Hoopshype ranks the top 77 NBA players of all-time (spoiler: Kevin Garnett is not #9)

[GSWFan1994]

Why 77 players? It's simple, Sherlock: there has been 77 NBA seasons.

Here's the full article with reasonings and such.

Here's the list:

1. Michael Jordan
2. LeBron James
3. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
4. Magic Johnson
5. Bill Russell
6. Wilt Chamberlain
7. Larry Bird
8. Kobe Bryant
9. Shaquille O'Neal
10. Tim Duncan

11. Hakeem Olajuwon
12. Kevin Durant
13. Stephen Curry
14. Oscar Robertson
15. Karl Malone
16. Moses Malone
17. Kevin Garnett
18. Jerry West
19. Dirk Nowitzki
20. Julius Erving

21. Elgin Baylor
22. Giannis Antetokounmpo
23. Dwyane Wade
24. David Robinson
25. Charles Barkley
26. Isiah Thomas
27. Scottie Pippen
28. Chris Paul
29. John Havlicek
30. Allen Iverson

31. Bob Pettit
32. John Stockton
33. Kawhi Leonard
34. Steve Nash
35. Patrick Ewing
36. Rick Barry
37. Bob Cousy
38. Jason Kidd
39. James Harden
40. Elvin Hayes

41. Nikola Jokic
42. Gary Payton
43. Dominique Wilkins
44. George Gervin
45. Clyde Drexler
46. George Mikan
47. Anthony Davis
48. Russell Westbrook
49. James Worthy
50. Carmelo Anthony

51. Paul Pierce
52. Bob McAdoo
53. Damian Lillard
54. Reggie Miller
55. Wes Unseld
56. Kevin McHale
57. Ray Allen
58. Pau Gasol
59. Walt Frazier
60. Robert Parish

61. Willis Reed
62. Dwight Howard
63. Dolph Schayes
64. Chris Bosh
65. Dennis Rodman
66. Nate Archibald
67. Pete Maravich
68. Dave Cowens
69. Tony Parker
70. Vince Carter

71. Alex English
72. Paul Arizin
73. Earl Monroe
74. Bernard King
75. Tracy McGrady
76. Kyrie Irving
77. Hal Greer

Also received votes:

Bill Walton
Draymond Green
Lenny Wilkens
Artis Gilmore
Klay Thompson
Adrian Dantley
Nate Thurmond
Chris Webber
Sam Jones
Paul George
Manu Ginobili
Dikembe Mutombo
Jerry Lucas
Dave Bing
Alonzo Mourning
Jimmy Butler
Derrick Rose
Bill Sharman
Billy Cunningham
Bob Lanier
Bobby Jones
Dave DeBusschere
Dennis Johnson
Jamaal Wilkes
Joe Dumars
Joel Embiid
Robert Horry

Differences with official NBA list:

IN: Nikola Jokic, Pau Gasol, Dwight Howard, Chris Bosh, Tony Parker, Vince Carter, Alex English, Bernard King, Tracy McGrady and Kyrie Irving

OUT: Lenny Wilkens, Jerry Lucas, Bill Walton, Sam Jones, Nate Thurmond, Bill Sharman, Dave Bing, Dave DeBusschere and Billy Cunningham

[Ursusamericanus]

It's an ok list. The first thing that jumped out to me was Duncan being too low, the same with Dirk, Giannis, and Jokic.

[ReasonablySober]

So what's the argument for Jokic and Giannis below:

15. Karl Malone
16. Moses Malone
17. Kevin Garnett
18. Jerry West
19. Dirk Nowitzki
20. Julius Erving
21. Elgin Baylor

?

[zero rings]

So what's the argument for Jokic and Giannis below:

15. Karl Malone
16. Moses Malone
17. Kevin Garnett
18. Jerry West
19. Dirk Nowitzki
20. Julius Erving
21. Elgin Baylor

?

They need to play for 5 more years so we can have the courage to say what is completely obvious right now.

[ReasonablySober]

So what's the argument for Jokic and Giannis below:

15. Karl Malone
16. Moses Malone
17. Kevin Garnett
18. Jerry West
19. Dirk Nowitzki
20. Julius Erving
21. Elgin Baylor

?

They need to play for 5 more years so we can have the courage to say what is completely obvious right now.

Fair and accurate.

But even it retrospect so much of the list is stupid. James Worthy was never the 2nd best player on his Lakers team and got 3rd team All-NBA twice. That's it. Dwight Howard was All-NBA 1st team five times. Worthy is #49 and Howard is #62.

[GSWFan1994]

So what's the argument for Jokic and Giannis below:

15. Karl Malone
16. Moses Malone
17. Kevin Garnett
18. Jerry West
19. Dirk Nowitzki
20. Julius Erving
21. Elgin Baylor

?

Do you think that if both Jokic and Giannis retired today, both at around 28 years old, they would be top 14 in an all-time ranking?

I understand and I agree that they will probably surpass those players, but as right now it's overall careers, not peak only, nor projections on what should be or could be.

[ReasonablySober]

So what's the argument for Jokic and Giannis below:

15. Karl Malone
16. Moses Malone
17. Kevin Garnett
18. Jerry West
19. Dirk Nowitzki
20. Julius Erving
21. Elgin Baylor

?

Do you think that if both Jokic and Giannis retired today, both at around 28 years old, they would be top 14 in an all-time ranking?

I understand and I agree that they will probably surpass those players, but as right now it's overall careers, not peak only, nor projections on what should be or could be.

They'd be in the top 16. Both have the rings, the career achievements, and the status of being the undisputed best players in the world ranking.

[Doranku]

KD > Steph is pure blasphemy in my eyes.

[ReasonablySober]

I loved AI. One of the most influential NBA players ever. Fun as hell to watch. He's also not one of the 100 best ever, much less #30. That's insane.

[Black star]

I think this list is fantastic and pretty close to what the general consensus is among basketball fans. Maybe Duncan and Dirk could be a little bit higher. Overall I think they nailed it.

[zero rings]

So what's the argument for Jokic and Giannis below:

15. Karl Malone
16. Moses Malone
17. Kevin Garnett
18. Jerry West
19. Dirk Nowitzki
20. Julius Erving
21. Elgin Baylor

?

Do you think that if both Jokic and Giannis retired today, both at around 28 years old, they would be top 14 in an all-time ranking?

I understand and I agree that they will probably surpass those players, but as right now it's overall careers, not peak only, nor projections on what should be or could be.

Do you think that's a real possibility? Jokic and Giannis retiring today?

If not, why consider it so strongly when ranking them?

We don't need to wait 15 years to know if a player is great or not. Everyone is so afraid of stepping on the toes of past greats that we can't appreciate the great players of today.

[GSWFan1994]

Do you think that's a real possibility? Jokic and Giannis retiring today?

If not, why consider it so strongly when ranking them?

We don't need to wait 15 years to know if a player is great or not. Everyone is so afraid of stepping on the toes of past greats that we can't appreciate the great players of today.

Unless a drastic injury occurs, obviously they are not retiring today or soon.

And obviously I'm not "afraid" to admit X or Y. That's not how these things work...

The thing is, if you compare those careers, the old guys have way better accomplishments and counting stats.

Jokic and Giannis (and many others before them) have had an amazing peak and career thus far, but the others guys, too.

Just a quick example: pick Grant Hill's first 6 seasons (before his injury). 22/8/6, 5x All-Star (should be 6 if not for the lockout season), 5x All-NBA, etc. He was on his way to a Hall of Fame career, perhaps could even make the top 75 list.

Same for many other examples throughout the NBA's history, from Sidney Moncrief to (gulp) Zion Williamson, from Penny to Brandon Roy, from Ralph Sampson to Bill Walton, and so on.

But, you know, injuries happened.

My point is, I'm judging with what I have right now. And, right now, as good as Jokic/Giannis have been, there have been better players, and most importantly, better careers than theirs.

[Jta444]

Why is KD above Steph?

[DAWill1128]

These guys in the 15-20 range are really accomplished, just to compare to where to Jokic is now. Moses Malone for example has 3 MVPs, a Championship, and near the top statistically. You can't exactly just push a Moses caliber player aside.

K. Malone
2 MVPs
14x All-Star
14x All-NBA
11x All- NBA 1st Team
4x All-Defense
3rd All Time in Scoring
8th All-Time in Rebounds

M Malone
1 Championship
3 MVPs
13x All-Star
8x All-NBA
4x All-NBA 1st Team
2x All-Defense
9th All-Time in Scoring
3rd All-Time in Rebounds

Garnett
1 Championship
1 MVP
15x All-Star
9x All-NBA
4x All-NBA 1st Team
DPOY
12x All-Defense

West
1 Championship
14x All-Star
12x All-NBA
10x All-NBA 1st Team
5x All-Defense

Dirk
1 Championship
1 MVP
14x All-Star
12x All-NBA
4x All-NBA 1st Team

Erving (ABA Included)
3 Championships
4 MVPs
16x All-Star
12x All-NBA/ABA
9x All-NBA/ABA 1st Team

Jokic
1 Championship
2 MVP
5x All-Star
5x All-NBA
3x All-NBA 1st Team

[shza]

KD above Steph is the most obvious mistake here, given that we’ve actually seen them as opponents, teammates, and then not teammates — so it’s not a time-machine hypothetical. Kobe is also way too high. But overall, the list isn’t crazy. I’d give it a B/B+.

[Pachinko_]

TBH ChapGPT is as good as any.

Chat GPT
"I can provide you with a widely accepted top 10 list, but please note that even within this group, opinions may differ:

Michael Jordan
LeBron James
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
Magic Johnson
Larry Bird
Wilt Chamberlain
Bill Russell
Shaquille O'Neal
Hakeem Olajuwon
Tim Duncan

Beyond this top 10, it becomes increasingly difficult to create a universally agreed-upon ranking. Many factors, such as individual accomplishments, championships, statistics, and impact on the game, are considered when ranking players, and different people may weigh these factors differently. Moreover, new players have emerged and made their mark in the sport since my knowledge cutoff date in September 2021, potentially impacting any updated rankings."

[maradro]

[Leonard is way too high, Bosh and rodman probably shouldnt even be there...

[jokeboy86]

Its Hoopshype so consider the source and their audience because leaving Walton out but having some of those other players on the list is just absurd. Even with how short Walton’s peak was(and its short) the guy won a MVP and a title but you have Kyrie and Carmelo and others on ahead of him?

Jokic at 41 is a joke and there’s nothing more to say when you look at some of the guys above him with no MVPs or Finals appearances. But again consider the source and their audience.

[scrabbarista]

Pretty basic list. Thumbs up from me. [EDIT:3, mediocre.]

That said:

Duncan and Dirk that low are travesties.

Baylor too high. Thomas and Iverson too high.

Respect for Hayes that high. (Too high? But still.)

Harden too low. Jokic 20 spots too low.

[EDIT2: I stopped reading after Jokic at 41, so the list may in fact be worse than a 3. Hahaha]

[EDIT3: Just noticed KD over Curry. There are plenty of other disagree spots, but most are a bit idiosyncratic on my part, so I didn't bring them up. That said, if I could change my vote, I would change it to a 2, bad.]

[Masigond]

I loved AI. One of the most influential NBA players ever. Fun as hell to watch. He's also not one of the 100 best ever, much less #30. That's insane.

And then you see George Mikan as one of the most dominant players ever going 46th. That list has some serious flaws.