There are decent basketball players and there are great ones. There are those that are even good enough to play alongside and against the greatest players of all time. It is like comparing a two-for one special at a local fast-food joint and online promotions like the betfair promo code.
This article is dedicated to those that have gone beyond the training and talent, that have stunned players, coaches, and audiences around the world, and that made their name a part of basketball history. Here are five of the greatest basketball players of all time.
Magic Johnson
Teams pick some players because they are great at scoring. Some players are better suited to play defense.
In his career, Magic Johnson was the best all-around player, second only to LeBron. He is the only player in NBA history that managed to achieve more than 11 assists per game and it was his leadership that secured the Lakers one of the top spots in NBA Championships five times. He played for 16 years and there’s no telling how much more he would have achieved if his career lasted longer.
Wilt Chamberlain
The towering titan with 30.07 points per game (second only to Michael Jordan) is beyond doubt the best rebounder the NBA has ever seen or is likely to see in the near future. The numbers don’t lie – 22.9 rebounds per game is well beyond what we expect of today’s basketball stars. Voted All-Star 13 times in 14 played seasons and with over 100 games where he scored more than 50 points, Chamberlain is one of the greatest. On a side note, we’re pretty sure that one of the characters in Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends is a tribute to him, even bearing his name.
Kareem Abdul-Jabar
While Kareem Abdul-Jabar did not score more than 24.6 points per game, which is in itself beyond impressive, there is no player living or dead that has even gotten close to his total score. Spanning his entire professional career, he scored 38,387 points. If we take into account that he was the best college basketball player of all time, it is more than clear why we would include him on this list. Without him, the Lakers and the Bucks might not have done so well in the Championships.
LeBron James
LeBron James is the best all-around player, with amazing 27.08 points per game. If we look at his scores alone, he is the best active player there is. True, he is not as unbelievable in this regard as Wilt Chamberlain or Michael Jordan, but, being still active, he is not that far away either. It was thanks to LeBron that the Cavs managed to bounce back after a bad losing streak and he is widely regarded as the second-best NBA player in basketball history.
Michael Jordan
Do you know another basketball player who tried his hand at baseball and shook hands with Bugs Bunny? Because we don’t, but that’s not what makes Michael Jordan the greatest player in basketball history. He led the Bulls to no less than six NBA Championships, averaged 20.12 points per game, and 2.35 steals. He was an amazing leader, an icon of the 90s, and, currently, the owner of the Hornets. You can take the GOAT out of basketball, but… scratch that, you can’t.