Wednesday, October 8, 2008

NBA Top 5 Greatest Players Of All Time

The World is flat, upside down and pigs can fly. Everything that we hold dear to us dies and nothing sacred.

While holding an open gym basketball practice for junior and senior highschool kids I walked into a heated discussion about who the top 5 best of all time were...

5. Wilt Chamberlain
4. LeBron
3. Iverson
2. Jordan
1. Kobe

I threw my ball away in disgust and made everyone jump on baseline. I'm still rattled.

One kid has the nerve to ask me "Coach, how many lines do we got"?

My response: As many as it takes for you to respect the game. Just run.

After practice I thought to myself, is it really that ambiguous who the top five players of all time are?

I mean clearly the list goes....

5. Jordan
4. Jordan
3. Jordan
2. Jordan
1. Jordan

Right?

Who do you got?

5 comments:

mase said...

5. Magic (best point guard in history)
4. Kobe (best post Jordan era Guard)
3. Duncan (best big of all time)maybe Wilt...
2. Bird (best all around offensive player other than MJ)
1. Jordan (The G.O.A.T)

Lebron hasnt done enough yet but will be in my top five before his career is done. Other notable exclusions include wilt, shaq and kareem...I wouldn't put anyone else in my top 5. Blaze how old do we sound tryin to get these kids to respect the history of the game! Nevertheless, they need to know the truth so run em until they do.

L-Trane said...

1. Jordan
2. Wilt Chamberlain
3. Kobe
4. Oscar Robertson
5. Bill Russell

...my list seems to be a little bit different from you boys, but needless to say it's a very debatable subject. Kareem, Shaq, LeBron, and even Garnett were sneaking up on my list, but I had to go with these guys. I'll also give some honorable mentions to Detlef Schrempf and Arvydas Sabonis...just kidding. But ya, I think if we do this again in about 5 years, the list could be very different, just to see what LeBron and Dwight can do to prove themselves.

Suicide Squeeze said...

Y'all are wack.
Guess I'm the only one who knows what time it is.

1. Jordan
2. Bird
3. Wilt
4. Magic
5. The Dream

We can't talk about big men and not include Olajuwon. As far as dominating games, nobody did it better than my five. Kobe's not there yet. I'll put Shaq up there before I put Garnett there, and Pippen before I put Kobe. Straight up.

T-Blackattack said...

1. Mike Jord (duh)
2. Oscar Robertson (aka The Big O)
3. Kobe (aka Black Mamba)
4. Wilt (On the court and in the bedroom)
5. Magic (We could get through anything if he made it)

Honourable Mention:
KG
Shaq
Bill Russell
LBJ

Now obviously I'm a little biased towards Kobe because he is the only player that I have gotten to actually see, at length, in my lifetime. He might be a little high up on the list but he is one of the only players that has as many tools as MJ. Current NBAers have forgotten the lost art of the mid-range game. He is slim company with the likes of Richard Hamilton, Allen Iverson and maybe Brandon Roy that have that in their toolbox. Now obviously there are a lot of bigs that have mid-range game, KG and Bosh to name a few but I'm talking off the dribble and from the post up. When you look at guys like Mike and Kobe (aka the Kobert Assassin) these guys will back you down, go to the hole, shoot the 15 footer, shoot the three-piece and play hard-nosed D.

Buckwild said...

T-wackattack and L-lame- how the hell are you leaving Larry Legend off the list? I know he's a slow whiteboy and all but pound for pound there are few players who ever did it better. Larry was unstoppable in College playing with a team of nobody's at Indiana St. And he was the heart and soul of all those dominant Boston teams.

To be the greatest, you have to change the game--you have to do something that hasn't been done.

Here are my top five

1. Jordan
2. Bird
3. Jerry West--he's the damn logo
4. Dr. J
5. Pistol Pete

All those crossover moves, behind the back etc that have become famous ---chalk that up to the pistol for the flash in the modern game.

Thank me later for the knowledge ladies.