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yonkon · 08-20-2009, 04:00 AM

NBA Top Ten Players in My Lifetime

Now that the parades have happened, Championship and MVP trophies given out its time to check where every NBA player I've seen stands with these ever adjusting legacies. For my lifetime I'm going to go from 1982 to now. So this eliminates Wilt, Kareem, Oscar, Russell and those players I never really saw at all or enough of to add to my list. Also others who haven't played long enough or sustained long enough like Chris Paul and D. Wade who may be on this list soon.
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In reverse order:
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10 - Kobe Bryant - I can already hear the Kobe lovers crying. Sorry, but this is how I see it. He is the 2nd best offensive player I've seen. At points he is damn near unstoppable on the offensive end. Kobe's all-around game has progressed and he has been the best player in the NBA the last couple of years. His 4th championship and first without Shaq puts him on the verge of being in the top 3. But I need to see him lead his team as the Big Dog for a couple more years and a couple more championships as the guy teams are trying to stop. Those first 3 titles Kobe played a big part no doubt, but teams were trying to figure more how to contain Shaq. Kobe also has the ability to shoot up this list as early as next year to top 3.

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9 - Isiah Thomas - The best little man in the last 20 years. People have forgotten how good he was with the Pistons because of the disaster he's been as a General Manager and Coach. But no one under 6 feet had a bigger impact on the court. He was a better scorer than Nash, better passer than Iverson and just a better all-around player than Stockton. And unlike all of those mentioned above he actually won a championship. Isiah could score at will but in order to win those championships he gave up some of his offense to make his team better.

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8 - Charles Barkley - I think it is often forgotten how dominate he was during his Philly and Phoenix days. He played the power forward position at maybe 6 foot 4. He could dominate with scoring and on the boards, even though he was guarded and being guarded by guys 4-6 inches taller than him. For me he was more dominate than Karl Malone and is why he makes it on the list.

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7 - Hakeem Olajuwon - The Dream got lost in the shuffle for a number of years down in Houston. But when Jordan retired for 2 years, Hakeem took full advantage and won a couple titles. And when he won his first title he didn't have another bona fide superstar on the team. He is the only one in my lifetime that has done that. He led a roster of players such as Kenny Smith and Mario Elie to a title. And in winning his titles he out played his contemporaries at his position Patrick Ewing and David Robinson. He had the unstoppable dream shake on offense and was an animal on defense.

>>
6 - Lebron James - There has not been a more physically gifted player. Of all the players that have come out of high school he was clearly the most ready. And unlike the others he came right in and made a difference. His game right now is based on athleticism and his knowledge of the game. And with that he already has a league MVP and arguably is the best player in the league. Once he develops a jump shot and or a reliable post up game he has the ability to rise to the top of this list.

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5 - Shaquille O' Neal - I can hear the Kobe lovers again. Yes Shaq got a little fat and got a little lazy in his last years in LA. But for about a 5 year stretch he was the most physically dominant player in the NBA. There was nothing anyone could do to stop him on the offensive end. They even developed a strategy "Hack-A-Shaq" that gave up on stopping him with defense and just played on his poor free throw shooting. And during the Lakers 3 championships he averaged 35-15. Those numbers are astonishing when u consider he was being double and triple teamed. If Shaq ever shot 65% from the line he could've moved up into the top 3.

>>
.4 - Tim Duncan - The "Big Fundamental" as Shaq called him has the same number of championships as Shaq and Kobe. His post game is exceptional and his defense is underrated. As a rookie he came in and led a team to an NBA title and won the Finals MVP. Old school players who don't give any new school players credit seem to all agree he is the best power forward of all time. He has been consistent in the league from day one and has given you the same effort and stats his whole career. While not making a lot of spectacular plays he has been the same key component on all of the Spurs championships.

>>
3 - Larry Bird - He is the least athletic on my top ten list. And that makes his placement even more impressive. His battles with Magic Johnson and the Lakers are clearly the best basketball I've seen. He had the uncanny ability to be the best player on the court without making the most spectacular plays. There was NEVER and I say NEVER a better late game shooter. No one hit more crunch time jumpers or 3's when everyone knew it was going to him than Bird. He could pass, shoot and do all the intangibles that made him and his team better. The fact that he only won 3 titles can be blamed on the next person on the list.

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2 - Magic Johnson - He is the best team player EVER. Whatever needed to be done for his team to win Magic would and could do. He was finals MVP not only as point guard, but as a center. No one will ever repeat that feat. Magic was never a great scorer but that was because making his teammates better was always the #1 thing on his mind. But Magic could score points in bunches when needed. And also hit a number of game winning shots in those battles against Bird and the Celtics. In terms of team leader he has no peer in ALL sports.

>>
1 - Michael Jordan - Best basketball player EVER. On both ends of the court he was the best in his prime. And he still played in the era of hand checking and teams creating plans to stop him. No one hit as many career defining or game winning shots as Jordan. During an era with quality peers, once he started winning there was no one who could deny him. It is conceivable without the death of his father and his retirement for 2 years he could've won 8 straight titles. And in his championships he beat Magic, Barkley, Stockton, Malone, Drexler all top 50 players of all-time. During his era he beat back a lot of great players. And finally he averaged 20 points a game at the age of 40 for the Wizards. Yes, that's right for the Wizards. He is the guy that Lebron, Kobe and all of those want to be.

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via kicknike.com

makaveli · 08-20-2009, 04:16 AM

niice list but,....don't get me wrong lebron is tied for my favourite player (with melo

) but maybe he is too young to be number 6...but hell still good bro

taysowavy · 08-20-2009, 04:53 AM

Are u serious puttin lebron at 6 and kobe at 10 .....cmon son kobe got 4 rings u gotta b jokin

Greene_Flash03 · 08-20-2009, 04:56 AM

Wrong forum perhaps?

Nice list bro! My top 3 would be

1. MJ
2. Larry Bird
3. Hakeem

Greene_Flash03 · 08-20-2009, 04:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by taysowavy


	Are u serious puttin lebron at 6 and kobe at 10 .....cmon son kobe got 4 rings u gotta b jokin

That's "HIS" list man..give the man a break.

Dalsanto0026 · 08-20-2009, 05:05 AM

Why do so many people think the number of rings a player has determines his "greatness"? The number of rings you have determines your team's "greatness" not a player's. A championship ring is not an individual award, it's a team award. This argument suggests that if Jordan played for a poor team and never won a ring he wouldn't be considered the greatest basketballer the world has seen. Kobe IMO should be at least top 5 and I've been watching basketball since the early eighties and I've seen some great players.

Dalsanto0026 · 08-20-2009, 05:06 AM

By the way, that's a good top 10, though I would replace Barkley with Wilkins and put Kobe at 4 and Lebron at 7. I think your top 3 is spot on though - not that hard to get wrong, lol.

pbz06 · 08-20-2009, 05:19 AM

Nice list. I can agree with that. We all know Jordan is #1, and the rest can be shuffled around and nobody can really complain.

And I agree about the ring argument and what Dalsanto said. A ring is a team effort and a reflection of how good your team was. Not winning a ring doesn't take anything away from guys like Malone, Barkley etc.

And speaking of rings and team efforts, people also forget that Jordan played on veteran teams with an excellent supporting cast and even more importantly, a great coaching staff. The Bulls without Jordan managed to make it to the Eastern Finals (when he was playing baseball) and almost won that series...so it's not like they weren't a good team without him. Just wanted to throw that out there.

08-20-2009, 04:16 AM	#2
makaveli Rookie OVR: 3 Join Date: Aug 2009	Re: NBA Top Ten Players in My Lifetime niice list but,....don't get me wrong lebron is tied for my favourite player (with melo ) but maybe he is too young to be number 6...but hell still good bro

08-20-2009, 04:53 AM	#3
taysowavy Rookie OVR: 1 Join Date: Aug 2009	Re: NBA Top Ten Players in My Lifetime Are u serious puttin lebron at 6 and kobe at 10 .....cmon son kobe got 4 rings u gotta b jokin

08-20-2009, 04:56 AM	#4
Greene_Flash03 MVP OVR: 27 Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Chula Vista, CA Blog Entries: 12	Re: NBA Top Ten Players in My Lifetime Wrong forum perhaps? Nice list bro! My top 3 would be 1. MJ 2. Larry Bird 3. Hakeem

08-20-2009, 05:05 AM	#6
Dalsanto0026 Banned OVR: 12 Join Date: Aug 2007	Re: NBA Top Ten Players in My Lifetime Why do so many people think the number of rings a player has determines his "greatness"? The number of rings you have determines your team's "greatness" not a player's. A championship ring is not an individual award, it's a team award. This argument suggests that if Jordan played for a poor team and never won a ring he wouldn't be considered the greatest basketballer the world has seen. Kobe IMO should be at least top 5 and I've been watching basketball since the early eighties and I've seen some great players.

08-20-2009, 05:06 AM	#7
Dalsanto0026 Banned OVR: 12 Join Date: Aug 2007	Re: NBA Top Ten Players in My Lifetime By the way, that's a good top 10, though I would replace Barkley with Wilkins and put Kobe at 4 and Lebron at 7. I think your top 3 is spot on though - not that hard to get wrong, lol. Last edited by Dalsanto0026; 08-20-2009 at 08:01 AM.

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08-20-2009, 04:00 AM	#1
yonkon Banned OVR: 2 Join Date: Aug 2009	NBA Top Ten Players in My Lifetime NBA Top Ten Players in My Lifetime Now that the parades have happened, Championship and MVP trophies given out its time to check where every NBA player I've seen stands with these ever adjusting legacies. For my lifetime I'm going to go from 1982 to now. So this eliminates Wilt, Kareem, Oscar, Russell and those players I never really saw at all or enough of to add to my list. Also others who haven't played long enough or sustained long enough like Chris Paul and D. Wade who may be on this list soon. >> In reverse order: >> 10 - Kobe Bryant - I can already hear the Kobe lovers crying. Sorry, but this is how I see it. He is the 2nd best offensive player I've seen. At points he is damn near unstoppable on the offensive end. Kobe's all-around game has progressed and he has been the best player in the NBA the last couple of years. His 4th championship and first without Shaq puts him on the verge of being in the top 3. But I need to see him lead his team as the Big Dog for a couple more years and a couple more championships as the guy teams are trying to stop. Those first 3 titles Kobe played a big part no doubt, but teams were trying to figure more how to contain Shaq. Kobe also has the ability to shoot up this list as early as next year to top 3. >> 9 - Isiah Thomas - The best little man in the last 20 years. People have forgotten how good he was with the Pistons because of the disaster he's been as a General Manager and Coach. But no one under 6 feet had a bigger impact on the court. He was a better scorer than Nash, better passer than Iverson and just a better all-around player than Stockton. And unlike all of those mentioned above he actually won a championship. Isiah could score at will but in order to win those championships he gave up some of his offense to make his team better. >> 8 - Charles Barkley - I think it is often forgotten how dominate he was during his Philly and Phoenix days. He played the power forward position at maybe 6 foot 4. He could dominate with scoring and on the boards, even though he was guarded and being guarded by guys 4-6 inches taller than him. For me he was more dominate than Karl Malone and is why he makes it on the list. >> 7 - Hakeem Olajuwon - The Dream got lost in the shuffle for a number of years down in Houston. But when Jordan retired for 2 years, Hakeem took full advantage and won a couple titles. And when he won his first title he didn't have another bona fide superstar on the team. He is the only one in my lifetime that has done that. He led a roster of players such as Kenny Smith and Mario Elie to a title. And in winning his titles he out played his contemporaries at his position Patrick Ewing and David Robinson. He had the unstoppable dream shake on offense and was an animal on defense. >> 6 - Lebron James - There has not been a more physically gifted player. Of all the players that have come out of high school he was clearly the most ready. And unlike the others he came right in and made a difference. His game right now is based on athleticism and his knowledge of the game. And with that he already has a league MVP and arguably is the best player in the league. Once he develops a jump shot and or a reliable post up game he has the ability to rise to the top of this list. >> >> 5 - Shaquille O' Neal - I can hear the Kobe lovers again. Yes Shaq got a little fat and got a little lazy in his last years in LA. But for about a 5 year stretch he was the most physically dominant player in the NBA. There was nothing anyone could do to stop him on the offensive end. They even developed a strategy "Hack-A-Shaq" that gave up on stopping him with defense and just played on his poor free throw shooting. And during the Lakers 3 championships he averaged 35-15. Those numbers are astonishing when u consider he was being double and triple teamed. If Shaq ever shot 65% from the line he could've moved up into the top 3. >> .4 - Tim Duncan - The "Big Fundamental" as Shaq called him has the same number of championships as Shaq and Kobe. His post game is exceptional and his defense is underrated. As a rookie he came in and led a team to an NBA title and won the Finals MVP. Old school players who don't give any new school players credit seem to all agree he is the best power forward of all time. He has been consistent in the league from day one and has given you the same effort and stats his whole career. While not making a lot of spectacular plays he has been the same key component on all of the Spurs championships. >> 3 - Larry Bird - He is the least athletic on my top ten list. And that makes his placement even more impressive. His battles with Magic Johnson and the Lakers are clearly the best basketball I've seen. He had the uncanny ability to be the best player on the court without making the most spectacular plays. There was NEVER and I say NEVER a better late game shooter. No one hit more crunch time jumpers or 3's when everyone knew it was going to him than Bird. He could pass, shoot and do all the intangibles that made him and his team better. The fact that he only won 3 titles can be blamed on the next person on the list. >> 2 - Magic Johnson - He is the best team player EVER. Whatever needed to be done for his team to win Magic would and could do. He was finals MVP not only as point guard, but as a center. No one will ever repeat that feat. Magic was never a great scorer but that was because making his teammates better was always the #1 thing on his mind. But Magic could score points in bunches when needed. And also hit a number of game winning shots in those battles against Bird and the Celtics. In terms of team leader he has no peer in ALL sports. >> 1 - Michael Jordan - Best basketball player EVER. On both ends of the court he was the best in his prime. And he still played in the era of hand checking and teams creating plans to stop him. No one hit as many career defining or game winning shots as Jordan. During an era with quality peers, once he started winning there was no one who could deny him. It is conceivable without the death of his father and his retirement for 2 years he could've won 8 straight titles. And in his championships he beat Magic, Barkley, Stockton, Malone, Drexler all top 50 players of all-time. During his era he beat back a lot of great players. And finally he averaged 20 points a game at the age of 40 for the Wizards. Yes, that's right for the Wizards. He is the guy that Lebron, Kobe and all of those want to be. >> via kicknike.com Last edited by yonkon; 08-21-2009 at 08:46 PM.

08-20-2009, 05:19 AM	#8
pbz06 Banned OVR: 26 Join Date: Oct 2008	Re: NBA Top Ten Players in My Lifetime Nice list. I can agree with that. We all know Jordan is #1, and the rest can be shuffled around and nobody can really complain. And I agree about the ring argument and what Dalsanto said. A ring is a team effort and a reflection of how good your team was. Not winning a ring doesn't take anything away from guys like Malone, Barkley etc. And speaking of rings and team efforts, people also forget that Jordan played on veteran teams with an excellent supporting cast and even more importantly, a great coaching staff. The Bulls without Jordan managed to make it to the Eastern Finals (when he was playing baseball) and almost won that series...so it's not like they weren't a good team without him. Just wanted to throw that out there.