Five Greatest Players in NBA History
It was in 1946 that the NBA, known as the BAA back then, was formed. That one move changed the face of basketball forever and put it right up there among the most watched leagues in the country.
Like any other sport or league in the world, it is the talent that the NBA has had to offer over the years which has turned it into what it is today. Some of the greatest players in basketball have stepped out on the court day in day out to impress fans with breathtaking skills.
We have now come up with our list of the 5 greatest NBA players in history. It wasn’t an easy thing to do but we still gave it a shot and somehow managed to trim it down to 7 players. So take a look and see if this works for you:
P.S The list includes retired players only.
1-Michael Jordan
Michael Jordan is the greatest NBA player to have ever laced a pair of boots. Jordan starred for the Chicago Bulls and took them to the top of the summit. This is his roll of honor: 6 NBA Championships, 6 NBA Finals MVP Awards, 5 NBA MVP Awards, 14 times NBA All-Star and 3 times NBA All-Star MVP. Jordan retired with a 30.12 points per game regular season average which is a record that still stands. The two times Basketball Hall of Fame inductee was not just a player, he was a brand that revolutionized the NBA and made it global.
2-Magic Johnson
Another two time Basketball Hall of Famer and a player that on his day was literally unstoppable. He spent his entire thirteen seasons long playing career with the Los Angeles Lakers and won everything that the sport has to offer. He won the NBA Championship on five occasions. He was named the NBA Finals MVP thrice, the NBA MVP thrice and made it to the All-Star squad on a dozen occasions. He also led the NBA in assists for four seasons. His genius on the court made the Lakers the team to beat during the 1980’s and cemented his place among the greatest NBA players in history.
3-Bill Russell
The Boston Celtics won an astonishing eleven NBA titles between 1957 and 1969 with Bill Russell playing a part in every triumph. His eleven championships is a North American professional record that stands to this day. Good luck to anyone who attempts to beat that. Russell is one of only two players in NBA history to rack up 50 rebounds in a single game. He stands second on the list of players with the most rebounds per game and total rebounds. Oh and he also won five NBA MVP Awards, made it to the All-Star team twelve times and his number 6 has been retired by the Boston Celtics.
4-Oscar Robertson
Oscar Robertson also known as the Big O is arguably the best all round player in the NBA history. The guy could do almost everything. He amassed 26,710 points over a stellar career. Only a handful of players have bettered that in NBA history. He retired with a 25.7 ppg which puts him second on the list among all players who have retired. Only two players, Magic Johnson and John Stockton have recorded more assists than Robertson’s 9,887. He won the NBA title once and also made it to the All-Star team on twelve occasions. He remains the only player in history to average a triple-double for an entire season.
5-Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
And then there was Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. The Milwaukee Bucks and the Los Angeles Lakers legend who broke multiple records during his playing days to rank alongside the greats of the game. After playing for two decades, he retired in 1989 with multiple records to his name at the time. He had amassed 38,387 points, played 1,560 games, played for 57,446 minutes, made 28,307 field goal attempts, had 9,394 defensive rebounds and had recorded 3,189 blocked shots. Each of these were records back then. He also won six NBA titles, two NBA Finals MVP Awards, six NBA MVP gongs and made it to the All-Star team on a whopping nineteen occasions. If there are not numbers of an all time great, then we don’t know what is.
Yes, we have skipped icons like Wilt Chamberlain and Larry Bird among others but these are the five players we thought just had the edge over everyone else. We went through a very exhaustive process to come up with the list. Now, let us hear what you have to say about it.
