality and education reform.
Wilt Chamberlain
Wilt Chamberlain is often considered one of the most dominant players in NBA history Standing 7’1″, he was one of the tallest players in the league and used his size to his advantage, averaging 22.9 points and 18.2 rebounds per game during his 14-year career. He is best remembered for his 100-point performance in 1962, a record that still stands today. Chamberlain also holds the records for most points in a single season (4,032) and most rebounds in a single season (2,149).
LeBron James
Lebron James is one of the most dominant players in the NBA today He has led his team to the playoffs every year since he was drafted in 2003, and has won three championships. He is a four-time MVP, and was named Finals MVP three times. He is also a two-time Olympic gold medalist.
Kobe Bryant
Kobe Bryant who spent his entire 20-year career with the Los Angeles Lakers is widely regarded as one of the greatest players in NBA history A five-time champion and two-time Finals MVP Kobe was an 18-time All-Star and was named to the All-NBA First Team 11 times. He is the Lakers’ all-time leading scorer with 33,643 points, and is also ranked fourth on the NBA’s all-time scoring list. In addition to his individual accomplishments, Kobe helped lead the Lakers to seven NBA Finals appearances and five championships during his time with the team.
Larry Bird
Larry Bird is an American former professional basketball player who was a 12-time NBA All-Star winning three NBA Championships and two NBA Finals MVPs. Throughout his career, he played for the Boston Celtics and the Indiana Pacers He is widely regarded as one of the greatest players in Basketball History
Oscar Robertson
Oscar Robertson was a 6-foot-5-inch, 205-pound point guard who played for the Cincinnati Royals and the Milwaukee Bucks He is considered one of the most complete players in the history of basketball. In his rookie season, he became the first player to average a triple double for an entire season. He went on to average a triple double for five seasons. He is the only player in NBA history to do that.
He was an excellent scorer, rebounder, and passer. He was voted one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA history and was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1980.
Jerry West
Jerry West is one of the most dominant NBA players of all time. A member of the famed 1972 USA Olympic basketball team West was also a 14-time All-Star and a 10-time All-NBA first team member. He won an NBA Championship with the Los Angeles Lakers in 1972 and was named the Finals MVP West was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1980.
