The National Basketball Association (NBA) is one of the most popular sports leagues in the world and there are many debates within its history about who’s on top. Only the best basketball players make up the league and we have made a list of the top five NBA players of all time.
#5: Wilt Chamberlain
Wilt Chamberlain is at spot number five because of his numerous accomplishments. Notably, he is the only NBA player to score 4,000 points in a season. His stats are like nothing seen before given that he averaged an impressive 50.4 points per game during the 1961-62 season. In his career, he won two NBA championships: one with the Philadelphia 76ers and one with the Los Angeles Lakers.
#4: Bill Russel
Although Bill Russel played in a different era than most players on this list, his accomplishments and skills show why he’s one of the best ever. Russel goes down as one of the best rebounders and defensive basketball players of all time, and he was dominant on offense for the Boston Celtics. He also has 11 NBA rings, the most by a single NBA player. Because of him, the Celtics were a dominant force in the 60’s, and his imprint on basketball puts him fourth.
#3: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was undoubtedly the most unstoppable basketball player ever in terms of one move; his signature “skyhook” revolutionized basketball and gave NBA centers more of a role in a traditional offense. Instead of standing and getting rebounds and layups, they were shooting more and putting more points on the board, which Abdul-Jabbar did, having the second-most points total in NBA history. Not to mention the six NBA championships and six MVP awards he added to his resume. He is unquestionably a top-three player ever.
#2: Lebron James
Lebron James is at the number two spot, but whether he should be number one or two is a really close debate that has been going on for many years. James is high up because he has been the best player of the 2000s and has scored the most points of all time in the NBA. James has averaged a triple-double over his whole career. He played for the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Miami Heat and the Los Angeles Lakers, all of which he has won a championship with and dominated the league. Lastly, he recently became the only player to play with his son in an NBA game, which only adds to his long list of records. During his prime, he went to the finals 10 times but only won four which is the main reason he is bumped to the second spot.
#1:Michael Jordan
Michael Jordan is the best NBA player of all time. First, he went to the NBA finals and won six times. Also, he played in an era that is much harder than today’s game because back then, the referees didn’t call as many fouls, and he managed to put up stats like having 31 50-point games in his career. He led his team to the first-ever three-peat (three championships in a row) and had built one of the most unstoppable trios along with Scottie Pippen and Dennis Rodman to play in the game. Lastly, his mentality was unlike anything seen before and he brought the sport of basketball to new levels of popularity.