Hoop Vision

Basketball is meant to be a beautiful sport, with moves that entertain and shots that drop jaws.  But there’s currently a huge misconception around basketball, what it means to be great and what is most important to winning. Dribble moves and difficult shots easily catch the eye of casual fans, but defense and versatility are severely underrated.  Over the last decade the basketball world has become toxic, filled with a community base that’s 50% casual fans that have no factual basis for the opinions they have. It’s ok to say you like one player more than another for your own reasons, but it’s not ok to say one player is better than another without facts that support it. Here I will take a factual approach on the history and current state of NBA basketball, give my opinion on what players are better than others (opinions based on facts) under the main idea that winning and team success is most important.

My Top 10 BEST NBA players ever

1.Lebron James 27ppg 7.5rpg 7.5apg

• 18x all star, 4x NBA Champion 4x Time Finals MVP, 4xMVP, 13x All NBA 1st Team, 5x Defensive 1st Team
• 6 ‘ 8” Point Forward  with Magic Johnson playmaking qualities, Karl Malones body and strength while scoring just as efficiently and productively as Kobe and MJ, If needed he can drop and grab double digit rebounds (top 10 forward in rebounding), or play defense against all 5 positions in his prime, he’ll finish his career #1 all time in points, top 50 in rebounds and, top 10 in assists. He played and beat the best regular season team ever in the NBA finals. Nobody has combined brute strength and elite driving ability with an elegant outside shot, touch and playmaking game better than LeBron James. I’m sure many will have a problem with having LeBron at number 1, but the reasoning is very simple. No he’s not as good a scorer as Kobe and MJ, but he’s far better at other aspects of the game. Most importantly LeBron is capable of playing every position on offense and defense, this has tremendous value and is usually overlooked. If MJ and Kobe aren’t scoring (maybe having an off night) what are they doing for you? If LeBron’s not scoring he’s rebounding at an elite level, playmaking at an elite level, and defending top tier players 1 through 5.

2.Michael Jordan 30ppg 6rpg 5.5apg

• 14x All Star, 6x NBA Champion 6x Finals MVP, 5x MVP, 10x NBA 1st team, 9x defensive 1st team
• 6’6” 2 guard, perfect offensive center piece with comparable defense. 2 separate 3 peats with the same team winning each finals as finals MVP. The growth of the NBA can mostly be credited to Michael Jordan. His emergence as a star in 1984 set the ground work for what we see today. Even more so than his success on the court, his way of playing the game captivated fans and drew people around the world towards the game of basketball. His never back down approach and dog eat dog mentality inspired the greatest generation of NBA basketball players we’ve ever seen. His success story of not initially making his high school varsity basketball team is something many athletes can relate to. He set the stage for all American athletes to achieve extreme wealth on and off the court, and this shouldn’t be overlooked.

3.Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 24.5ppg 11rpg 3.5apg

• 19x All Star, 6x NBA Champion 2x Finals MVP, 6x MVP, 10x NBA 1st team, 5x defensive 1st team
• 7’2” center with quick feet and elite touch.  Made a living off the “sky hook,” he’s the second all time leading scorer.  Without question the greatest big man ever. When talking to older fans I have a lot of respect when they say Kareem is the best ever. Although I don’t agree, I won’t argue it because he deserves that acclaim. Kareem won at every level from high school to college and the NBA. As a member of the freshman team at UCLA he beat the varsity team which won the national championship that year. Until Michael Jordan came around he was widely recognized as the best ever. Throughout his career he was never shy to take “controversial” stances for what he knew was right, impacting real world situations that go beyond the court.

4.Magic Johnson 19.5ppg 7rpg 11apg

• 12x All Star, 5x NBA Champion 3x Finals MVP, 3x MVP, 9x NBA 1st team
• 6’7” point guard best known for  his illusive playing skills and enhancing those around him. Centerpiece for the showtime lakers.  Unquestionable best pg ever. Won the national championship in 1979 and then an NBA championship in 1980 winning finals MVP in his rookie season. In those finals he played center in game 7 and, scored 42 points with 15 rebounds and 7 assists with their best player Kareem sidelined due to injury. Along with Larry Bird he was partially responsible for the resurgence of the NBA in the 80s, laying the ground work for Michael Jordan to take the league to the next level (In terms of popularity). He’s the best passer ever, enhancing his teammates to be the best version of themselves, embodying everything it means to be a Point Guard.

5.Tim Duncan 19ppg 11rpg 3apg

• 15x All Star, 5x NBA Champion 3x Finals MVP, 2x MVP, 10x NBA 1st team, 9x defensive 1st team.  
• 6’11” ultimate do everything PF.  Best seen to believe.  The numbers don’t do justice. Most will disagree with this placement for Duncan but, his versatility on defense and leadership qualities were the foundation of the Spurs dynasty. In game 6 of the 2003 NBA Finals he scored 21 points with 20 rebounds, 10 assists, and 8 blocks. If you watch the tape back he could’ve easily been credited with 2 more blocks which would’ve given him the first ever quadruple double in the NBA Finals. Unquestionably the best PF to play in the NBA, he’s often overlooked and undervalued. Many will disagree with his placement over guys like Kobe and Shaq but, with no other superstars around him he was the driving force of 4 NBA Championship teams (excluding 1999 with David Robinson), and is a better and more versatile defender than Kobe and Shaq.

6.Shaq 23.5ppg 11rpg 2.5apg

• 15x All Star, 4x NBA Champion 3x Finals MVP, 1x MVP, 8x NBA 1st team
• 7’1” most dominant player ever. Responsible for the only 3-peat since Michael Jordan in the 90s. His size and strength were too much for most to handle. He also had exceptional speed and quickness for a 320 pound big man. In the 2001 NBA Finals he averaged 33 points with 16 rebounds and 5 assists. During his reign over the league he was completely unstoppable by any individual. If his drive matched his talent it’s likely he’d be number one on this list.

7. Kobe Bryant 25ppg 5rpg 4.5apg

• 18x All Star, 5x NBA Champion, 2x Finals MVP, 1x MVP, 11x NBA 1st team, 9x defensive 1st team.
• One of the most influentially players to grace the NBA. His “Mamba Mentality” was inspirational for young athletes. His will to win at all costs was unmatched. He was committed to teaching the game to others and, uplifted the sport of basketball, leaving the game better than how he found it. He took the teachings of Michael Jordan and made them his own.

8.Wilt Chamberlain 30ppg 23rpg 4.5apg

• 13x All Star, 2x NBA Champion 1x Finals MVP, 4x MVP, 7x NBA 1st team, 2x defensive 1st team
• 7 foot center with freakish athleticism, he had over a 40 inch vertical and, ran a 4.4 40yd dash (thats the same 40 time as Saquon Barkley). During the 60s and 70s he was a man amongst boys. He scored 100 points in a game in 1962 as a member of the Philadelphia Warriors. He averaged 50 points in the 61-62 season, and in 1968 had a 20x20x20 game. He was one of the 1st superstars of the NBA, and was rivaled only by the great Bill Russell.

9.Hakeem Olajuwon 22ppg 11rpg 2apg

• 12x All Star, 2x NBA Champion 2x Finals MVP, 1x MVP, 6x NBA 1st team, 5x defensive 1st team
• The best post footwork of any player to play in the NBA. He was unstoppable with his back to the basket and, is one of the 3 best defenders ever. He won back to back championships in 1994 and 95. The footwork he used on the block laid the foundation for the footwork players like Kobe and Carmelo used in the midrange.

10.Larry Bird 24.5ppg 10rpg 6.5apg

• 12x All Star, 3x NBA Champion 2x Finals MVP, 3x MVP ( only 3x in a row), 9x NBA 1st team
• One of the best shooters ever. He was a top tier scorer but also an elite passer and rebounder as well. Along with Magic he was responsible for the resurgence of the NBA in the 80s. In 1979 at Indiana State his team had an undefeated regular season with a 33-0 record. Although quiet, he was a fierce competitor and trash talker. He was the centerpiece for the Celtics dynasty in the 80s. Bird won the 1st three point contest in 1986 and ultimately 3 straight winning in 87 and 88 as well.