Who Are The Top 10 NBA Players of All Time?

Join the debate on who are the top 10 NBA players of all time.

Introduction

This list is sure to start some arguments – but that’s what makes it so much fun! Here are the top 10 NBA players of all time, according to our panel of experts.

1. Michael Jordan

There’s no arguing with this one – Michael Jordan is the greatest basketball player of all time. He was a game-changer on both ends of the court, a 6-time NBA champion, and the league MVP 5 times. He was also a 10-time scoring champion and 3-time steals leader. Oh, and let’s not forget that he was also a 6-time NBA Finals MVP and 14-time All-Star. Yeah, he’s pretty good.

2. LeBron James

LeBron James is still early in his career, but he’s already proven himself to be one of the greatest ever. He’s a 3-time NBA champion, 3-time Finals MVP, and 4-time league MVP. He’s also a 12-time All-Star and 10-time All-NBA First Team selection. And he’s still going – so don’t be surprised if he ends up even higher on this list by the time he retires.

3. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is the NBA’s all-time leading scorer, with 38,387 points over his 20 season career. He was a 6-time NBA champion, 2-time Finals MVP, and 6-time league MVP. He was also a 19-time All Star and 10 time All defensive First Team selection.. Not too shabby for one of the tallest players in NBA history!

4. Magic Johnson

Magic Johnson is widely considered to be one of the greatest point guards in NBA history. He was a 5 time NBA champion, 3 time Finals MVP, and 3 time league MVP . He was also a 12 time All Star and 9 time AllNBA First Team selection.. Oh yeah – he also has an Olympic gold medal from the 1992 “Dream Team”. Not too bad for someone who started out as a tall point guard!

5 Bill Russell
Bill Russell is another player who has an impressive resume: 11 time NBA champion , 5 time Finals MVP , 12 time All Star ,and 24All defensive First Team selections . That’s more championship rings than any other player in NBA history! Not too shabby for someone who wasn’t even the tallest guy on his team!                  
6 Wilt Chamberlain Wilt Chamberlain holds several records that may never be broken: 100 point game , 27 rebounds in a single game , 50 points in 31 games . He was also a 2 time NBA champion , 2 Finals MVP ,and 4 league MVP . Oh yeah – he was also a 13All Star and10AllNBA First Team selection ! Not too bad for someone who was often double teamed! 7 Larry Bird Larry Bird is another player with an impressive resume: 3xNBA champion , 2xFinals MV P , 1xleague MV P12xAll S tarand 9xAllNBA First team selections . Oh yeah – he was also named Rookie of The Year and Coach of The Year ! Not too bad for someone who wasn ’ t even supposed to be good! 8 Kobe Bryant Kobe Bryant is one of the most popular players in recent memory: 5xNBA champion2xFinals MVP1 league MVP18xAll Starand 15xAllDefensive first team selection . Oh yeah – he was also named Rookie Of The Year ! Not too bad for someone who came into the league as a teenager! 9 Tim Duncan Tim Duncan is another player with an impressive resume: 5xNBA champion3xfinals MVP2×league MVP15×all starand10×allDefensive first team selections . Oh yeah – he was also named Rookie Of The year ! Not too bad for someone who wasn ’ t supposed to be good!   10 Shaquille O ’Neal Shaquille O ’ Neal is another player with an impressive resume: 4×nba Champion3×finals mvp1×league mvp15×allstarAnd8first team all Defense selections . Oh yeah – he was also named Rookie Of The Year And Most Valuable Player ! Not too bad for someone who wasn ’ t supposed to be good!

Michael Jordan

Michael Jeffrey Jordan (born February 17, 1963), also known by his initials MJ, is an American former professional basketball player. He played 15 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for the Chicago Bulls and Washington Wizards. His biography on the official NBA website states: “By acclamation, Michael Jordan is the greatest basketball player of all time.” He 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.

Jordan played three seasons for coach Dean Smith at the University of North Carolina. As a freshman, he was a member of the Tar Heels’ national championship team in 1982. Jordan joined the Bulls in 1984 as the third overall draft pick. He quickly emerged as a league star, entertaining crowds with his prolific scoring. His leaping ability, demonstrated by performing slam dunks from the free throw line in Slam Dunk Contests, earned him nicknames such as “Air Jordan” and “His Airness”. He also gained a reputation for being one of the best defensive players in basketball. In 1991, he won his first NBA championship with the Bulls, and followed that achievement with titles in 1992 and 1993, securing a “three-peat”. Although Jordan abruptly retired from basketball before the beginning of just click for source 1993–94 NBA season, as he lost interest following Magic Johnson’s announcement that he had contracted HIV/AIDsand continued to jordan essay into minor league baseball; howeverhe ujrdan two more years with Chicago induring which he won numerous awards including MVP honors after leading them to victory over Utah Jazz in jordan essay 1997 NBA Finals.

LeBron James

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 basketball players of all time. James has won four NBA Most Valuable Player (MVP) Awards, four NBA Finals MVP Awards, and two Olympic gold medals. He has also been selected to 13 NBA All-Star teams, 12 All-NBA teams, and six All-Defensive teams.

Kobe Bryant

Kobe Bean Bryant (born August 23, 1978) is an American former professional basketball player. He played his entire 20-season career in the National Basketball Association (NBA) with the Los Angeles Lakers. He entered the NBA directly from high school and won five NBA championships with the Lakers. Bryant 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 record for the most seasons playing with one franchise for an entire career and is widely regarded as one of the greatest basketball players of all time.

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 32 games for the Lakers during the 1992–93 season, winning a fifth championship as a player before retiring for four more years. He was a member of the 1992 United States men’s Olympic gold medal basketball team (“The Dream Team”), and was voted one of its 50 Greatest Players in 1996.

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, set a record for career assists per game average for a rookie that stood for 32 years. He was a member of hardwood history as part of teams at both ends of NBA court records: he co-owns both a 72 win season with Chicago as well as an 0.706 win percentage (an all-time best) with Detroit.

Larry Bird

Larry Bird is widely regarded as one of the greatest players in the history of basketball. He played for the Boston Celtics for his entire 13-year career, winning three NBA championships and two NBA Finals MVP awards. A 12-time NBA All-Star, Bird was named the league’s Most Valuable Player three times. He helped lead the Celtics to a then-record 62 wins in the 1986-87 season. In 1987-88, he won his second straight MVP award and was named to the All-NBA First Team for a fourth consecutive season. He retired as a player in 1992.

Bill Russell

Bill Russell is often considered the greatest player in NBA history. A five-time NBA MVP and 12-time All-Star, he helped lead the Boston Celtics to 11 NBA Championships, including eight in a row from 1959 to 1966. He was also a key member of the U.S. Olympic team that won gold in 1956.

Wilt Chamberlain

Wilt Chamberlain is a retired American professional basketball player who played for the Philadelphia/San Francisco Warriors, the Philadelphia 76ers, and the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was born on August 21, 1936, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Chamberlain stands 7ft 1in tall, and he is widely regarded as one of the greatest and most dominant players in NBA history. He is the only player to score 100 points in a single NBA game. Chamberlain holds numerous NBA records, including those for most points scored in a game (100), most points scored in a season (4,029), most rebounds in a game (55), and most rebounds in a season (2,149).

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is a retired American professional basketball player who is currently the NBA’s all-time leading scorer. During his 20-year career with the Milwaukee Bucks and the Los Angeles Lakers, he won six NBA championships, was a 19-time NBA All-Star, and was named the league’s Most Valuable Player a record six times. Since his retirement in 1989, he has been an active filmmaker, author, and social advocate. In 2012, he was selected by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to be a U.S. global cultural ambassador.

Oscar Robertson

Oscar Robertson is widely considered one of the greatest players in NBA history. He was a 12-time All-Star and 11-time member of the All-NBA first team. He is the only player to average a triple-double for an entire season and his career average of 25.7 points, 9.5 assists, and 7.5 rebounds per game are all currently top-10 in NBA history. Robertson was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1980 and was named one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History in 1996.