| 10 August 2011
So, not content to let us rest, Jeff Fox (Hoops Manifesto) is on our backs again. This time? All time top ten players. No positions, no provisos - just a list of the best. Ooooookay then. This should be a wild ride, here we go!
10. Oscar Robertson - Man... leaving The Dream off this list was hard, but it is what it is. Oscar Robertson, he of the triple double, the Big O... the man who lead to the overhauling of the NBA's free agency and draft rules. Number 10.
9. Tim Duncan - There will be people who will be aghast at Tim Duncan is only at #9. "The greatest PF of all time only at number 9???". Fair call, but if we included him as a center, where would he be? 6th? 7th? Timmy is pure gold, a great player - one for the ages. And on my top ten players of all time. Let's leave it at that.
8. Shaquille O'Neal - Shaq... I can never think of his place within history without indulging in a bit of "what if...?" What if he tried harder during the off-seasons? What if he had the drive of Kobe or MJ? Well... quite simply he wouldn't be Shaq any more I guess. The Big Fella, biggest on this list, both literally and figuratively speaking.
7. Kobe Bryant - It's a pity so many people find him so polarizing, because they are missing out on being able to appreciate a talent the like of which has almost never been seen in the game of basketball. Forget if you like him or not: just watch, and enjoy. Besides, Bill Simmons now has him at 8th all time, which means he's #7.
6. Bill Russell - Another placement that's gonna rile some people. Bill Russell was an otherworldly center. One of 4 on this list (well... 5 if you're like me and think Timmy's a center), and like all of them: we'll never see their like again. As Butch van Breda Kolff said, "Russell would ask, 'What do I need to do to make my teammates better?' Then he'd do it." So true.
5. Wilt Chamberlain - Statistically, on an individual basis, the number one guy on this list. On what an individual player can achieve, set the bar so high that it will never be reached. Never.
4. Larry Bird - People talk of MJ's determination, Kobe's passion... but Bird was on a par with them. The only difference was that whilst they ran hot, Bird's fury burnt cold. Guy wouldn't give an inch. Bird took each game on a personal level, and played every play as if opposition were an affront - he was a ferocious competitor.
3. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar - You could switch Magic's name with Roger Murdock's, and I wouldn't argue... and if you're looking at the game of basketball rather than simply the NBA, then forget his Airness: Kareem's #1.
His skyhook was the surest shot in NBA history.
And even in his autumnal years as a 40+ year old center, he remained one of the best players in the league. Sure, everyone remembers Magic's amazing, series-clinching game 6 (45/15/7) playing out of position (at CENTER) in game 6 of the 80 Finals. But it was Kareem who won the first 3 games for the Lakers, and averaged 33/14 with better than 4 blocks a game for the 5 games he played... and Magic took home the Finals MVP.
2. Magic Johnson - Amazing, amazing player. No-one made the game look more effortless than Magic, no-one enjoyed the game more than he did. And as a Laker fan, it's tough. I think that Kareem's been grossly underrated as a player, and a large part of that is Magic. Both should be appreciated - Magic is, Kareem is not (it's kinda weird - being a Laker fan in this position, but I'm not ripping on Magic, just bemoaning the lack of appreciation for Kareem Abdul-Jabbar). The war he waged with Larry Bird was incredible, and their battles lifted the Laker/Celtics rivalry to new levels. Do yourself a favour and read "When the Game was Ours".
1. Michael Jordan - If you need it explained, why are you here?
