ATL - Fox Extension 4/229

[BroncoBuck]

https://www.hoopshype.com/story/sports/nba/rankings/2025/07/09/79-greatest-nba-players-ever-hoopshype-list/84525554007/
Hoopshype had him at 77, which is way too low IMHO.
How many guys have 1 MVP, 5 all-nba, 7 all-stars? Maybe 50? He doesn't have longevity stats but i think he comfortably ends up top 60 which isn't bad for a guy who was never healthy.

ETA: Embiid is just one of 36 guys to get the MVP.

I’d argue Embiid is the most skilled center of all time or at least right there with Hakeem. It sucks injuries have been so impactful on his career and he’s obviously not going to have the longevity Hakeem had. All time rankings definitely take a hit due to the shortened career, but he’s been unbelievable on the floor.

It’s also a reminder on how badly the Sixers mismanaged their assets. Letting Jimmy walk, trading up for Fultz, Ben Simmons mental breakdown, Harden fiasco, now the Paul George signing. Someday we’re going to get the documentary on who knew what regarding Fultz’s accident.

Hakeem and Jokic are by far the most skilled centers. I'd even argue Kareem up there too. Not only could he score, rebound, and defend. He was a great passer as well.

I don't think I'd put Embiid in the top 3.

Jokic would’ve been abused in this league defensively in any other era even more than he is now. All time great passer, very good scorer, pube defender.

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[midranger]

Embiid feels like Anthony Davis+. But with less staying power

[KidA24]

I’d argue Embiid is the most skilled center of all time or at least right there with Hakeem. It sucks injuries have been so impactful on his career and he’s obviously not going to have the longevity Hakeem had. All time rankings definitely take a hit due to the shortened career, but he’s been unbelievable on the floor.

It’s also a reminder on how badly the Sixers mismanaged their assets. Letting Jimmy walk, trading up for Fultz, Ben Simmons mental breakdown, Harden fiasco, now the Paul George signing. Someday we’re going to get the documentary on who knew what regarding Fultz’s accident.

Hakeem and Jokic are by far the most skilled centers. I'd even argue Kareem up there too. Not only could he score, rebound, and defend. He was a great passer as well.

I don't think I'd put Embiid in the top 3.

Jokic would’ve been abused in this league defensively in any other era even more than he is now. All time great passer, very good scorer, pube defender.

Watch on YouTube

Mark Eaton won DPOY twice.

Being gigantic and slow was not the negative that it is now when illegal defense was a thing and no one shot 3's so you had less ground to cover defensively.

[paulpressey25]

Embiid reminds me a lot of Bob Lanier. Different era so Lanier had to face a lot more physicality and there was no three point shot option. But both guys could score, and score and score until their bodies broke down.

[BroncoBuck]

Hakeem and Jokic are by far the most skilled centers. I'd even argue Kareem up there too. Not only could he score, rebound, and defend. He was a great passer as well.

I don't think I'd put Embiid in the top 3.

Jokic would’ve been abused in this league defensively in any other era even more than he is now. All time great passer, very good scorer, pube defender.

Watch on YouTube

Mark Eaton won DPOY twice.

Being gigantic and slow was not the negative that it is now when illegal defense was a thing and no one shot 3's so you had less ground to cover defensively.

Coverage has nothing to do with Jokic being the worst rim protector in the league. He offers slightly better rim protection than the chair Yi worked out against. He allows ~70% at the rim. If you watch him play he relies entirely on trying to steal the ball. Total pube defender.

[FlagsFlyForever]

I think guys like

D Rose
TMac
Grant Hill
Amare Stoudamire
Yao Ming
Ray Allen


Would be in that conversation

Hell, even Mitch Richmond and Joe Johnson are top 50 all time in points.

Embiid won MVP and had three seasons as a top two MVP vote getter. None of the players you mentioned came close to achieving that.

This is basically what I'm talking about though. I'm complaining about perception and you're submitting perception as evidence.

Getting MVP votes is not an achievement. It's a sentimental election that correlates with achievement. Sometimes more or less strongly. The fact, as I see it, is that Embiid *did* have a stretch where he was a top 3 player when healthy, but not a particularly long stretch, and also, his idea of taking care of his body is falling more to protect his foot. It's not all fate. But that's a separate discussion.

I'm not saying that healthy Joel Embiid isn't a great player. I'm saying no player has ever done less to achieve that level of reverence.

I think I see your point better now and I counter your Embiid with Westbrook. After Durant left, Westbrook quit on defense so he could be better rested on offense and played a style that held his team back. He was considered by many to be one of the best players in the league for years because his selfish play resulted in him accumulating impressive counting stats.

[MickeyDavis]

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[nagawicka]

What do you mean by accomplishing less? I think Embiid has accomplished a ton.

Define it however you want. His resume is closer to Dantley's than to Chris Paul's.

MVP, Olympic gold medal, 70 point/18 rebound game.

Who are some players with comparable accomplishments who are much less celebrated than Embiid?


Career MVP voting shares >2.0:

1. LeBron James
2. Michael Jordan
3. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
4. Larry Bird
5. Magic Johnson
6. Bill Russell
7. Nikola Jokic
8. Wilt Chamberlain
9. Shaquille O'Neal
10. Karl Malone
11. Tim Duncan
12. Kobe Bryant
13. Giannis Antetokounmpo
14. James Harden
15. Kevin Durant
16. David Robinson
17. Moses Malone
18. Kevin Garnett
19. Bob Pettit
20. Stephen Curry
21. Oscar Robertson
22. Hakeem Olajuwon
23. Charles Barkley
24. Steve Nash
25. Joel Embiid
26. Jerry West

Sure. Okay.
Elgin Baylor says:

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[MickeyDavis]

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[mcfromage]

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Only 1 eastern conference game is wild.

[Badgerlander]

We have a new contender for Grayson Allen's "Most Likely to Die on a Dunk Attempt" crown.

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[Baddy Chuck]

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HEAT CULTURE

[tonyreyes123]

East is back to being the extreme poverty conference like the early 00s.

[engelmartin]

The silver lining is that the Knicks got snubbed

[MickeyDavis]

Playing on Xmas isn't a big deal anymore since the NFL has taken over that day.

[JayMKE]

Only 1 eastern conference game is a pretty big joke, the NBA is so terrible at marketing itself. They will cry about the finals not being interesting enough again, Silver really is a dunce.

[Licensed to Il]

Only 1 eastern conference game is a pretty big joke, the NBA is so terrible at marketing itself. They will cry about the finals not being interesting enough again, Silver really is a dunce.

Silver sucks at everything.

[CharityStripe34]

As far as the Embiid stuff, his lobbying for the 2023 MVP was a robbery for Gianni's awesome season. Others gripe about Jokic but Giannis also had a very strong case that year. What's even worse was that he was left off the All-Defensive teams despite being literally the best defender guarding the pick-and-roll, both the screener and ball-handler.

Embiid for a short stretch was indeed a Top 4 player, that isn't in dispute.

[Bernman]

See you again soon...

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[ReasonablySober]

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