Who Is the Best NBA Player of All Time?

We’re taking a look at the greatest NBA players of all time and trying to answer the question: who is the best? We’ll consider factors like individual stats, team success, and impact on the game.

LeBron James

LeBron James is an American professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association. He is widely considered to be one of the greatest players in NBA history. James has won four NBA Most Valuable Player Awards, three NBA Finals MVP Awards, and two Olympic gold medals.

His stats

LeBron James is widely considered to be the best NBA player of all time. He is a 4-time NBA MVP, 3-time NBA champion, and has been to the NBA Finals 8 times. He has also won 2 Olympic gold medals.

In his 17 seasons in the NBA, LeBron has averaged 27.1 points per game, 7.4 assists per game, and 8.6 rebounds per game. He is one of only 7 players in NBA history to average at least 25 points, 7 assists, and 8 rebounds per game for their career. He is also the only player in NBA history to average at least 30 points, 9 assists, and 8 rebounds per game in a single season.

LeBron has been named to the All-NBA First Team 12 times and the All-Defensive First Team 6 times. He is a 2-time Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame inductee, and his #23 jersey has been retired by the Cleveland Cavaliers.

His achievements

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 Most Valuable Player (MVP) Awards, four NBA Finals MVP Awards, two Olympic gold medals, an NBA Championship, and was elected to the NBA All-Star Game thirteen times.

James played basketball for St. Vincent–St. Mary High School in his hometown of Akron, Ohio, where he was highly promoted in the national media as a future NBA superstar. After graduating, he was selected by the Cleveland Cavaliers with the first overall pick of the 2003 NBA draft. James led Cleveland to their first Finals appearance in 2007, losing to the San Antonio Spurs. In 2010, he left the Cavaliers for the Miami Heat in a highly publicized ESPN special titled The Decision.

With Miami, James won back-to-back championships in 2012 and 2013 and reached the Finals a fourth time in 2014, losing to the Spurs. During his final season with Miami (2013–14), James led them to a franchise-record 62 wins and ultimately helped them reach their fifth Finals appearance after defeating the Indiana Pacers and Charlotte Bobcats/Hornets en route during his return that season back home to play for Cleveland again since joining Miami (2010). After losing in five games during his first Finals rematch against San Antonio since 2007 while back playing with Cleveland that season (2014), James helped lead them to victory over Golden State Warriors in 2015 – becoming onlythe second player ever after Sharman Hinton from previous year’s Boston Celtics teamfrom winning an NBA Championship after trailing 3–1 previously down in a Finals series – capping off one of greatest comebacks/turnarounds in not only league history but all of major sports history as well en route to being named that year’s Finals MVP as he brought bringing long-suffering city its first major professional sports championship title since 1964 by defeating Golden State Warriors 4–3 overall in series despite being previously behind 1–3 down earlier on during series.(from: http://www.nba.com/history/players/jameslebron_bio.html)

Michael Jordan

When it comes to the best NBA player of all time, the answer is clear – Michael Jordan. He was a dominant player on both ends of the court and led the Chicago Bulls to six championships in the 1990s. Jordan was also a five-time MVP and a 10-time All-Star.

His stats

In his 15-year career, Jordan averaged 30.1 points per game on 49.7% shooting, 6.2 rebounds, 5.3 assists, and 2.3 steals per game, accumulating 38,387 total points (fifth all-time), 8,372 rebounds (sixth all-time), and 5,633 assists (ninth all-time). His scoring average is the highest in NBA history, and his career achievements include six NBA Finals Most Valuable Player (MVP) Awards, ten scoring titles (both all-time records), five MVP Awards, ten All-NBA First Team designations, nine All-Defensive First Team honors, fourteen NBA All-Star Game selections (an All-Star Game record), three All-Star Game MVP Awards,[17] three Defensive Player of the Year Awards,[18] and two Olympic gold medals. Jordan was one of the ten starting players named to the NBA 35th Anniversary Team in 1996. he was also named one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History during the league’s 50th anniversary celebration in 1996.[19] In 1999 he was voted Most Influential Athlete of the 20th Century by Sports Illustrated,[20] and appears on their list of TOP 60 Athletes of the Century as well.[21][22][23] In 2004 he was inducted into both the Basketball Hall of Fame[24] and North Carolina’s Sports Hall of Fame.[25]

His achievements

Jordan is considered by many to be 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 15 seasons in the NBA, winning six championships with the Chicago Bulls. He holds the NBA records for highest career regular season scoring average (30.12 points per game) and highest career playoff scoring average (33.45 points per game). In 1999, he was named the greatest North American athlete of the 20th century by ESPN, and was second to Babe Ruth on the Associated Press’ list of athletes of the century. Jordan is a two-time inductee into the Basketball Hall of Fame, having been enshrined in 2009 for his individual career, and again in 2010 as part of the group induction of the 1992 United States men’s Olympic basketball team (“The Dream Team”). He became a member of FIBA’s Hall of Fame in 2015.

Kobe Bryant

Kobe Bryant was an American professional basketball player. He played his entire 20-year career in the National Basketball Association with the Los Angeles Lakers. He is widely considered to be one of the greatest basketball players of all time.

His stats

Bryant played his entire 20-year career with the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). 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, 12-time member of the All-Defensive team, and was the league’s Most Valuable Player (MVP) in 2008. 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.

Bryant’s achievements include holding the NBA record for most seasons playing with one franchise for an entire career, and becoming its all-time leading scorer. He is also the fourth player in NBA history to achieve a 30,000-point milestone.Kobe was friends with Michael Jordan and they had a mutual admiration for each other. Kobe viewed MJ as his idol growing up and inspired his “Mamba Mentality”.

His achievements

Kobe Bryant was an American professional basketball player. He played his entire 20-season career in the National Basketball Association with the Los Angeles Lakers. He won five NBA championships and was an 18-time All-Star, a 15-time member of the All-NBA Team, and a 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 widely considered to be one of the greatest basketball players of all time.

Bryant was born in 1978 in Philadelphia. He was drafted straight out of high school by the Charlotte Hornets in 1996 but was traded to the Lakers shortly afterwards. As a rookie, he won a Slam Dunk Contest and was named an All-Star, but he struggled with inconsistency for much of his early career. After winning three consecutive championships from 2000 to 2002, Bryant faced a series of injuries that limited his playing time; he missed most of the 2003–04 and 2004–05 seasons before returning to play 80 games in 2005–06. Although he recovered from his injuries, Bryant’s scores decreased significantly over next few seasons, causing many to label him as ” washed up.” In 2010–11, he enjoyed a resurgent season, leading his team to victory in the NBA Finals against the Boston Celtics.

In December 2012, Bryant signed a two-year contract extension with the Lakers worth $48.5 million; at age 34, he became the oldest player in NBA history to sign such a lucrative deal. In 2013–14, despite missing nine games due to injury, Bryant helped lead the Lakers to their worst record season since moving to Los Angeles in 1960. However, that would be his final season as injuries took their toll again; he played just six games over next two seasons before retiring in 2016 after suffering a torn Achilles tendon.

Other contenders

LeBron James is often compared to Michael Jordan, but there are other players who are also in the conversation for best player of all time. Kobe Bryant, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and Magic Johnson are all players who have been considered the best at one point or another. Let’s take a look at some of the other contenders for the best NBA player of all time.

Their stats

Michael Jordan: Jordan is widely considered the greatest player of all time. He was a ten-time scoring champion and won six NBA titles with the Chicago Bulls. He also won two Olympic gold medals as a member of the U.S. national team.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: Abdul-Jabbar is the NBA’s all-time leading scorer, with 38,387 points. He also won six NBA titles, including five with the Los Angeles Lakers. He was a member of the U.S. Olympic team that won gold in 1968.

Bill Russell: Russell won an astounding 11 NBA championships with the Boston Celtics, including eight in a row from 1959 to 1966. He was also a five-time NBA MVP and a 12-time All-Star.

Magic Johnson: Johnson is one of the most popular players in NBA history. He won five NBA titles with the Lakers and was named league MVP three times. He also won an Olympic gold medal as part of the “Dream Team” in 1992.

Their achievements

Their achievements

Other contenders for the title of best NBA player of all time include Bill Russell, Wilt Chamberlain, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, and Oscar Robertson. These players have all attained greatness in their own right, but there is always room for debate when it comes to who is the best ever.

The verdict

In conclusion, it is difficult to definitively say who the best NBA player of all time is. There are so many great players that have graced the court, and it is hard to compare players from different eras. However, based on the criteria we have used, it is clear that Michael Jordan is the best player of all time. His individual achievements, as well as his team success, set him apart from the rest.