The Greatest Players in NBA History

Over the decades, the National Basketball Association has seen some phenomenal players. Here are our top five.

5. Bill Russell

Center Bill Russell has won the N.B.A. Most Valuable Player title five times, and he is a 12-time All-Star. He was the driving force behind the Boston Celtics, winning eleven National Basketball Association championships with the team during his 13-year career. Russell won an Championship in NBA, an NCAA Championship, and an Olympic gold medal. And he is one of only seven players to have won all three. Although Russell never averaged more than 19.0 points per game or shot above 47% in any season, he is regarded by most as one of the greatest players ever seen in the NBA.

4. Magic Johnson

Earvin Johnson Jr. was first called "magic" by a sports reporter who saw the 15-year-old notch up 36 points, 16 rebounds, and 16 assists while playing for Everett High School. The nickname stuck. Magic Johnson’s achievements are simply remarkable. During his career, he won three National Basketball Association Most Valuable Player Awards and twelve All-Star games. Magic Johnson is also the all-time leader for average assists per game in the NBA, with 11.2. And as a member of the 1992 US men’s Olympic basketball team, he won a gold medal. After leaving the league in 1992, Johnson formed his famous Magic Johnson All-Stars, an exhibition team that played around the world. Johnson was so popular in the 1980s and 1990s that he even featured in his very own video game: Magic Johnson’s Fast Break. The side-scrolling basketball game from 1988 might not be anywhere near as good as modern basketball video games like NBA2K11, but at the time, it was a big hit. Today, you can play a variety of basketball video games online. There are even basketball slot games available, such as Basketball Star, which is available at casumo.com.

3. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

During his career as a center, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was named Most Valuable Player a record six times and All-Star a record nineteen times in the NBA. He is undoubtedly one of the greatest players in the history of the NBA, but he is also renowned for being one of the greatest stars of college football. Abdul-Jabbar came to attention after winning a staggering 71 consecutive basketball games for his high school Power Memorial Academy team, which earned him the nickname The Tower from Power. By the time Abdul-Jabbar retired in 1989, at the age of 42, he had racked up a long list of achievements. Abdul-Jabbar is the all-time leader in games played, minutes played, points scored, blocked shots, field goals made, field goal attempts, and career wins in the NBA. And he remains the record holder for his 15,837 field goals made, 38,387 points scored, and 1,074 career wins.

2. LeBron James

Basketball fans are sure to argue over who deserves the top spot on this list, but everyone will agree that the competition is between LeBron James and Michael Jordan. James currently plays for the Los Angeles Lakers, and he has often been named the greatest basketball player in history of the NBA. His many accomplishments include winning two Olympic gold medals, three championships, three Finals MVP Awards, and four MVP Awards in NBA. LeBron James also holds the record for playoff points, and he has been selected for the All-NBA First Team a record-breaking twelve times.

1. Michael Jordan

The National Basketball Association website says Michael Jordan is, by acclamation, "the greatest basketball player of all time." So, who are we to argue? He played 15 seasons in the NBA, and was instrumental in popularizing the league throughout the world in the 1980s and 1990s. He won six championships playing for the Chicago Bulls, and his individual accomplishments and accolades seem to go on forever. Over his career, Jordan received six Finals MVP Awards, nine All-Defensive First Team honors, ten All-NBA First Team designations, and fourteen All-Star Game selections in the NBA. He also holds the records for the highest scoring average in a regular season and for the highest career playoff scoring average in NBA, which is 33.45 points per game. In 1999, ESPN named Jordan as the greatest North American athlete of the 20th century. And those are just a few of his accomplishments and accolades! In 2014, Jordan became the first National Basketball Association player in history to become a billionaire.