best player ever

[Joe']

Mr. Greatest of all time: Michael Jordan
Wilt Chamberlain
Magic Johnson
Kareem Abdul Jabbar (exluding the years when he was called by his birth name: Lew Alcindor)
Oscar Robertson
Larry Bird

[Cloudy]

1 Michael Jordan
2 Oscar Robertson
3 Wilt Chamberlain
4 Larry Bird X Magic Johnson
5 Hakeen Olajuwon X Kareem

[Fresh8]

My Top Ten of All Time

1) Michael Jordan
2) Wilt Chamberlain
3) Magic Johnson
4) Larry Bird
5) Oscar Robertson
6) Bill Russell
7) Jerry West
8) Shaq O'Neal
9) Kareem Abdul-Jabar
10) Julius Erving

[Waz]

i cant seprate Jordan, Robertson and Wilt they all did so much and they were completely different players to say one was beter than the other is unfair in my opinion

[Fitzy]

I dont see Ron Mercer in anyones list!

[Andrew]

There is of course no conclusive answer, though there is some criteria so we can all make educated suggestions. I know we've gone through this all before, but I was looking through basketballreference.com not long ago and noticed some interesting stats and formulas.

Stats are obviously one of the factors in determining the best of the best in basketball, but their importance has perhaps been exaggerated especially when formulas come into play. A recent book and various articles and whatnot claim to dispel the "Jordan Myth", "proving" which player is the best of all-time and so on.

Basing such an assertion on stats alone relies on the idea that stats don't lie and the simple fact of the matter is, they do...or at least they can. Stats can be manipulated and formulas devised to prove something as subjective as the greatest basketball player in history.

Here's an example. Basketball Reference has a formula that determines whether a player is a likely Hall of Famer. Michael Jordan's score is 731 (which easily qualifies), Charles Barkley's score is 759. In other words, Barkley is the more likely and more deserving Hall of Famer...which with all due respect to Barkley, just isn't right. Likewise, Tom Chambers is almost on a par with Karl Malone. Scottie Pippen ranks below Barkley and Dominique Wilkins.

Take a look at all the players we consider the all-time greats and there's common traits. Great statistics, great and noteable performances, championships and team success, individual accolades, undeniable basketball talent, a lasting impact on the game...and you could probably break it down even further. I think the player that has the most impressive overall resume - with outstanding achievements in all those areas - is the greatest.

In my opinion, that player is Michael Jordan but there are probably around five or six players that you can truly set apart from the rest with that criteria. But it can't be on stats alone, and certainly not formulas that are too easily devised with a specific bias in mind.

[Malfa]

jordan,chamberlain,russel,magic,dr j, bird, hakeem, shaq, drexler,

Clyde Drexler?

[Fitzy]

jordan,chamberlain,russel,magic,dr j, bird, hakeem, shaq, drexler,

Clyde Drexler?

No, Bob Drexler!!

[Malfa]

Yeah, sorry but he was not one of the best ever.

[Fitzy]

He obviously is for some!!

[cyanide]

Interesting thought, Andrew. When I came up with my list, I was thinking about what I've actually watched on TV. I've seen Wilt play, and though he was very skilled, he was playing against a bunch of short white guys, which is totally different from Jordan dominating against a bunch of strong tall guys. A great example of watching individual talent is the 1992 USA Dream Team. Some of these guys are incredible. Magic Johnson had some amazing passing skills and court awareness. Barkley was surprisingly dominant. Jordan, well, he was being Jordan. I based my "formula" on what I've seen over the years as the determining factor, with stats not too far behind.

[shadowgrin]

Wilt Chamberlain - great talent and skills, monstrous stats, and one of the players that contributed in revolutionizing the game in its early years.
Bill Russell - the only man that could give a decent challenge to Wilt. Also with great talent and skills, and contributed in revolutionizing the game especially in defense and just by being a part of that legendary Celtics team.
Michael Jordan - we all know what he did. Not only did he have an effect on the court but off the court as well (businesses, advertising, sponsorships, etc.)
Larry Bird - personal favorite that's why he's on my list.

[beau_boy04]

The best player ever will be Kwane Brown

[Gator]

No it is Manu Ginobli!

[ShAuN]

Are you guys serious? Jordan might have been a GREAT player, but Russell took 11 championships in 13 YEARS!!! Dont get me wrong, Jordan is GREAT, but Russell is better.

find yourself a noose and go hang yourself.

Since ur a retard, go get a sharp knife and play with it, it ownt hurt if you poke urself

[Wormy10]

The best player ever will be Kwane Brown

Is that Kwame's son?

No it is Manu Ginobli!

Damn this bandwagon is getting full, lets shove some bitches off

[Scotty]

Starts with Jor and finishes with dan.
Too easy

[mredd22]

the only thing jordan did better than robertson is score noone but robertson avraged a triple duble in a season and also only 6 players besides the big o avraged 25 ppg 7ast and 7 reb in a season but robertson did that in his career avrages

[Drex]

Jordan did win 6 times...Robertson didn't.

[beau_boy04]

Yes that's right and if I had a choice I would take Magic Johnson over Oscar Robertson. Only the mere idea of having Michael Jordan and Magic Johnson on the same team is scarry

[Fitzy]

The best player ever will be Kwane Brown

Is that Kwame's son?

No it is Manu Ginobli!

Damn this bandwagon is getting full, lets shove some bitches off

Join the Ron Mercer bandwagon, theres only me

[Joe']

the only thing jordan did better than robertson is score noone but robertson avraged a triple duble in a season and also only 6 players besides the big o avraged 25 ppg 7ast and 7 reb in a season but robertson did that in his career avrages

You forgot that the number of good basketball players in Robertson's era was smaller than in MJ's era... Robertson was a great player, but I don't know how good he could be playing in the 90's.
Michael Jordan is the greatest player of all time...
Go watch some Robertson's games and see if he did what Jordan did.

[putodelagoa]

You forgot that the number of good basketball players in Robertson's era was smaller than in MJ's era

Chamberlain, Russel, Reed, Thurmond, Clyde, Greer, Pearl, Lew, Sharman, Baylor, West, Goodrich, Petit, Havlicek, Rick Barry, Cunningham, etc, etc, etc, Only more than half of the all-time greats in an era where teams like the Raptors or the Hawks would be hard pressed to win one game... Today's NBA=watered down talent.

And according to Nate Thurmond, "Oscar couldn't fly, but he did everything else better than Michael Jordan."
Whatever the position, whatever the standards of the era, Oscar Robertson was the most perfect basketball player ever.

We might have a slight bias towards "old school" players, because their exposure was in no ways even remotely similar to what it has become in the 80's. Their marketing was also ridiculous when compared with today's over-hyped players. That's no reason to believe they would be less effective in today's game. When thinking about Oscar, think about LeBron with proper defense and less hops.

[Joe']

And then why NBA.com wrote: "Michael Jordan is the greatest basketball player of all time "??
Tell me... I don't get why no one here recognizes that Michael Jordan is the greatest player of all time. I would like to see Robertson doing those impossible shots MJ made, really. And not only that: MJ was able to do anything, he just needed to elaborate what he wanted to do in his head and then, like a magic thing: he was able to do that! Also Robertson wasn't able to do the same things he did at 30 years old when he was 40.
It's like that man, Michael Jordan is the greatest of all time

[J@3]

Have you even see Robertson play at all?