Joao Saraiva wrote:It depends on your criteria.
Guys with a fair shot given a fair criteria:
1. Bill Russell
They guy kept on winning while his cast changed a lot. He had absurd impact as a big and revolutionized the big guys' defense. He could score and was the major scorer for his team on more than one NBA finals. His ts% seems low, but in big times in the playoffs he was actually good. For example in the 62 finals vs Lakers he scored 22.9 PPG to lead the squad on 54.3 FG%. He also shot 46/62 at the FT line. So he was efficient. There are more examples on very good scoring series from him when it mattered the most.
Very good passer for a big man. 4.3 APG for a big man is a good number. His TRB% is among the best in history. Super elite.
An also very interesting fact is that the Celtics were a below average team on offense. So when you want to credit him for his defense you're absolutely right. Winning that much while being, as a team, below average on offense is almost impossible. I think this is one of biggest arguments, that his D was so great that his team won so much without even being average on offense.
Doesn't seem to have a black mark in his career like LBJ 11 vs Dallas, Kobe 04 or Tragic Johnson.
To sum it up: biggest winner of all time, great argument for GOAT defender and that defense having more impact than any offensive player ever had because it really made him win his entire career.
2. Wilt Chamberlain
It's still crazy to think about the things he did. So many crazy records like the 50 PPG season, the 100 point game, super elite rebounding numbers, super durability minute wise... he was literally super man.
And even if he didn't win as much... it can be argued that the Celtics had the better team. Stats wise, records wise, there is no one bigger than Wilt. He also delivered a ton of assists once people said all he could do was score. He proved later in his career he could be an elite defender. So you can say he dominated all aspects of the game.
To sum it up: unbreakable records, absurd durability, great athlete that might have ever walked the earth, dominated all aspects of the game even if not all at once.
3. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
Stupid good peak. Great longevity. More MVP awards than anyone else. 6 rings, so he was definitely a winner. If you want you can add that even before the NBA this guy was already a winner. Won FMVP with 14 years apart. That gives you a clue for how long he was a great player and winner.
To sum it up: more MVP awards. Greatest longevity at least so far. Winner for a big part of his career.
4. Michael Jordan
6 rings. Best scorer ever in the NBA. 6 FMVPs, 5 MVPs. You can argue he had the greatest peak of all time. Closest thing to Russell winning wise. Dominated as a wing when that had never been done before: all the other GOAT candidates until him were bigs. Lacks a bit of longevity, but does he really need it when in a relatively short career achieved as much or more than all the others? This is a question that has to be well thought, and there it goes it depends on your criteria.
He's also probably the guy who has no black mark in his career. At least nothing like Kobe 04 vs Pistons, LeBron 11 vs Dallas or Tragic Johnson. You get the point.
To sum it up: GOAT scorer. Won a lot even if he doesn't have the longevity of others. Won and dominated an era that wasn't supposed to be a wing era.
5. LeBron James
Coming up for the biggest longevity ever in the league and ready to knock KAJ. Most top 3 finishes ever in the MVP race. 4 MVPs, 3 FMVPs. Arguably the GOAT performance in the finals of all time (2016). Elite in all aspects of the game. Scoring wise he's up there and ready to take the most points ever in the NBA. Most assists by a non guard ever in the NBA. Best peak ever case (in my point of view against MJ, Wilt, Hakeem and Shaq). Has already a ton of records in the playoffs (most points, etc). He just hasn't won as much as Russell, KAJ or MJ. But Wilt didn't too and he is a GOAT candidate. However he seems to be the guy that is flawless from an individual point of view: has the peak, has the prime, has the longevity.
To sum it up: He might come up with the best combo available with peak, prime and longevity. He'll end up having a case for GOAT in all those. Dominated all aspects of the game and all at once like nobody ever done before. And for a long long time.
Any of them can be the legit GOAT. Outside those 5 with a fair criteria players might go up and down, but they don't end up as the GOAT.
What a great message man. All of them have a case for being the GOAT.
Maybe the competition in the Wilt's and Bill's era and the MJ's era was weaker than the others. Also, LeBron and Wilt arguably had the biggest competition in the Finals and lesser teams.
