The 19th installment of Barney Corkhill's Greatest Ever series is here!
In this series I will look at the greatest talents to grace various sports. This I look at the top ten basketball players of all time!
Here is my top ten:
10. Tim Duncan
At 6'11 and 260 lb, Duncan burst on to the scene in the late 90's. In 1997 he won two College Player of the Year awards, and also bagged the John Wooden award. The following year he won the NBA Rookie of the Year Award.
Playing mainly at power forward or center, Duncan has won been named the NBA's MVP twice, and three times NBA Finals MVP. He has been an NBA Champion four times, in 1999, 2003, 2005, and 2007.
In addition to this he has been voted into ten All-Star games, 11 All-NBA teams, and 11 All-Defensive teams.
9. Julius Erving
Erving was one of the most revolutionary basketball players ever, helping to launch the modern style of play of leaping and playing above the rim. Throughout his career, he recorded 30,026 points (the fifth highest ever), 2,272 steals, and 10,525 rebounds.
As a small-forward, Erving was a one-time NBA Champion, and was named NBA MVP in 1981. His best years came in the ABA, however, where he won the championship twice, and was named the MVP three times.
He was a seven time All-NBA team member, and a five time All-ABA team member.
8. Oscar Robertson
"The Big O" overcame much adversity to become one of the greatest players the game has even seen. He was plagued by racism throughout his career, but did his talking on the court, scoring 26,710 points, 7,804 rebounds and 9,887 assists playing mainly at point guard.
He is a one time NBA Champions and one-time NBA MVP, as well as a 12 time All-Star and 11 time All-NBA team member. He won the NBA Rookie of the Year award in 1961.
Oscar Robertson remains the only player in NBA history to have averaged a triple-double for a whole season. If you were to round some of his figures up, he would have achieved this feat four times.
7. Allen Iverson
At just 6ft 0in and 180 lbs, Iverson surprised and defied all his critics by becoming one of the all time greats of the sport. He is one of the most prolific scorers in NBA history, with a career scoring average of 27.7 points per game, third of all time.
He is a one-time NBA MVP, and was named the NBA Rookie of the Year award in 1997. He is a six time All-NBA team member, and an eight time All-Star member.
Iverson's underdog status and lack of size coupled with these impressive statistics are enough to give him a place in the top ten.
6. Bill Russell
The most decorated player in basketball history, you don't guide your team to eleven NBA Championships without being something special. Playing at centre, Russell was noted more for his excellent defence than his attack.
Despite this, he still managed to rack up 14,522 points, as well as 21,620 rebounds, including more than fifty in one game, and 4,100 assists. In addition to being an 11 time NBA Champion, he is a five time NBA MVP, 12 time NBA All-Star and 11 time All-NBA team member.
No-one has won more championships than Russell in any sport in a North American sports league.
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