Greatest basketball career- College/NBA/Coaching/Executive

[colts18]

Who had the best basketball career when you factor in playing in the NCAA, NBA career, coaching career, and executive career all combined.

Some of the best imo:

Red Auerbach:
-9x NBA champion coach
-7x NBA executive coach


Bill Russell:
-2x NCAA champion
-Gold Medalist
-HOF playing career
-11x NBA champ
-2x NBA champ as a head coach

Jerry West:
-HOF player
-1x NBA champ
-8x NBA exec champ (plus 2 more if you count him being the architect of the 01 and 02 Lakers)

Kareem Abdul Jabbar:
-3x NCAA champ
-6x MVP
-6x NBA champ

Pat Riley:
-1x NBA champ
-5x NBA coach champ
-2x Exec Champ

Phil Jackson:
-2x NBA champ
-11x NBA coach champ

Jordan:
-1x NCAA title
-6x NBA champ
-2x olympic gold medalist
-architect of the 7-59 Bobcats

[Owly]

I'd add Bill Sharman as someone who had success at three levels (player, coach [NBL, ABA, NBA], GM).

I'd consider adding Cunningham for player, coach, co-founder/owner (even if I'm lower than some on his playing career).

Hard to tell with early leagues but Wooden iircc is in the hall as a player and a coach (Wilkens too and Heinsohn as well as the aforementioned Sharman), for a 2-level career.

If we're mean about MJ as an owner (and we should be) Phil Jackson's GMing wasn't great in NY.

Don't know how people feel about crediting Jackson with a '70 ring. Baylor technically got one in '72 but isn't widely credited. Jackson is still a Knick but plays ... not at all through that season. Mind you him and Riley's player rings are ... well Jackson wasn't bad in '73 but they aren't anything like driving forces, put it that way.

West you can fudge the executive stuff either way, presently you and Wikipedia give him "executive" rings in '80 and '82 but Wikipedia calls him a scout for those seasons. Can't otoh speak to how rigid the heirarchy there was or how much say he might have had. Of course you can argue him as architect of later titles and even credit consultant work (and credit what I think were otoh solid jobs without accolades in other spots). 8 is also crediting him for 2 "executive board member" GSW titles.

With Russell (RIP) it might be up for debate how good a coach he is if he doesn't have Bill Russell the player (and an established playbook, an established relationship with the players, a generally settled situation).

More broadly what you're asking/intending matters ...
Are you just adding different levels together? Are you multiplying them so you need to have a rounded career, avoid weaknesses?

[Cavsfansince84]

Larry Brown is up there imo. Maybe not at the very top but up there though he has a tendency to crash and burn at times. Don Nelson also comes to mind.

[pipfan]

I did this a few years ago, with a poll. I had West, Bird, MJ, KAJ, LBJ (not a great candidate at this point but could be in the future), Magic, Russell-maybe a few others.
I wanted players who had accomplishments in HS, College, NBA, international and FO/Coaching-tough to combine all of it. I left off Red and Phil-lack of overall roles.

[eminence]

Mikan would be a candidate for me.

[Doctor MJ]

I keep erasing and starting over because I'm not sure how to weigh the playing vs post-playing careers. Feels like an interesting list should have a lot of debate between guys who excelled in different types of roles, but if I'm answering a question of "Who is most Hall worthy?", I think the reality is that the top tier of playing icons get that nod first.

So here's what I end up with based on the names listed.

1. Bill Russell - top tier player, sustained run of team success as a player unmatched, extremely innovative
2. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar - top tier player, sustained run of team success as a player nearly unmatched
3. Michael Jordan - top tier player, sport's biggest icon due to pro career
4. Jerry West - nearly top tier player, top tier GM, top tier scout

Big gap

5. Red Auerbach - top tier coach, top tier GM, GOAT non-playing career
6. Pat Riley - successful player, top tier coach, top tier GM
7. Phil Jackson - successful player, top tier coach

The unsatisfying part to me is asking how many star players get on the list because of their playing career before I can justify putting Red above them.

[Saints14]

If we're weighting stints equally Kerr has to be up there. And even gets bonus points for being an announcer!

[penbeast0]

Mikan would be a candidate for me.

Don't know how "great" his non-playing career was. He does get credit for getting the ABA started but then was forced out as not able to make it more than it was.

[eminence]

Mikan would be a candidate for me.

Don't know how "great" his non-playing career was. He does get credit for getting the ABA started but then was forced out as not able to make it more than it was.

Certainly more notable than MJs or Jacksons playing career

[penbeast0]

Yeah, Jordan's playing career was nothing special, it's his ownership of the Hornets that makes him famous.

[Samurai]

West was also an Olympic Gold Medalist (he co-captained the 1960 team along with Big O) and a Pan-Am games Gold Medalist. In college he was named 1959 Most Outstanding Player of the Final Four and inducted into the College Basketball Hall of Fame in 2006. And while his coaching career was not nearly as successful as his playing or front office careers, he did coach the Lakers for three seasons and made the playoffs each year. In comparison, Kareem did serve as an assistant for the Clippers and SuperSonics but was never a head coach in college or the NBA, although he did serve as a volunteer coach for a high school on an Indian reservation. I cannot find any comparable coaching record for MJ.

[SNPA]

Who had the best basketball career when you factor in playing in the NCAA, NBA career, coaching career, and executive career all combined.

Some of the best imo:

Red Auerbach:
-9x NBA champion coach
-7x NBA executive coach


Bill Russell:
-2x NCAA champion
-Gold Medalist
-HOF playing career
-11x NBA champ
-2x NBA champ as a head coach

Jerry West:
-HOF player
-1x NBA champ
-8x NBA exec champ (plus 2 more if you count him being the architect of the 01 and 02 Lakers)

Kareem Abdul Jabbar:
-3x NCAA champ
-6x MVP
-6x NBA champ

Pat Riley:
-1x NBA champ
-5x NBA coach champ
-2x Exec Champ

Phil Jackson:
-2x NBA champ
-11x NBA coach champ

Jordan:
-1x NCAA title
-6x NBA champ
-2x olympic gold medalist
-architect of the 7-59 Bobcats

How does this thread go this far and not have Bird?

Played in the most watched college (any I believe) basketball game ever.

ROY

MVP

FMVP

Gold Medal

COY

EOY

No one else can match. The answer is Bird (maybe Russell ).

[trex_8063]

I mean.....it's probably Bill Russell, right?

He's got an NBA playing career that typically lands him in the top 5 here.
Player-coach the last three years of his career [two titles], plus a handful of other years coaching [mostly in Seattle; mediocre teams].
Executive career [not hugely successful, but it's something].

Plus there's his pre-NBA playing career: two NCAA titles and an Olympic gold medal.

When you've got arguably the GOAT playing career [with college and olympic all factored in], PLUS any successful amount of coaching and exec work, that's gotta put you up there.