The 10 most significant players in basketball history

[WillC]

Don't get this confused with 'best players ever' or 'greatest players ever'. These are the most significant players ever; they were remarkable players, they resonate with fans to this day, they are well remembered, and their play resulted in some kind of change to the game that we love. I fully expect this list to go over the heads of the average reader who will no doubt petition for Kobe Bryant and Johnny-come-lately while not understanding what it means to be significant (probably because they won't read this paragraph).

The top 10: (in alphabetical order of surname)

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar - Most points in NBA history
Larry Bird - 3 consecutive MVP awards
Wilt Chamberlain - Most rebounds in NBA history
Julius Erving - 16 time ABA/NBA All-Star
Magic Johnson - Highest APG in NBA history
Michael Jordan - Highest PPG in NBA history
Pete Maravich - Most points in NCAA history
George Mikan - Voted Greatest Player of the First Half Century*
Oscar Robertson - Voted Player of the Century in 2000**
Bill Russell - Most championships in NBA history

*Voted by the Associated Press
**Voted by the National Association of Basketball Coaches

Toughest omissions:

Elgin Baylor - 10 time All-NBA 1st Team
LeBron James - Youngest player in NBA history to score 15,000 points
Shaquille O'Neal - 15-time NBA All-Star

Others gaining strong consideration:

Rick Barry
Kobe Bryant
Bob Cousy
Tim Duncan
Joe Fulks
Kevin Garnett
John Havlicek
Nat Holman
Allen Iverson
Hank Luisetti
Karl Malone
Moses Malone
Yao Ming
Earl Monroe
Dirk Nowitzki
Hakeem Olajuwon
Bob Pettit
Dolph Schayes
John Stockton
Goose Tatum
Bill Walton
Jerry West

[guy]

Most popular ever would probably go:

Jordan
Magic
Bird
Dr. J
Wilt
Russell
Shaq
AI
Kobe
Lebron

Something along those lines.

[DuMa]

Shaq has to be in there. he changed so many rules with his physicality and dominance.

[atljonesbro]

Don't get this confused with 'best players ever' or 'greatest players ever'. These are the most significant players ever; they were remarkable players, they resonate with fans to this day, they are well remembered, and their play resulted in some kind of change to the game that we love. I fully expect this list to go over the heads of the average reader who will no doubt petition for Kobe Bryant and Johnny-come-lately while not understanding what it means to be significant (probably because they won't read this paragraph).

The top 10: (in alphabetical order of surname)

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar - Most points in NBA history
Larry Bird - 3 consecutive MVP awards
Wilt Chamberlain - Most rebounds in NBA history
Julius Erving - 16 time ABA/NBA All-Star
Magic Johnson - Highest APG in NBA history
Michael Jordan - Highest PPG in NBA history
Pete Maravich - Most points in NCAA history
George Mikan - Voted Greatest Player of the First Half Century*
Oscar Robertson - Voted Player of the Century in 2000**
Bill Russell - Most championships in NBA history

*Voted by the Associated Press
**Voted by the National Association of Basketball Coaches

Toughest omissions:

Elgin Baylor - 10 time All-NBA 1st Team
LeBron James - Youngest player in NBA history to score 15,000 points
Shaquille O'Neal - 15-time NBA All-Star

Others gaining strong consideration:

Rick Barry
Kobe Bryant
Bob Cousy
Tim Duncan
Joe Fulks
Kevin Garnett
John Havlicek
Nat Holman
Allen Iverson
Hank Luisetti
Karl Malone
Moses Malone
Yao Ming
Earl Monroe
Dirk Nowitzki
Hakeem Olajuwon
Bob Pettit
Dolph Schayes
John Stockton
Goose Tatum
Bill Walton
Jerry West

Kobe, Iverson, Shaq, and Lebron should def be in the top 10.

[Remix]

Don't get this confused with 'best players ever' or 'greatest players ever'. These are the most significant players ever; they were remarkable players, they resonate with fans to this day, they are well remembered, and their play resulted in some kind of change to the game that we love. I fully expect this list to go over the heads of the average reader who will no doubt petition for Kobe Bryant and Johnny-come-lately while not understanding what it means to be significant (probably because they won't read this paragraph).

The top 10: (in alphabetical order of surname)

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar - Most points in NBA history
Larry Bird - 3 consecutive MVP awards
Wilt Chamberlain - Most rebounds in NBA history
Julius Erving - 16 time ABA/NBA All-Star
Magic Johnson - Highest APG in NBA history
Michael Jordan - Highest PPG in NBA history
Pete Maravich - Most points in NCAA history
George Mikan - Voted Greatest Player of the First Half Century*
Oscar Robertson - Voted Player of the Century in 2000**
Bill Russell - Most championships in NBA history

*Voted by the Associated Press
**Voted by the National Association of Basketball Coaches

Toughest omissions:

Elgin Baylor - 10 time All-NBA 1st Team
LeBron James - Youngest player in NBA history to score 15,000 points
Shaquille O'Neal - 15-time NBA All-Star

Others gaining strong consideration:

Rick Barry
Kobe Bryant
Bob Cousy
Tim Duncan
Joe Fulks
Kevin Garnett
John Havlicek
Nat Holman
Allen Iverson
Hank Luisetti
Karl Malone
Moses Malone
Yao Ming
Earl Monroe
Dirk Nowitzki
Hakeem Olajuwon
Bob Pettit
Dolph Schayes
John Stockton
Goose Tatum
Bill Walton
Jerry West

Jerry West needs to be top 10.

[WillC]

Kobe, Iverson, Shaq, and Lebron should def be in the top 10.

Who would you take out?

[LJJ]

Maravich. LOL


NCAA is meaningless, low level competition. Nobody cares. (put in Shaq)

[QuebecBaller]

Jordan
Bird/Magic
Iverson
Shaq

[Vienceslav]

LeBron James - Youngest player in NBA history to score 15,000 points
That

[nbarumorz]

Abdul-Jabbar
Bird
Jordan
Chamberlain
Erving
Russell
Magic
Shaq
Kobe
Lebron

[WillC]

Maravich. LOL


NCAA is meaningless, low level competition. Nobody cares. (put in Shaq)

I think you've overlooked his impact on the game and his popularity back in the day.

The man was a God.

[Metroid]

Most popular ever would probably go:

Jordan
Magic
Bird
Dr. J
Wilt
Russell
Shaq
AI
Kobe
Lebron

Something along those lines.

Just off the top of my head I would take out AI and replace him with Barkley. He was much better known through the country by people who didn't even know anything about Basketball.

Would also have to take somebody else and put in Jabbar. Just don't know who.

The whole rape thing made Kobe very famous with non basketball watching people. It's a negative, but it made him better known, so I guess despite the reason being something negative, I guess he stays. Don't know if many people know Russel who don't care about basketball, or even kids. So is either him or Lebron that I would take out. Lebron because he's been in the public eye a lot less years.

[BuffaloBill]

Kobe

[General]

Pete Maravich and George Mikan don't resonate with fans today:roll:

Replace them with Kobe.

[Remix]

Is being the logo of the NBA not sigificant enough to be top 10?

[WillC]

Pete Maravich and George Mikan don't resonate with fans today:roll:

Replace them with Kobe.

They resonate with fans who aren't 13 years old.

[SuperPippen]

Pete Maravich and George Mikan don't resonate with fans today:roll:

Replace them with Kobe.

Doesn't mean they weren't important.

Still, I would replace Maravich with West. West as the Logo, and until Bird showed up, the GOAT white player.

[swag2011]

Toughest omissions:

Elgin Baylor - 10 time All-NBA 1st Team
LeBron James - Youngest player in NBA history to score 15,000 points
Shaquille O'Neal - 15-time NBA All-Star




LOL. If those are reasons then why exactly is Kobe not up there? Youngest all star Starter in HISTORY. 14 time all star. Started every single one. 4 time all star game MVP. 97 Slam Dunk Competition winner. And i believe before Lebron, Kobe was the fastest to 15,000 right? Even if not, all his scoring feats, (81 point game, 62 in 3 quarters, numerous 40/50 point streaks) should put him on this toughest omission list lol.

Not saying he deserves to be top 10, but if for Baylor, James and O'Neal are tough to omit for your reasons above, then Kobe def has to be up there.

[WillC]

Doesn't mean they weren't important.

Still, I would replace Maravich with West. West as the Logo, and until Bird showed up, the GOAT white player.

It's a tough call between West and Maravich.

In West's favour:
- Better NBA career
- NBA logo

In Maravich's favour:
- Better NCAA career
- Arguably captured public's imagination more than West did
- Changed the game with his showmanship

[LJJ]

It's a tough call between West and Maravich.

In West's favour:
- Better NBA career
- NBA logo

In Maravich's favour:
- Better NCAA career
- Arguably captured public's imagination more than West did
- Changed the game with his showmanship

NCAA is just not significant though. Incredibly low level, amateur competition. NCAA is nothing compared to NBA.


Changed the game with his showmanship is rich too. Guys like Cousy did it all decades before.

[pauk]

Lebron has actually a couple of tough omissions or VERY significant stuff in his resume...

Lebron James - Toughest Omissions

-Youngest to every thousand point milestone from 1,000 points through 19,000 points.
(this will be extremly hard to beat)

-1st SG/SF/PF to average over 8.0 APG in NBA history and has also the highest assist average in NBA history from a SF (and any non-PG) in NBA history at 8.6 (8.57) APG.
(this i think will be impossible to beat unless we see the next better version of Magic/Lebron in the future playing SG/SF or PF)

-Only player in NBA history to average at least 27.6 points, 7.2 rebounds and 6.9 assists for their career (or hell even the only one with at least 26-6-6)
(this i think will be somewhat impossible to beat aswell)

-Most consecutive points in NBA playoff history scored for a team in a playoff game with 25 straight points at the Detroit Pistons on May 31, 2007
(this will be extremly hard to beat)

-Youngest To score 2,000 points in a season.
(this will be extremly hard to beat)

-Youngest in NBA history to be selected #1 on the Draft (18).
(this will be extremly hard to beat)

-Youngest in NBA history to be named rookie of the year (18).
(this will be extremly hard to beat)

-Youngest in NBA history to record a triple double.
(this will be somewhat hard to beat aswell)

-Youngest in NBA history to average at least 30 points per game in the NBA.
(this will be extremly hard to beat)

-Youngest in NBA history to be awarded 1st All-NBA honors.
(this will be extremly hard to beat)

-Has the most Player of the Month awards in NBA history (20).
(this will IMPOSSIBLE to beat considering he has many more to get)

[Freedom Kid7]

I feel KG should be in the top 10. Was he a top 10 player? No. However, he was the poster boy for picks straight out of high school and was the first one for twenty years. After him, you had a bunch of guys come out of highschool (Kobe, Lebron, Bynum, TMac, etc.). It may be impossible to go from prep to pro straight now, but KG kickstarted the prep-to-pro movement and it was important.

[pauk]

One more signicant thing for Lebron:

-1st player in basketball history to have his highschool games nationally televised and on pay-per-view...

[WillC]

NCAA is just not significant though. Incredibly low level, amateur competition. NCAA is nothing compared to NBA.


Changed the game with his showmanship is rich too. Guys like Cousy did it all decades before.

The NCAA might not be significant to some people. However, to others, it is more important than the NCAA. Pete Maravich might be the poster child for the NCAA.

You're right, players like Bob Cousy, Bob Davies and, before them, Hank Luisetti all played with a flashy style, e.g. behind-the-back dribbles, no-look passes, fast-breaks, etc.

However, it was Maravich who truly mastered the art and captured the public's imagination. His dribbling ability had never been seen before. Meanwhile, some of his 'slap' passes haven't been seen since.

[WillC]

pauk, LeBron's achievements are all well and good. However, none of them jump off the page quite like the others in my top 10.

I fully expect LeBron to be in my top 10 by the time he retires. By then, he'll probably have the most points in regular season and playoff history, as well as perhaps the most MVP awards.

Until then, I can't find one single accomplishment that makes me want to put him in the top 10. Like I said though, he's one of my toughest omissions and is a lock for the future.

[BuffaloBill]

Lebron has actually a couple of tough omissions or VERY significant stuff in his resume...

Lebron James - Toughest Omissions

-Youngest to every thousand point milestone from 1,000 points through 19,000 points.
(this will be extremly hard to beat)

-1st SG/SF/PF to average over 8.0 APG in NBA history and has also the highest assist average in NBA history from a SF (and any non-PG) in NBA history at 8.6 (8.57) APG.
(this i think will be impossible to beat unless we see the next better version of Magic/Lebron in the future playing SG/SF or PF)

-Only player in NBA history to average at least 27.6 points, 7.2 rebounds and 6.9 assists for their career (or hell even the only one with at least 26-6-6)
(this i think will be somewhat impossible to beat aswell)

-Most consecutive points in NBA playoff history scored for a team in a playoff game with 25 straight points at the Detroit Pistons on May 31, 2007
(this will be extremly hard to beat)

-Youngest To score 2,000 points in a season.
(this will be extremly hard to beat)

-Youngest in NBA history to be selected #1 on the Draft (18).
(this will be extremly hard to beat)

-Youngest in NBA history to be named rookie of the year (18).
(this will be extremly hard to beat)

-Youngest in NBA history to record a triple double.
(this will be somewhat hard to beat aswell)

-Youngest in NBA history to average at least 30 points per game in the NBA.
(this will be extremly hard to beat)

-Youngest in NBA history to be awarded 1st All-NBA honors.
(this will be extremly hard to beat)

-Has the most Player of the Month awards in NBA history (20).
(this will IMPOSSIBLE to beat considering he has many more to get)









http://coedmagazine.files.wordpress.com/2010/09/katy-perry-4.gif

[LJJ]

However, it was Maravich who truly mastered the art and captured the public's imagination. His dribbling ability had never been seen before. Meanwhile, some of his 'slap' passes haven't been seen since.

I'd say Cousy mastered it in his day to a level far beyond Maravich. Cousy played flashy on the road to a dynasty. He was an MVP. He was revolutionary to a much greater extent than Maravich. Cousy is one of the founding fathers of the modern point guard position. Maravich's style we only see in bit players like Jason Williams.

Maravich was more of a perversion of Cousy's style. Flash at the expense of function in many cases. Lots of turnovers sacrificed for that one highlight reel. Lost of wins sacrificed for that one highlight reel.



It's fine if you want to place Maravich in your personal "significance" top ten strictly based on popularity and personal statistics in a low level amateur competition, but don't try and make up other reasons along the way. It's not fair to the true innovators of the game.

[pauk]

One more thing for MJ which i think is ridicilously significant:

-Highest career PER average in NBA season & playoff history...

[pauk]

http://coedmagazine.files.wordpress.com/2010/09/katy-perry-4.gif

http://i.pinger.pl/pgr484/28a1d2ad0013ef634e29d881/ken-jeong.gif

[WillC]

I'd say Cousy mastered it in his day to a level far beyond Maravich. Cousy played flashy on the road to a dynasty.

Maravich was more of a perversion of Cousy's style. Flash at the expense of function in many cases. Lots of turnovers sacrificed for that one highlight reel. Lost of wins sacrificed for that one highlight reel.

Fair points, for sure.

Then again, Cousy didn't average 40+ ppg in college or experience quite the same hero-worship that Maravich did.

Cousy should probably be on my 'toughest omissions' list by the way. I certainly considered him for the top 10 just as much as I did LeBron, Baylor and Shaq.

[WillC]

One more thing for MJ which i think is ridicilously significant:

-Highest career PER average in NBA season & playoff history...

Good point, although PER is a bit flawed.

Interestingly, Wilt has the highest single-season PER (31.8). Both Jordan and LeBron's best seasons, respectively, were just 0.1 off Wilt's record.

[lilblingy]

AI should definitely be in that list somewhere in the top 10 idc who you have to cut out.

[KyrieTheFuture]

Yao Ming not being on there is a joke.

[lilblingy]

Yao Ming not being on there is a joke.

This as well.

[pauk]

Good point, although PER is a bit flawed.

Interestingly, Wilt has the highest single-season PER (31.8). Both Jordan and LeBron's best seasons, respectively, were just 0.1 off Wilt's record.

Its just a rating of a player stats and it doesnt lie imo if you check those players stats... check Jordans stats and consider the more modern era he played in with much less pace, possessions compared to the 60s for example (something which PER takes into account aswell, which also explains why Wilts/Oscars crazy numbers didnt give the highest career PER rating although the non recording of blocks/steals had something to do with that to, so it might be flawed that way anyways as im sure Wilt non-officially averaged probably more than 2 bpg-2 spg, god knows)...

[WillC]

Yao Ming not being on there is a joke.

You make a convincing argument.

...oh wait, no, you didn't make any argument at all.

Constructive.

[WillC]

Stats dont lie, check Jordans stats and consider the more modern era he played in with much less pace, possessions compared to the 60s for example (something which PER takes into account aswell, which also explains why Wilts/Oscars crazy numbers didnt give the highest PER rating although the non recording of blocks/steals had something to do with that to)...

I quite like PER... but it generally favours the big men at the expense of guards.

(Obviously that adds further weight to your Jordan PER argument, but it was never up for debate that Jordan belongs in the top 10 most significant players list)

[Pointguard]

Pretty much in this order for me.

Bird and Magic - for the rebirth and de-center-rising of the game. The league went perimeter with them. Brought the mental aspect of game to life. Their Yin Yang affect and fan appeal was incredible. All the while being great winners.

Chamberlain - because of his influence in the post as being a position of dominance. First one to play the game above the rim. Transfixed us with incredible and unreachable feats. Was literally the first Giant of the game, in terms of effect, and pivotal to it being a national success. Was part of the initial thrust that made it a big time sport. Showed the value of having an all around game, skills, fundamentals and tenacity. Demonstrated great effort and hustle and provided most of the games great cornerstones.

Jordan - for his international flavor, flair and flamboyance. Took style and content to the highest level. Had great traits that would shine in any sport. Took basketball beyond the court and into every corner of the world. People identified with his winning hunger and winning ways. Had storybook wins.

Russell for setting the example that the game can be won consistently.

Cousey - for his impact on the flair and skill of the game.

Earl Monroe - Made moves with a madness that caught on like fire.

Dr J - brought the aesthetics of the game to a new level. Made people daydream about flying.

Meadowlark Lemmon/Goose Tatum - Great as the introduction to the game and made it very approachable and fun. Excited the imagination of millions of kids around the world.

AI - The relentless abandon of the little man. Made little... Big! and brought to life all the axioms: "the measure of a man is what's in the heart." Kind of like the Wizard of Oz or David and Goliath in that proportions are not always seen.


Mikan

[WillC]

I've got Goose Tatum in my honorable mention list but meant to include Meadowlark Lemon too. Good call.

[Freedom Kid7]

You make a convincing argument.

...oh wait, no, you didn't make any argument at all.

Constructive.
Yao Ming may not have changed the way the game was played, but he is a huge factor of why the NBA is global. That's pretty significant.

[WillC]

Yao Ming may not have changed the way the game was played, but he is a huge factor of why the NBA is global. That's pretty significant.

For sure. And that's why he was already on my honorable mention list.

But you think he is top 10 most significant of all-time? Maybe. But to say it's a "joke" that he's not in the top 10 is a little OTT.

[Freedom Kid7]

For sure. And that's why he was already on my honorable mention list.

But you think he is top 10 most significant of all-time? Maybe. But to say it's a "joke" that he's not in the top 10 is a little OTT.
I did not say it was a joke, that was KyrieTheFuture.
Also, I think KG is significant for reasons I stated earlier (kickstarting the prep-to-pro movement).

[Kews1]

Surely Allen Iverson belongs on that list

[jlauber]

I've got Goose Tatum in my honorable mention list but meant to include Meadowlark Lemon too. Good call.

I will admit that I know very little about pre-NBA history, and only slightly more about the decade of the 50's.

But these two certainly deserve consideration. I grew up watching Lemon and the Trotters, and I get a kick out of the younger, or more ignorant posters here, who claim that the players of the 60's couldn't dribble. Most of the kids of my generation were doing behind-the-back, between-the-legs dribbling back in the 60's BECAUSE of Lemon (while whistling "Sweet Georgia Brown.")

As for the rest...I don't know if 10 would do the list justice. And many of the truly significant names have already been mentioned.

Mikan
Cousy
Russell
Oscar
Wilt
Lucas
West
Monroe
Hawkins
Maravich
Alcindor
Kareem
Dr. J
Walton
Moses
Magic
Bird
MJ
Shaq
Lebron

The biggest, I suppose, would be Mikan, Russell, Wilt, Oscar, Kareem, Magic, Bird, and MJ.

As for the anti-Pistol comment...he also LED the NBA in scoring, and his 68 point game against Frazier, among other's, is on YouTube. But in any case,
I have long asked this question: Most all of us have played some kind of organized basketball, and at some level, in our lifetimes (I'm not talking about friendly games with the neighborhood kids.) Be truthful, and ask yourself this...how many times have you scored 40 points in an organized league game? I know that I never came close. And yet, Maravich, with opposing players taking the challenge, and entire defenses set up to stop him, AVERAGED 44 ppg in his three-year COLLEGE CAREER. I don't care who you are...that was an amazing accomplishment, and achieved against Division I schools.

And I'll be very honest here, too. There has never been a player SINCE, that could do everything that guy could with a basketball. White Chocolate Williams couldn't hold his jock. Here again, for the uneducated who make fun of Jerry West's perceived lack of a left hand dribble, and dribbling in general, in the decade of the 60's...Maravich was playing college ball IN the 60's. Oh, and as a sidenote, ...for those that rip West (and Oscar), as talented as the Pistol was, West and Oscar were ALWAYS ranked ahead of him when they played together.

I have said it many times, too, but virtually everything you see in today's NBA, has been done before, and probably 50+ years ago, too.

[L.Kizzle]

Elgin Baylor should be on this list in front of The Pistol.

[28renyoy]

Mikan-revolutionized the game
Russell/Wilt-obviously
Jordan-made the league what it is today
Magic-combined with Bird to bring the league back from the dead
Bird-made the game extremely popular with the caucasian population
Kareem-perhaps the greatest impact on the game itself. He literally changed the rules of the game
Yao-brought the game to the biggest nation in the world


After these 7 its pretty much meh

[DatAsh]

Its just a rating of a player stats and it doesnt lie imo if you check those players stats... check Jordans stats and consider the more modern era he played in with much less pace, possessions compared to the 60s for example (something which PER takes into account aswell, which also explains why Wilts/Oscars crazy numbers didnt give the highest career PER rating although the non recording of blocks/steals had something to do with that to, so it might be flawed that way anyways as im sure Wilt non-officially averaged probably more than 2 bpg-2 spg, god knows)...


True, but PER's one major flaw is it's relativity. It's the reason why's Jordan's best statistical years aren't necessarily his highest PER years.

[SevereUpInHere]

Shaq has to be in there. he changed so many rules with his physicality and dominance.


This... After MJ Magic and maybe Bird, he's got to be the most well known NBA player of all time.

[Teanett]

jeremy lin

[KyrieTheFuture]

You make a convincing argument.

...oh wait, no, you didn't make any argument at all.

Constructive.

In terms of changing the game he wasn't very significant I'll give that to you easily but he single handedly brought millions of fans to the NBA and to me that's very very significant. I can't think of anyone else who brought that level of popularity to the world.

[jlauber]

Mikan-revolutionized the game
Russell/Wilt-obviously
Jordan-made the league what it is today
Magic-combined with Bird to bring the league back from the dead
Bird-made the game extremely popular with the caucasian population
Kareem-perhaps the greatest impact on the game itself. He literally changed the rules of the game
Yao-brought the game to the biggest nation in the world


After these 7 its pretty much meh

Actually, aside from the banning of the dunk shot in college for a few years, there were no major rules changes because of Kareem.

Mikan and especially Chamberlain brought about the most rule changes.

[PistolPete44]

****ing Kobe stans....

[StroShow4]

As others have suggested, I think Allen Iverson has to make the list. His influence on the game was crazy.

[WillC]

There are a lot of posts saying that "player X should make the list" but no justification of who you'd take out of the top 10 and why.

[BuffaloBill]

Where would the NBA be without the basketball God himself, GOATbe?



Without Kobe, basketball would be hockey, and everyone here would watch baseball instead.

[ripthekik]

the list is simply incomplete without AI.

A couple of those old names on there.. people today in the playgrounds would not know. Ask them about AI? Yeah.. their idol growing up.

[no pun intended]

Cousy should be in the Top 5.

[I LUV KOBE]

Where would the NBA be without the basketball God himself, GOATbe?



Without Kobe, basketball would be hockey, and everyone here would watch baseball instead.
this and not even close.. :bowdown:

[Punpun]

It's pretty hilarious how no players post MJ is in there while they are responsible to uphelding the NBA as it extremely high standard. :yaohappy:

[Alan Ogg]

Well...

Russell
Wilt
Kareem
Dr. J.
Bird
Magic
Jordan

for sure.

[Horatio33]

I think the way to look at it is pioneers. Fulks was the first big time scorer, Mikan first great big man, Arzin first great jump shooter, Cousy the first great point guard, Russell first player to use defence to win games, Baylor the first guy to introduce above the rim play, Chamberlain first unstoppable force, Robertson the first great all rounder guard, West the prototype clutch player, Barry the first great passing forward, Kareem with the greatest hook shot, Dr J the man who bought dunking to prominence, Magic the first big point guard, Bird the best all round forward, Jordan being the greatest, Barkley the greatest undersized big man, KG first high schooler.

I'm sure LeBron will make it one day.

[Owl]

Don't get this confused with 'best players ever' or 'greatest players ever'. These are the most significant players ever; they were remarkable players, they resonate with fans to this day, they are well remembered, and their play resulted in some kind of change to the game that we love. I fully expect this list to go over the heads of the average reader who will no doubt petition for Kobe Bryant and Johnny-come-lately while not understanding what it means to be significant (probably because they won't read this paragraph).

The top 10: (in alphabetical order of surname)

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar - Most points in NBA history
Larry Bird - 3 consecutive MVP awards
Wilt Chamberlain - Most rebounds in NBA history
Julius Erving - 16 time ABA/NBA All-Star
Magic Johnson - Highest APG in NBA history
Michael Jordan - Highest PPG in NBA history
Pete Maravich - Most points in NCAA history
George Mikan - Voted Greatest Player of the First Half Century*
Oscar Robertson - Voted Player of the Century in 2000**
Bill Russell - Most championships in NBA history

*Voted by the Associated Press
**Voted by the National Association of Basketball Coaches

Toughest omissions:

Elgin Baylor - 10 time All-NBA 1st Team
LeBron James - Youngest player in NBA history to score 15,000 points
Shaquille O'Neal - 15-time NBA All-Star

Others gaining strong consideration:

Rick Barry
Kobe Bryant
Bob Cousy
Tim Duncan
Joe Fulks
Kevin Garnett
John Havlicek
Nat Holman
Allen Iverson
Hank Luisetti
Karl Malone
Moses Malone
Yao Ming
Earl Monroe
Dirk Nowitzki
Hakeem Olajuwon
Bob Pettit
Dolph Schayes
John Stockton
Goose Tatum
Bill Walton
Jerry West
I would have Bob Davies and Marques Haynes at least on the consideration list.

But I can't really argue with the top 10.
Semi-Arguable would be
Cousy vs Maravich: Cousy came first and played on a winner. But I'd go with Maravich because he is so often cited by ballhandlers from 80s on as an influence (e.g. Isiah, Magic). I probably wouldn't justify his inclusion on LSU though, that college career simultaneously built his legendary status and, to my mind, damaged Pete and Press in the long term.

Baylor vs Erving: Baylor came first with the aerobatics, and was probably a better player, Erving might have had more impact because his stuffs were captured on video. I'd want to say Baylor because I think he was probably better, but again video (clips) of early, mainly ABA Erving is/was more available and more spectacular. The case for Baylor would be that perhaps without Baylor, Erving wouldn't have been what he was.

Shaq was uber-dominant at his apex but maybe not influential so I can understand him not being in the top 10, for LeBron it's too early to judge historical significance and influence but a player of his calibre would, I think, be likely to land in the top 10.

[OldSchoolBBall]

Chronological order it has to be these guys:

Mikan
Russell
Wilt
KAJ
Dr. J
Magic
Bird
Jordan
Shaq
Lebron