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With the top 100 due to be redone soon, just getting a sense of the forum. Please post your top ten GOAT list in order. Scoring will be on a 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 basis.

Let's give it 72 hours. Any posts after that won't be included.

Whether to include Bron or not makes this a hard question. If he retired today it would seem odd not to include him. But with him still playing, it somehow feels premature.

Don't have a formal GOAT list, but if it's just a straw poll, gun to my head:

Russell
Jordan
Wilt
Kareem
Hakeem
Shaq
Garnett
Duncan
LeBron
Oscar or Bird (probably Oscar, based on some of lorak's research in threads like this: viewtopic.php?f=64&t=1306139 and playing around with ElGee's championship odds system: viewtopic.php?f=344&t=1197767)

MJ
Kareem
Shaq
Magic
Russell
Duncan
Hakeem
LeBron
Wilt
Kobe

1. Jordan
2. Russell
3. Kareem
4. Magic
5. Duncan
6. Shaq
7. Hakeem
8. Lebron?
9. Kobe
10. Bird

Hard to place Lebron. Maybe he's 9th and Kobe's 8th but this was what came to mind.

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

1) MJ
2) Kareem
3) Wilt
4) Russel
5) Magic
6) Bird
7) Shaq
8) Lebron (changed my mind)
9) Duncan
10) Oscar

And I guess LeBron arriving does it for Hakeem. Too bad. Hakeem, Kobe, Mailman as 11-13.

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

colts18 wrote:MJ
Kareem
Shaq
Magic
Russell
Duncan
Hakeem
LeBron
Wilt
Kobe

No bird?

The Infamous1 wrote:

colts18 wrote:MJ
Kareem
Shaq
Magic
Russell
Duncan
Hakeem
LeBron
Wilt
Kobe

No bird?

I don't think it is that farfetched. I have Bird at 8 and a couple people have him at 10.

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

Kobe and KG right outside the top 10

Basketballefan wrote:Lol @ Garnett in the top 10.

Depending on what data you use and the criteria you use, the argument could be made. I am pretty sure he has some of the best +/- data of any player and some ridiculous RAPM years.

People need to stop judging people's list without knowing why they have the list the way they do. Most, if not all of us are great basketball minds and our reasonings for rankings differ, which make it that much more fun.

It would be pointless if we all agreed on the same top 10.

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

1) MJ
2) Kareem
3) Wilt
4) Russel
5) Bird
6) Magic
7) Shaq
8) Lebron
9) Duncan
10) Hakeem

Does anyone have some sort of definition of what sort of GOAT list we're doing? Because IMO, the best way to judge a player is by seeing everything he could do- what was he like at his best? No point in discussing what non-peak bits in these sorts of comparisons because if we're looking for the best, why judge them on their 'not-best'?

However, I think that's clearly not what we're looking for. If GOATness is based on what players did- the sum value of their career, or something along those lines, then the list becomes very different, even adjusting for era so that Russel isn't the clear-cut #1.

Or are we being more holistic? An "up to you" type of deal? Because that becomes more difficult.

Off the top of my head:

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

Jordan
Russell
Wilt
Kareem
Magic
Duncan
LeBron
Bird
Kobe
Shaq

Sent from my GT-I9300 using RealGM Forums mobile app

1. Michael Jordan
2. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
3. Shaquille O'Neal
4. Hakeem Olajuwon
5. Magic Johnson
6. Tim Duncan
7. Kevin Garnett
8. LeBron James
9. Bill Russell
10. Wilt Chamberlain

Bill Russell
Michael Jordan
Earvin "Magic" Johnson
Wilt Chamberlain
Kareem Abdul Jabbar
Larry Bird
Tim Duncan (*)
Lebron James (*)
Hakeem Olajuwon
Julius Erving

(*) I assume they are eligible even if they are still active