The Top 10 All-Time Most Dominant NBA Players

[WillyJakkz]

Kobe more dominant than Wilt??? Wilt should be top 5, but that name above him sticks out more than others.

Believe me I had a hard time putting Wilt below the players I did it's just I believe Kobe can and would be more dominant relative to any era moreso than Wilt to the degree where Kobe's dominance would translate to his team winning more (which is a thing I took into account although it's not the end all be all deciding factor).

Wilt averaged 50ppg one season, has that kind of dominance been replicated since? I think not.

1.Wilt
2.Shaq
3.Michael
4.Kareem
5.Bird

Again, I understand/ respect your opinion but to me it's relative to his competition in era.

[Mamba Venom]

LOL, whats the **** difference between doing a top 10 all-time list and a top-10 most dominant list?

This is (Please Use More Appropriate Word). I presume when you say "dominant" you are actually talking about peak, conditions for playing basketball or what?

If thats the case, take Kobe, Erving and probably Bird of there. Throw in Mcgrady, Oscar Robertson and basicly, all the all-time Centers.

But if we use logic we can realize the best players of all time are also the most dominant. Its an obvious assumption, there is no difference.

All Time top 10 list = All Time top 10 dominant list

81 points and streaks of 45 for a month and 60 are pretty damn dominant.

Lets do a ball dominant list next!!!

[chadrucf]

Again, I understand/ respect your opinion but to me it's relative to his competition in era.

...that is what dominant means. He dominated his competition. Not "who would be the most dominant today?"

[JordansBulls]

Again, I understand/ respect your opinion but to me it's relative to his competition in era.

...that is what dominant means. He dominated his competition. Not "who would be the most dominant today?"

How did he dominant his competition when his numbers go down from season to playoffs more than anyone in playoffs history?

Most Career 40+ Point Games in Playoffs History

1. MJ = 38
2. West = 20
3. Baylor = 14
4. Wilt = 13
5. Shaq = 12
6. Hakeem = 11
Kobe = 11
Iverson = 10
9. Lebron = 9


Most Career 30+ Point Games in Playoffs History
MJ - 109
Kobe - 81
Kareem - 75
West -74
Baylor - 60


Wilt played more games than West and Baylor in the playoffs and both have more 40+ and 30+ point games than him.

[Gongxi]

Dominant would just mean prime basically. So the ten players with the best peaks ever? My list wouldn't look like yours.

[WillyJakkz]

Dominant would just mean prime basically. So the ten players with the best peaks ever? My list wouldn't look like yours.

I don't necessarily see it that way but by all means feel free to share your views/ list and we could take it from there.

Here's my list broken down in a nutshell:

C's/ PF's:
1: Shaq (1st)
2: Hakeem (3rd)
3: Wilt (8th)
4: Duncan (9th)

PG's/ SG's/ SF's:
1: Jordan (2nd)
2: Magic (4th)
3: Bird (5th)
4: Barkley (6th)
5: Kobe (7th)
6: Dr. J (10th)

I'm still trying to figure out how people literally having a problem w/ Wilt being the 3rd most dominant big in NBA history?

And again, dominance & best player are different categories to me (as this list then changes) BUT as far as dominance it's hard to really convince me that Wilt should be higher and/ or Russell & Kareem are top 10.

I have them going:
11: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
12: Dirk Nowitzki
13: Bill Russell

I'd love to hear what peeps have to say about this though. Makes for good discussion.

[Dipper 13]

So the ten players with the best peaks ever?

1. Russell/Chamberlain
2. The rest

[Dipper 13]

The very first game of the playoffs, Russell “blocked 13 shots, rebounded 15 times, had eight assists, and intimidated the 76ers into one of their worst shooting nights of the season, 35.2% [38-for-108].” If that's not "completely shutting things down defensively", then I don't know what qualifies. And this was the very first game of the playoffs. In his last season in the league. As player coach.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rgU4nMeOQmA#t=12m48s



"One year {1969} we were playing Philly in the first round," he recalls. "I blocked the first seven shots Luke Jackson took. My object was to take him out of the series, so they'd have to play another center who was far less efficient, and they would not be able to utilize one of their strengths.

[Brenice]

Let me throw this out there. What makes people better basketball players? Practice and Level of Competition. I give you that the competition is better now. You really can't say that a Kobe would go back 30-40 years and dominate during eras where the game was played less athletically, and below the rim, while supreme athletes from 30-40 years ago, on an individual athletic level basis, are on par with athletes of today, (Oscar, prime Kareem, Russell, Baylor, etc) or athletically more gifted level (Wilt).

You take the competition away from a Jordan or a Kobe, than take away the advances in training, and take away the loosening of rules, like palming or 3-steps is not walking, etc., and how will their games look? Or you can teleport prior generational players into this era and let them palm(cross-over) or take 3-steps, use modern weight training, and play against better athletes, and ...... you still won't be able to prove anything.

But you must consider those things. The thing is, greatness transcends generations. So a Wilt would be able to dominate now, a Jordan would dominate back then.

It boils down to this for me:

The most athletically dominant was Wilt.
The most physically dominant was Shaq(offensively).
The most mentally dominant was Russell(defensively).
The most all-around dominant was Jordan.

[WillyJakkz]

I don't agree w/ that ^ mentality at all.

Some of you guys act as if they lifted "bails of hay", used "cinderblocks" for weights, and jogged around the neighborhood as the only means to train.

Those guys lifted weights and did some of the same training techniques used today and in the meantime guys like Carmelo Anthony are going World's Strongest Man using tractor tires to work out w/.

Classic misconception.

Only difference was the mind and what they could think of to do w/ the ball back then...oh and shoes, too.

Guys "hunched over" dribbled until "Pistol" Pete said to himself "Hey, I can actually stand erect and dribble the ball. Let me see what else I can do w/ it!"

The rest is history.

And oh yeah, Kobe would kill those guys back then unless they killed him, literally due to the more physical rules then.

Sorry but Black Mamba woulda shook the crap outta Hondo, Frazier, or a bitter Oscar Robertson then make it VERY difficult for them to score on the other end.

[KV20]

1 - Wilt Chamb
2 - Shaq
3 - Abdul Jabbar
4 - Jordan
5 - Bird
6 - Duncan
7 - Olajuwon
8 - Magic
9 - LeBron
10 - Yao Ming.


Big men always been more dominant and impact more on the game than most part of suprstars guards.
I see only 4 players that are not in the paint that have been realy dominan in the league, Jordan Magic Bird and LeBron.

[WillyJakkz]

1 - Wilt Chamb
2 - Shaq
3 - Abdul Jabbar
4 - Jordan
5 - Bird
6 - Duncan
7 - Olajuwon
8 - Magic
9 - LeBron
10 - Yao Ming.

Moreso @ Yao and LeBron doesn't shoot well enough to make Top 10 (and I've felt that way before the 2011 Finals disaster).

Love the Tim Duncan choice cause I think he gets underrated in that regard.

[Brenice]

The rest is history.

And oh yeah, Kobe would kill those guys back then unless they killed him, literally due to the more physical rules then.

Sorry but Black Mamba woulda shook the crap outta Hondo, Frazier, or a bitter Oscar Robertson then make it VERY difficult for them to score on the other end.

I am not saying he wouldn't. I am saying that the game evolved. If you took Kobe BEFORE it evolved and put him in that game, against that competition, Kobe would not be the same because he would have been playing at a lower level of competion. The same for the top stars of yester year. You evolve them into todays game and competition level, the Wilt's or Baylor's would not be the same. They would have a better skill set because they would have been playing at a higher level of competition. That was the main point of my premise. Different training techniques factor in, but it was not my main point.

Then you over-value Kobe and say he would frustrate point guards on the other end? Does he do that now? Why are you comparing Kobe to point guards? Hondo wasn't but certainly Frazier and Oscar manned the point.

I bet you don't factor in the changes in the game brought on by the 3point line either. You know, those shooters from this era are better than back then....blah blah blah.

The bottom line is, today's game is better(my opinion), but the cream of the past would still dominate in todays game, maybe not like scoring 100 pts in a game like Wilt did or averaging a triple-double like Oscar did for a season, but they too would have evolved into better players than they were back then due to competition.

So I guess prime Garnett, Duncan, Shaq would frustrate prime Wilt, Kareem, and Russell. So untrue.

[JordansBulls]

So the ten players with the best peaks ever?

1. Russell/Chamberlain
2. The rest

Sorry no, MJ is #1 all time in PER in the season and playoffs, has more seasons of 30+ PER than anyone, has the highest WS/PER 48 minutes in the season and playoffs.
Russell's peak was good but definitely not the best or even top 3, he never had the best numbers in the league.

[RealBaller02]

JB has a minor in Jordanology

[cpower]

This list contradicts itself...
MJ is No.2 Shaq is No.1 and Kobe is No.7
But MJ wins 6 rings , Shaq + Kobe wins 3 rings together , how does this work out?

[chadrucf]

This list contradicts itself...
MJ is No.2 Shaq is No.1 and Kobe is No.7
But MJ wins 6 rings , Shaq + Kobe wins 3 rings together , how does this work out?

Maybe individual domination isn't all about how many championships your team wins.

[biggestbullsfan]

Shaq at the FT isnt dominating. And I hate him but Lebron should be on that list.

[Deus]

1. MJ
2. Magic
3. Bird
4. Duncan
5. Shaq
6. Kareem
7. Kobe
8. Wilt
9. Russell
10. Hakeem

I'm more of a backcourt fan.