Big O triple double average

I dont know what happened to the poll but we can all type

Looking at the record books I would pick Wilt Chamberlain

Wilt wasn't even the best of his era, Russell was.

It's MJ, who are we kidding here.

that was me by the way, not a guest

I knew someone would say this. The single greatest player is an impossible debate. We're talking about 4 or 5 guys here. My list in no order:

Wilt
Russel
Jordan
Kareem
Oscar

All those guys could claim the greatest player and have a strong agrument.

Who was better in the Wilt/Russel era? I think it was Wilt, and I dont think its close. I understand the other side, but the fact is that Russel had far better teammates. The Celtics were stacked. Russell was probably the best player on those teams (remember, Cousy played on those teams too), but they won titles because they were loaded. Russell and Wilt basically have identical rebounding numbers but Wilt absolutely dominated him on points. Russell was an average scorer at best.

As far as greatest player is concerned. Wilt is far and away better than Russell. Whenever the Celtics would trample the Lakers or Philly Wilt would still outplay russell and score 30 or more. Again greatest player not greatest leader. For that Russell wins hands down

Ummm, are you guys serious? You cannot simply look at stats to determine this, you have to use your own judgement. Use clutch performances, stats, championships, etc. How do these not point to Jordan? Wilt shot free throws like Shaq.

The argument between Wilt and Jordan is the one thats impossible. They played different positions and in different eras. Either one could have the top spot. The fact that people bring up Wilts poor free-throw shooting shows its close. Is the greatest player debate actually going to come down to free throw shooting? LOL

And championships do count for a lot, but its still more of a team effort though. Without good teammates you wont win the title. For the greatest individual player (which I assume we're talking about here), I give stats a little more weight. Other things like awards recieved (All-NBA, All-Star, MVP, ect) also count alot.

I think stats give Wilt the edge. While Jordans number are great, Wilt OWNS the record books. Some of his records fall into the unbreakable category.

Now I totally disagree with clutch performances though. Very, very subjective. It's made even worse that a lot of Wilts games (even his 100 point effort) weren't even televised. So while you no doubt had a chance to see all of Jordan's clutch shots, and tons of replays of those moments on ESPN, you've probably never actually seen Wilts greatest performances. Seriously, can you name one of Wilts great games that you've actually seen?

Connie Hawkins

Michael Jordan, no doubt about it.

Lebron James

it may be Michael Jordan....but there is certainly doubt about it.

Michael Jordan

FYP

Is this even debatable? Michael Jordan, and it's not even close.

Uhh how about Magic? He was an all star at all 5 positions, has what 6 rings? He at least deserves a mention.

I would have to say Jordan. But If Lebron keeps getting better, it may be him one day.

Hard to say who is the greatest ever, since they played different positions, played in different eras and for teams that they were the only superstar or ones that they had great supporting casts.

The big men of the past were great, but they played in an era where a 7' was not that common on every team. In today's game every team has at least 1 guy who is that tall and a bunch who are 6'10".

Some guys had horrible teams and they carried them as far as they could. It's hard to win when you have to score 40, grab 20 boards, dish out 15 assists and D-up the other teams best player.

That is why it's great to have a list of the 50 greatest, because I don't know if you can ever narrow it down to just 1.

I'd go Michael, Magic, Oscar

I'm not sure about Wilt - I do think he was way better than Russell

The thing that Michael Had was that killer I have to win instinct - Wilt didn't have that - If you put Russell's will to win in Chamberlains body - then it wouldn't be close it would be Wilt all the way

I'm not really ragging on Wilt I think he was a great guy - but he wanted to be liked and it hurt him that he got no respect because he was so big and didn't win like Russell

If you read about him - you'll see that even though he could have just been jamming on guys every time - he would often shoot hooks or fadeaways trying to show people that he was a skilled athlete

That's fine but the object is to win not to be pretty

On the other hand if the Celtics had Chamberlain instead of Russell - they win every single one of those Championships - and the one Wilt won in 1967 as well.

Michael Jordan

AINEC

QFT

It seemed like MJ played in a league that was more talented than it has ever been in the history of the NBA. For him to dominate, retire, then to comeback and dominate again against high calibur teams makes him the greatest.

Jordan
Magic
Wilt
Russell


Wilt was better than Russell. Wilt had a poor free throw % because he could bank it off the back of the backboard, run into the lane, and score an easy 2. I think Jordan was the greatest player because he did it in a very talented league, without a decided physical advantage over the rest of the league.

it's not fair to hold a decided physical advantage over the rest of the league against Wilt - the idea is to be the best not the best that is of average height or speed

If some 12 foot tall guy led his team to an 82-0 record and averaged 200 points a game - you might not like it but he'd be the best basketball player of all time

it wasn't wilt's fault he was bigger and stronger and more talented than everyone else

JORDAN..AINEC!

He played defense like a matador, JS.

It's alright to think its Jordan. I disagree, but I understand the argument. Like I said, this question cant be answered. However, it is most certainly close!

is it too late to vote for meadowlark lemon?

Earl "the GOAT" Manigault

Michael Jordan.

Few players have dominated a sport like he did. He almost transcended it.

MJ.

Game, set, match.

its close. when you had a season where you averaged 50pts and 20rebounds you are close. anyone who was under the age of 25 when Jordan was in his prime is biased by what a megawatt star he became and his dominant commercial presence....when he won most of his championships the league was in decline (and then it collapsed upon his retirement.)

the league is much much stronger now than it was during jordan's last 3 championships. that being said....Jordan is of course not a bad answer to this question. You can make a great argument that he is the best ever. But you can make a great argument for Wilt, Russell and even Oscar Robertson as well.

seriously? Are you watching the same league I am - The Bulls record setting team still runs roughshod over this years NBA

It's getting better but fundamentals suck and teams are watered down

in the mid 80's the great teams had 5 great players

by the 90's you needed three stars to win the title

Now you need two

This is hardly progress - it would be a great league if they folded 7 teams

early in MJ's career the league was at its peak....when he won his first 3 championships it was still great....by the time he won his 2nd three it was VERY VERY watered down....the NBA is just finally getting back to the 80s and early 90s greatness....there are a lot of stars today....the Mavs had 5 really good players...the Heat had 2 stars and 4-5 pretty solid guys....


you had to read my whole post....

I did - i still think the league is very weak - any of the last three bulls championship teams would have mopped the floor with Miami

When you talk about the greatest basketball player why do you just talk about the NBA. The NBA is a joke. It's play most resembles WWE wrestling. Regular season games are not about basketball, but about individual stars. Play lacks energy, interest, and skill. The STAR system is status quo and the marketing of Michael Jordan is a major fault of the current state pf the NBA. These overpaid, unskilled players are an illustration of what is wrong with our society. Where are our priorities??


So, let's go back to real basketball and shouldn't we include college careers. Kareem dominated college basketball and the NBA in pre-Jordan years. And none of you included him on your lists.


If you are a basketball fan, you will stop buying into today's NBA.

well that's the dumbest thing i've ever heard - no matter how bad you think the NBA game is where else do the best players play? Who judges talent based on how they did against inferior competition? According to your standards Bo Kimble was one of the great basketball players of all time

Michael did sort of ruin the NBA because he was so good all they could do to stop him was slow down the game and beat him up

How do you compare Bo Kimble to Kareem?? What the hell are you talking about?


There is no competition in today's NBA because day to day they don't compete. They coast and cash their checks. Take today's NBA players and we get embarassed in the Olympics!!!!

Go back to Magic, Larry Bird, Dr. J., Kareem.

Wait a second now. I had Kareem on my list at 4th. Kareem was a dominate player in the NBA. He gets underrated because most people today only remember his final years when all he had was the sky hook and was a role player for Magic (I didnt have Magic in my top 5 but I would rate him 6th. Too close to call anyways).

I agree with Keith about Jordans Era being tougher. The players in low post were much better. The center position is almost extinct today and there's a lack of real bangers at the power forward (most power forwards today would rather be on the perimeter taking people off the dribble). Thats important because Jordan absolutely got hammered whenever he went to the hole. He earned all those points. And the refs let a lot of those hard fouls go during that time. Today if a center looks at a guy wrong on the way to the basket the whistle blows.

But I like todays NBA. I think the changes in the game have made it better (they just need to put a stop to calling fouls on the defender when the offensive player runs into them like a fullback). You will not find a greater collection of players today than what's in the NBA.

mopped the floor? I doubt it. Beat them? probably. but I am talking about the entire NBA....you are basing your entire analysis of the league just off the champion bulls. (which is a bit silly).

There were 6 legitimately good teams with at least 4 very good players on them. (Suns, spurs, mavs, heat, pistons and clips.)

during jordan's 2nd 3 championship run there was the Jazz (who the Heat would have crushed) and......

the pacers? sorta. the knicks? eh. the sonics were alright (a 3 player team if there ever was one). The NBA AS A WHOLE was much weaker from 96-2000 than it is now. No comparison to the 80s of course which was the NBA's golden age.

I"m not that impressed with those suns and clip teams - the barkley suns were way better than both - I don't think the NBA was better then but I don't really think it was worse either

I think the league has been weak ever since the last group of expansion teams entered - and the league became all about isolating one guy - they have changed the rules to make it better but the level of depth still sucks

i'm a cleveland fan and they took detroit to seven games and wow besides lebron that team is really pathetic

remember that Suns team was missing its best player. considering that it was pretty damn impressive team. I am just saying I think there are more great players in the league overall now than there was in the late 90s (when the NBA really started to nosedive).

the rules changes are really helping....iso basketball will die out except for at the end of close games where you have to give the ball to your star (I heart Dwayne)

don't make stupid arguments. The world caught up to us. They aren't pushovers anymore.

mj, no contest

Yes the world has caught up to us, but there is no reason we shouldn't win every single basketball competition. Our problem is we take a bunch of individualistic players who want to do nothing more than drive to the lane anytime they have the ball. Don't get me wrong we do need those kind of players, but we have been seriously lacking in the teamplayer/shooter category. We took the first steps by putting Kirk Hinrich and Chris Paul on the team...however we could have benefitted by placing a Michael Redd or a Fred Hoiberg on the team on top of Hinrich and Paul.

Gilbert Arenas

jk, there's no question its Jordan.
Russel and Wilt are both great. Oscar Robertson was a beast, so were Erving, Magic, and Bird but no one was at quite the level MJ was.

The league was at its best in the early 90's when Jordan played. If you don't believe me just watch NBA's greatest games on ESPN Classic and NBA TV, those games are far superior to the game now. I know probably nobody has these channels, I watched them when my family and I rented a cabin in Lake Tahoe with Dish TV. All I did there was either sit in Harvey's playing poker, or watch old NBA games in the cabin.

Mateen Cleaves

false. The league was at its best in the 80's. By far. Without a doubt. No contest. Tons of stars, tons of great great teams. Jordan in his early years....doing the impossible but always falling short to the Pistons or Celtics.

If the league is ever that good again wow. The Celtics, the Lakers and the Pistons were all all-time great teams at different points in that decade. Plus lots of other big name hall of famers (Dr. J, Barkley, Hakeem, Ewing, Bernard King and on and on and on.

Plus I will go to my grave believing that Magic's Showtime Lakers and Bird's Celtics would have crushed any of MJ's championship teams. They were much too well balanced for the two star bulls to handle.


and I do get NBATV and Espn classic. these 80's playoff games are on all the time...watch and enjoy.

Greatest of all-time without question is Michael Jordan. When you define great, you have to factor in the competition as well. Jordan was the best player of his era with other great players like Byrd and Magic and several other Hall of Fame players.

If you were asking who was the most dominant player of all-time, without question it would be Wilt Chamberlain, nobody dominated like he did.

Michael Jordan

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