Best player in NBA history?

I'm from Boston and I grew up watching Bill Russell revolutionize the game. Eleven championships in 13 years!

Best playa- Wilt Chamberlain. I mean 10,000 or what was that? I don't remember how many he said in the book.

:loveya:

I wonder if he had a counter for that. :silly: :loveya:

season.

MJ was the best though, but a triple-double average for a whole season!!

Statistically? Wilt Chamberlain.

From a team championship standpoint? Bill Russell.

Strong cases can be made for Michael Jordan and others, as well. Oscar Robertson is the only player to average a triple double for an entire season, and missed by a fraction doing it his rookie season.

I prefer to do a top ten or twelve with no ranking.

Wilt
Russell
Magic
Michael
Bird
Duncan
Oscar
Elgin Baylor
Jerry West


There are a few who would make it if we considered a segment of their career, instead of the whole career. Bill Walton and Bernard King are the leaders of that group.

That's my top list. For modern players most people think belong there:

Kobe? Are you telling me the Lakers would be any different a team with McGrady on there?

Shaq? How can any player be considered the "most dominant player in the league" for his entire career and never once lead the league in rebounding? That's pathetic. I prefer a player who actually comes to play every single game.

Did you know that Wilt led the league in assists one year, just to prove he could? That's dominance.

I'm not completely disagreeing, but I believe it remains yet to be seen. If he keeps playing like he is now...then yeah, but too early to decide that.

Oh wait...I missed your Spurs icon....LOL.

Fred Carter (NBA analyst, former coach) says he's the best power forward to ever play the game. Lots of people put him up there in the pantheon, especially since his performance in last season's playoffs.

judge his career as a whole.

Garnett's another one that can be one of the best ever, but we'll just have to wait about 10 or more years for both of them to decide.

you limit the responses to the NBA, so by default block the obvious best ever basketball player -

Meadowlark Lemon !
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or maybe it was Curley Neal?


I don't know anything about basketball, I just wanted to put a :bounce: thing.

:hi:

:D:D:D

He didn't play in the NBA though did he?

My favorite player to watch - (ABA)Dr.J. His game was an art form. Artistically, Jordan couldn't carry his jock.

followed by Dominique Wilkins, Pete Maravich, Patrick Ewing, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Shaquille O'Neal, Magic Johnson, Wilt "The Stilt" Chamberlain, Karl "The Mailman" Malone, Bill Walton, David Thompson (my husband's an N.C. State alumnus), Hakeem Olajuwon and, because he's UVa's greatest player, the one and only Ralph Sampson.

Unfortunately, injuries cut Sampson's career short. :(

He once averaged fifty points a game for a year, once they said he didnt pass enough, so he said he would lead the league in assists and DID. he was the best and one other stat, he never fouled out of a game, incredible

Russell brought the concept of defense to the game he blocked shots and would occaisionally pull down 40 rebounds a game.
I say Russell was #1, Wilt #2.

http://www.basketballreference.com/players/playerpage.htm?ilkid=RUSSEBI01

Just kidding.

Kareem baby, would love to see him and MJ in a one on one. Or maybe a celebrity death match.

Minneapolis Lakers. Was Shaq, MJ, and Wilt all rolled into one. He was so dominant they changed the width of the lane to give other teams some hope.

Seriously, this man was THE man.

Jordan couldn't hold his jock.