Dimers’ Top 10 NBA Players of All Time

This blog post will count down the top 10 NBA players of all time, as voted by the staff here at Dimers. We’ll take a look at their careers, their accomplishments, and what made them some of the greatest to ever play the game

Introduction

Dimer’s Top 10 NBA players of All Time is a blog post written by Dimer that was published on May 5th, 2016. The blog postSERP features an image of the top 10 players in Dimer’s opinion, as well as a description of each player.

Top 10 NBA players of all time

In honor of the NBA’s upcoming 70th anniversary, ESPN asked its Basketball Power Index to rate the best players in league history. The BPI was created in 2013 to measure a team’s strength, based on game-by-game efficiency.

To create the list, the BPI multiplied each player’s career rating by his minutes played and games played and divided that number by 10,000. The result is a ranking of every eligible player by their estimated total value over an average career.

Here are Dimers’ top 10 NBA players of all time:

1. Michael Jordan
2. LeBron James
3. Kareem Abdul Jabbar
4. Wilt Chamberlain
5. Magic Johnson
6. Larry Bird
7. Tim Duncan
8. Shaquille O’Neal
9. Kobe Bryant
10. Karl Malone

#10 – Oscar Robertson

The “Big O” was the prototypical point guard long before Magic Johnson or Stephen Curry made the position what it is today. A true Swiss Army Knife on the court, Robertson could do it all — scoring, passing, rebounding and Playing Defense at a high level. In his second season in the league, he became the first player in NBA history to average a triple-double for an entire season, something that has only been done five times in league history. He was also a 12-time All-Star, a two-time MVP and a champion, winning an NBA title with the Milwaukee Bucks in 1971.

#9 – Jerry West

Jerry West – nicknamed “Mr. Clutch” and “The Logo”, was an American Basketball executive and former player who played his entire professional career for the Los Angeles Lakers. His 14 seasons with the club are tied with Kobe Bryant and he spent a total of 45 years associated with the Lakers organization, serving as a broadcaster, Head Coach General Manager and consultant.

West’s silhouette was later incorporated into the NBA logo in 1971. West played in 10 NBA Finals winning one during his rookie season. He was also selected to 12 All-NBA teams 12 All-Star Games, six All-Defensive Teams Playing mostly at point guard but also as a shooting guard West led the NBA in scoring seven times and won five NBA championships with the Lakers during their 32-year run in Los Angeles

In 1996 he was inducted into the Smith Basketball Hall of Fame and his name was inscribed on the NBA Finals MVP Trophy until it was replaced by Bill Russell’s in 2009. West’s accomplishments include being one of two players in NBA history to average more than 27 points in an entire career (the other being Michael Jordan) along with being one of only four players to play at least 40 minutes per game for an entire career (the others are Oscar Robertson Jordan, Wilt Chamberlain).

#8 – Wilt Chamberlain

Wilt Chamberlain was one of the most dominant players to ever play the game He is one of only two players to average over 50 points per game in a season, and he did it twice. He also holds the single game scoring record with 100 points. Chamberlain was an incredible rebounder, averaging over 22 rebounds per game for his career. He is also the only player in NBA history to average over 20 points and 20 rebounds per game in a season, and he did it 11 times. Chamberlain was named NBA MVP four times and was a member of the NBA All-Star team 11 times.

#7 – Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is one of the most decorated players in NBA history He is a six-Ime Nba champion, a six-time NBA MVP and a 19-time NBA All-Star He is also the NBA’s All-time leading scorer with 38,387 points.

Abdul-Jabbar was a dominant force on both ends of the court. He was an excellent shooter and a brilliant post player He was also an outstanding defender and rebounder. In fact, he is the only player in NBA history to be named to the All-Defensive team in all 10 of his seasons.

Abdul-Jabbar was simply one of the greatest players ever to play the game and he deservedly ranks #7 on our list of the top 10 NBA players of all time.

#6 – Magic Johnson

Born Earvin Johnson Jr. in Lansing, Michigan, on August 14, 1959, Magic Johnson was one of the NBA’s first true superstars. A 6’9″ point guard with a remarkably big frame and an unquenchable competitive drive, Johnson helped lead the Los Angeles Lakers to five NBA Championships in the 1980s. He was also a clutch performer on the 1992 U.S. Olympic “Dream Team” that won a gold medal in Barcelona.

Before his retirement in 1991, following his HIV diagnosis, Magic Johnson had established himself as one of the greatest players in NBA history He was a 12-time All-Star and a three-time league MVP. He retired as the NBA’s all-time leader in assists (9,346) and ranks fifth on the league’s all-time scoring list (17,707 points).

#5 – Tim Duncan

Tim Duncan a power forward/center who played his entire 19-year career with the San Antonio Spurs, is widely considered one of the greatest players in Basketball History He was a two-time NBA MVP a three-time NBA Finals MVP, and a 14-time All-Star. He was also a member of the 1999 All-NBA First Team and the 2001 and 2002 All-Defensive First Teams.

In his rookie season, Duncan averaged 21.1 points, 11.9 rebounds, 2.7 blocks, and 1.5 steals per game en route to being named Rookie of the Year. He also helped lead the Spurs to their first NBA Championship that year. Over his career, Duncan averaged 19.0 points, 10.8 rebounds, 3.0 assists, and 2.2 blocks per game while shooting 50.6% from the field and 69.9% from the Free Throw Line

Duncan was known for his quiet demeanor and lack of flashiness on the court, preferring to let his play do the talking for him. He was also an excellent team player who always put the team first. In addition to his many on-court accomplishments, Duncan is also a class act off the court and is highly respected by his peers for his character and professionalism

#4 – Shaquille O’Neal

Shaquille Rashaun O’Neal (/ʃəˈkiːl/ shə-KEEL; born March 6, 1972), nicknamed Shaq (/ʃæk/ SHAK), is an American retired professional basketball player who is currently a sports analyst on the television program Inside The NBA Standing 7 ft 1 in (2.16 m) tall and weighing 325 pounds (147 kg), he was one of the heaviest players ever to play in the NBA. O’Neal played for six teams throughout his 19-year NBA Career

O’Neal’s individual accolades include the 1999–2000 MVP Award the 1992–93 NBA Rookie of the Year Award 15 All-Star game selections, three All-Star Game MVP Awards three Finals MVP Awards two scoring titles, 14 All-NBA team selections, and three NBA All-Defensive Team selections He is one of only three players to win NBA MVP All-Star Game MVP and Finals MVP awards in the same year (2000); he joins Michael Jordan and Bill Russell in that select group. He was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2016. In 2017, he was elected to the Massachusetts Basketball Hall of Fame

#3 – LeBron James

Lebron James is widely considered to be one of the best players in the history of the NBA. He has been named NBA MVP four times, and has won three NBA championships James is also a two-time Olympic gold medalist.

#2 – Michael Jordan

Arguably the best player ever, Michael Jordan was a ten-time NBA All-Star and six-time champion with the Chicago Bulls He was also a two-time Olympic gold medalist. Jordan was known for his incredible scoring ability, winning ten scoring titles during his career. He is also the NBA’s all-time leading scorer, with 32,292 points.

#1 – Bill Russell

Bill Russell is widely considered to be the greatest player in the history of basketball. He was a dominate force on both ends of the court and led the Boston Celtics to an unprecedented 11 NBA championships Russell was named NBA MVP 5 times and was selected to 12 All-Star teams. He is also a member of the famed “Dream Team” that won the gold medal at the 1992 Olympic Games