NBA's Top 25 Greatest Players of All Time

Marcel  Mansour by Senior Analyst Written on October 08, 2008
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Moses also won a championship in the 1982-83, as he led the Sixers to a dominant playoff performance.  They lost only one game in the entire playoffs.

 

10. Oscar Robertson, "The Big O"

Oscar is probably the greatest player statistically, besides Wilt. Over his career, he averaged 26 points, 9.5 assists, and 7.5 rebounds, while also shooting a tremendous 49 percent from the field and 84 percent from the free-throw line.

He is also the only player of all time to average a triple double for an entire season, which he accomplished in the 1961-62 season. He averaged 32 points, 12.5 rebounds, and 11.4 assists that season.

He made the All-Star team 12 times, won three All-Star game MVPs, won an MVP award in the 1963-64 season, and was selected to 11 All-NBA teams, nine of those being first-team selections.

He led the league in assists per game seven times and he won one scoring title. He is fourth all-time in total assists, and 10th all-time in total points scored.

He also won one championship with the Bucks, in the 1970-71 season.

 

9. Kobe Bryant

For Kobe to already be ahead of so many legendary retired players at such a young age (30) tells you how great he really is. So far in his 12-year career, Kobe has career averages of 25 points, 5.3 rebounds, 4.6 assists, 1.5 steals, and 0.6 blocks. He also shoots a solid 45.3 percent from the field, 34 percent from the three-point line, and 84 percent from the free throw line.

He has made the All-Star team 10 times, with one of the seasons being cut off because of the lockout. He has also made the All-NBA team nine times, with six of them being first-team selections. He is one of the greatest defensive guards of all time as he has made the All-NBA Defensive team seven times, with five of the selections being first-team selections.

He has also won an MVP Award, two All-Star game MVPs, and two scoring titles. Despite his young age, he is already 24th all-time in total points.

He helped lead the Lakers to three straight championships in the early 2000s and made himself one of the best playoff performers of all time.

Kobe still has several great years in him and easily could move up to be ranked among the top three to four players on this list someday.

 

8. Tim Duncan, "The Big Fundamental"

Duncan is one of the greatest offensive, defensive, and clutch big men of all time. So far in 11 seasons, he has career averages of 21.6 points, 11.8 rebounds, 3.1 assists, 2.4 blocks, and 0.8 steals. He has also shot 50.8 percent from the field and 68.4 percent from the free-throw line.

He has been selected to 10 All-Star teams, and he has also won an All-Star Game MVP in 2000. Duncan has also been selected to the All-NBA team 11 times, with nine of the selections as a member of the first team. He was also selected to the All NBA Defensive team nine times, with seven of the selections as a member of the first team.

He won the Rookie of the Year Award in 1998, and he won back to back MVP awards in the 2001-2002 and 2002-2003 seasons.

He is also one of the biggest winners of all time, as he has already led the Spurs to four championships in just 11 seasons, winning three Finals MVP awards.

 

7. Bill Russell

Vote Now! - Author Poll

Who is the greatest of all time?

  • Magic Johnson
  • Kareem Abdul Jabbar
  • Michael Jordan
  • Wilt Chamberlain
  • Larry Bird
vote to see results
Results - Author Poll

Who is the greatest of all time?

  • Magic Johnson

    13.8%
  • Kareem Abdul Jabbar

    4.6%
  • Michael Jordan

    70.4%
  • Wilt Chamberlain

    5.8%
  • Larry Bird

    5.4%
  • Total votes: 1165
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written on October 08, 2008 Rankings/List

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