Bleacher Report is a great website. It allows people to debate, share opinions, and learn from different perspectives. One of the most common debates I have seen explored here is who is the greatest. Who is the greatest of all time? Who is the greatest right now? Who is the greatest play maker, passer, center, scorer, leader or defensive player? The answer is not so simple, which is evident by the amount of debate that any of these articles bring along with it. I am going to give my opinion in the way that I believe it should be given for a team game. I am going to name a dream team with an emphasis on who was the best for each position. Let's face it, Michael Jordan owes a lot of his legacy to the people that helped him win a championship and the circumstances in which he played in. Jordan would not have been the same player had he been drafted by the Trailblazers and had to share the ball with Clyde Drexler in a much smaller market than Chicago. So without further ado, here is my All-time team.
Starters:
Starting PG
Magic Johnson - Magic is amazing for a lot of reasons, but having a 6'9" floor leader is an advantage that no one else has ever had.
Starting SG
Michael Jordan - Arguably the best player at any position ever
Starting SF
Oscar Robertson - Did everything you would need to have done on a basketball court. This guy was the most complete player of his generation and as big of a reputation that this guy has I believe he is extremely underrated.
Starting PF
Tim Duncan - Stats aren't the whole story. This guy is all time great and we have had the fortune of watching him do it right in front of us.
Starting C
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar - To me he is the perfect center. He was a shot blocking genius, he has the most unstoppable offensive move of all time, and he was simply a winner on every level that he competed on.
Bench:
Backup PG
John Stockton- I am not a Stockton fan but this guy was the best pure point guard ever. Cousy has a claim to this position as well but the all-time assist and steal leader gets the edge.
Backup SG
Kobe Bryant - I am going to get a lot of flack for this but the guy is unquestionably one of the greatest offensive forces ever and he plays great defense. If you had to put Jordan on the bench for a breather, who better to back him up.
Backup SF
Larry Bird - Great shot, better hustle. No one has ever done so much with so little. This guy is a basketball god.
Backup PF
Karl Malone- Number two in scoring and would have had multiple championships if he wouldn't have run into the Chicago Buzzsaws.
Backup C
Wilt Chamberlain - 50 points 25 rebounds as an average for one season. 100 points in one game, but the best of all is he never fouled out of a single game. Wow.
11th man
Bill Russell- Defensive genius, great leader and in today's game could play either post position. Oh, and he won 11 championships so he gets the nod.
12th man
LeBron James- Does things that no one else has ever done. Magic couldn't run like this. Michael wasn't nearly as big. This guy is the real deal. It may be a little early to be putting him on an all-time team, but I am going to take a page out of the original dream team's book and put an unproven guy in the lineup. (I think LeBron fits better here than Christian Laettner did on that one.)
Now before you say too much I have obviously left a few names out of my list, but that is the fun of this. I want to see who you would choose. Thanks guys and let's keep this site going it is a lot of fun.
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3 months ago
i was hoping for a comment or two
from 3 months ago
Karl Malone is the best Power Forward of All-Time. You put Tim Duncan in front of Malone because of rings right? Well if that's the case, Bill Russell should be on the first team, because he had 11.
from 3 months ago
No I put Tim Duncan on the list because he is better than Karl Malone, not stat wise but if I had to have one or the other I would have Duncan. Rings are circumstantial a lot of the time and as I stated in the article Malone would have had multiple rings if Jordan and Olajuwan and Duncan-Robingson had not been around.
3 months ago
I actually think I would take Pete Maravich has a better claim over this than Stockton on the PG side.
from 3 months ago
That is a good argument. You could go either way on that one.
3 months ago
I suppose i don't have any major beefs with your team. I'd say that Oscar Robertson was traditionally a point guard, so i'd have him (or Bob Cousy) as my back up point. And i'm torn between Jerry West and Kobe for my reserve two spot. People tend to forget how truly amazing West was. He could do everything Jordan and Kobe could--well, except throw it down. But as good as Kobe is, i'm hesitant to label him as the second greatest shooting guard of all-time over West.
Sean, I wouldn't put Timmy over Malone because of rings, but because of what he did to get those rings. No power forward has ever had Duncan's overall impact on both ends of the game.
3 months ago
WHen I think of all time -- I think sacred. As a result -- I can't in good conscience consider Lebron. Do I think he could be great? Yeah -- and I've said that in other comments. But, I just don't see him being on this list (yet?). Who would I consider as a strong 12th man -- what about Joe Dumars, Moses Malone, or maybe Patrick Ewing or Charles Barkley... Olajuwon and Robinson could make a case as well...
from 3 months ago
I was looking for a perimeter player because I already had Russell as the 11th man.
As good as Jerry West was I can't in good conscience put him ahead of LeBron because he was 6'3" and wasn't terribly athletic. West could shoot and I don't diminish him at all but he is off for the same reason Iverson and Isaiah Thomas don't get mentioned. They don't have the physical bodies to compete with the other guys on the list. (I know Stockton wasn't large either but he played so dirty and was so strong no one questioned his size)
from 3 months ago
Iverson may not have the physical body, but he has more heart than anyone, it is probably a good thing he isn't huge, because quite frankly, people would get killed by his intensity plus his size. I would take the answer over kobe any day
Magic
MJ
Bird
Malone
Abdul-Jabbar
Stockton
Iverson
Dr. J
Russell
Chamberlain
Ewing
West
from 3 months ago
Iverson may not have the physical body, but he has more heart than anyone, it is probably a good thing he isn't huge, because quite frankly, people would get killed by his intensity plus his size. I would take the answer over kobe any day
Magic
MJ
Bird
Malone
Abdul-Jabbar
Stockton
Iverson
Dr. J
Russell
Chamberlain
Ewing
West
from 3 months ago
Iverson may not have the physical body, but he has more heart than anyone, it is probably a good thing he isn't huge, because quite frankly, people would get killed by his intensity plus his size. I would take the answer over kobe any day
Magic
MJ
Bird
Malone
Abdul-Jabbar
Stockton
Iverson
Dr. J
Russell
Chamberlain
Ewing
West
3 months ago
Where is Dr. J? Where is Patrick Ewing? Ewing ran into the Bulls twice! Where is David Robinson? All these guys were stars of their time, not counting Jordan and all the others..
from 3 months ago
Dr. J barely missed the list but Ewing doesn't really belong nor does David Robinson, but you could argue for Olajuwan.
3 months ago
PG - Magic
SG - MJ
SF - Larry Legend
PF - Tim Duncan
C - Kareem
backups
PG - Oscar Robertson
SG - Jerry West
SF - Julius Erving
PF - Bill Russell
C - Shaquille O'Neal
11th man - Karl Malone
12th man - Kobe Bryant
from 3 months ago
No Wilt, thats crazy. Erving over Stockton I can see, but I can't put Shaq in over Wilt. Erving and Shaq would have been my 13th and 14th guys.
from 3 months ago
Shaq is the most dominant player in NBA history. He would've owned Wilt in the paint.
3 months ago
Jordan is the best player of all-time, unquestionably. I was starting to wonder, then I watched a bunch of highlights on youtube lol. All I kept saying was "You have to be kidding me?" because what he did was unbelievable. You think kobe would compete with him as far as being the most clutch player ever, then you watch the highlights of Jordan and you realize it's not even close. And look at all the playoff games he played..in the early '90s he was getting 50-40 points almost on a nightly basis, and if he had less than that he usually had, or nearly had a triple-double. Plus, look at how many of the "50 greatest players ever" were playing during his tenure in the league. Just watch the highlights, and you'll agree lol.
3 months ago
If we look at possibly the greatest starting 5 ever assembled, I think we need to look at cohesiveness as well. How well the players could mesh together. My five would be:
Magic
Jordan
Oscar Robertson
Bill Russell (PF)
Hakeem Olajuwon (C)
I would go with these 5 because they would be great offensively, with 4 GREAT passers at their positions, extremely smart at every position, and extremely athletic. Jordan would be the smallest player on this team, and they all do everything well. Magic and Oscar would fill up the stat sheet, Jordan and Hakeem would probably do the majority of the scoring, and Russell would be a monster on the glass. I would say the only area this five would be lacking would be shooting, but they would dominate the defensive end, the boards, and would still get enough points on the offensive end to beat any other starting five assembled, in my opinion.
from 3 months ago
To me Hakeem is a poor mans Kareem. Russell and Duncan are very similar type players to me so I can see where your going with that, but you can't take Hakeem over Kareem.
3 months ago
I am sorry, but putting the Big O at SF on your top team of all time is not very smart seeing as how Oscar is a natural guard. You have to put Larry Bird at the starting SF spot no questions asked, and then it makes your second team selection of PG very easy and uncontroversial, with Oscar there.
Also, Kareem is one of the best centers of all time, but if you are playing for team cohesion, you have to go for Bill Russell. You already have all the scoring you could ever imagine with the rest of the positions, so throw the best defensive player of all time in the starting rotation.
3 months ago
Wilt Chamberlain is the most dominant player ever; he probably deserves to be on 1st team. Also, Bill Russell won more championships than anyone, and dominated defense before they recorded blocks. It's ridiculous not to put one of them on the 1st team.
3 months ago
Pretty good list. I disagree with a few of the picks, but everyone always has a slightly different opinion on these things. Feel free to check out my own all time NBA team.
3 months ago
Haha Hakeem is a poor mans Kareem. Good line. But anyway. Ya I would have to give Duncan the edge over Malone. I have always had a place in my heart for the Jazz Forward, but Duncan is so far, an unstoppable player. Not a shooter, but he is so smart in the paint. And there really is not a superstar on that team, just abunch of role players, which allow Duncan to shine. Gotta give Oscar love, thats what stood out to me.
3 months ago
as much as I love magic, oscar should be the one at the point guard spot and if anything magic should be the sf at 6'9". oscar is infact the most inderrated player. look at his career stats, he nearly averaged a triple double for his career. thats just too much to not be a starter all-time. and Lebron shouldnt be 12th man. He'll definantly creep his way on the all-time arguement, but not yet. its not fair for other great players.
3 months ago
I would put malone over duncan but mostly I agree, tho I would like to see shaq on the team b/c he's basically tied with wilt as being the most dominant player ever and pistol pete completely reinvented offensive basketball he deserves recognition. I do like that you're showing John Stockton some love, there's only one man alive right now who has a shot at being anything close to what stockton was and that's chris paul. someday chris paul will be on this list and I only hope that doesn't knock john stockton off of it.
3 months ago
Good article but you forgot about THE admiral, David Robinson
3 months ago
I would switch Tim Duncan with Karl Malone and put Charles Barkely somewhere.
3 months ago
**Barkley**
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