What Players Do you Consider "Truly Great"?

[RRR3]

Everyone probably has their own definition of this, just curious what you guys think. List current and/or past players.

[jzek]

Jordan

6 out of 6 in the Finals
6 FMVPs out of 6 Finals appearances
5 MVPs

No one else can say they were undefeated in the Finals ***and*** FMVP everytime.

[STATUTORY]

for me the criteria starts with the inner make up of a player. you cannot be great without a true competitive fire and mentality no matter what your statistical output is.

Therefore certain players are missing from my great list

[Dagouch]

Short list for now.

Jordan
Russell
Wilt
Kareem
Magic
Bird

[Psycho]

To me, it's how much you value life and camaraderie on the court, no matter how stressful a game may be. Because love always prevails, and friends are always winners in the end.

1 Lebron
2 Wade
3 Bosh
4 Yi Jianlian

[HeatFanSince88]

60s: Wilt/Russell
70s: Kareem/Moses
80s: Larry/Magic
90s: Jordan/Hakeem
00s: Shaq/Duncan/Dirk
10s: LeBron and its too early to say anyone else. Durant has the potential, but hes too early in his career.

[BuffaloBill]

Joakim Noah

[Nash]

I don't know anything from old times but from the ones I've seen, the truly greats are Lebron, Kobe, Shaq and Duncan.

[BankShot]

Too many truly great players in the past so I'll stick to those currently playing:

Duncan
Kobe
Lebron

.... also honorable mention to CP3 but probably only because i'm a big fan

[dh144498]

players that define an era.
basically this (what HeatFanSince88(lol*)) said:

60s: Wilt/Russell
70s: Kareem/Moses
80s: Larry/Magic
90s: Jordan/Hakeem
00s: Kobe/Shaq/Duncan/
10s: LeBron for now.

[K Xerxes]

I'd split it up into eras.

1960: Russell, Wilt, West, Oscar, Baylor

1970: Kareem, Erving (+ Bill Walton peak)

1980: Magic, Bird, M Malone, Isiah

1990: Jordan, Hakeem, Barkley, K Malone, Stockton, Pippen

2000: Duncan, Kobe, Shaq, Garnett

2010: LeBron... (Durant pending + any others in the future)

Obivously some eras overlap, but I listed who I thought was *truly great*. Might have missed out some names

[FiveRings]

I don't know anything from old times but from the ones I've seen, the truly greats are Lebron, Kobe, Shaq and Duncan.
That's pretty much my list of current players as well, though I'd add Garnett, Dirk, Wade, and at some point likely Durant to that list.

[TheMarkMadsen]

From 2000 on I'd say Kobe, Lebron, Shaq & Duncan

[ProfessorMurder]

Short list for now.

Jordan
Russell
Wilt
Kareem
Magic
Bird

+ Duncan.

[Element]

Great = Good relative to other stars on a consistent basis.

The greatest players are those that represent their genration. It's the consistently elite play that seperates them. From the players I've watched:

- AI
- Kobe
- Shaq
- Duncan
- LeBron
- Wade
- KG
- Dirk
- Nash
- Kidd

Great players of today:

- Bron
- Durant
- Kobe
- Paul
- Melo
- Duncan

[FiveRings]

Great = Good relative to other stars on a consistent basis.

The greatest players are those that represent their genration. It's the consistently elite play that seperates them. From the players I've watched:

- AI
- Kobe
- Shaq
- Duncan
- LeBron
- Wade
- KG
- Dirk
- Nash
- Kidd

Great players of today:

- Bron
- Durant
- Kobe
- Paul
- Melo- Duncan
:roll: :roll:

The thread is asking who's "truly great". Most people are not even putting top 30 players like Dirk and Wade, yet Melo is an all time great when he's somewhere around top 75 all time? :wtf:

[Jailblazers7]

players that define an era.
basically this (what HeatFanSince88(lol*)) said:

60s: Wilt/Russell
70s: Kareem/Moses
80s: Larry/Magic
90s: Jordan/Hakeem
00s: Kobe/Shaq/Duncan/
10s: LeBron for now.

I think this is pretty accurate but Dr. J deserves to be considered a truly great player who defined the 70s.

[WayOfWade]

Legendary Greats consist of:
Russel
Chamberlain
J. West
Kareem
Dr. J
Magic
Bird
I. Thomas
Hakeem
MJ
Shaq
Duncan
Kobe
Bron and KD have chances of becoming Legends, Bron having the much better chance. I really want to say D-Wade (because he's my favorite player), and he has had some Legendary performances, but playing in another players shadow, while admirable, will not get you Legend status. i.e. Pippen

[EnoughSaid]

Since I've been watching basketball? Wade/LeBron/Kobe/Dirk/Durant

I started in 2008 sooo yeah.

[OldSkoolball#52]

It's funny how people consider Kobe "truly great" simply based on how many title teams he was a part of, but they don't include guys like Fisher and Horry.

All Kobe did was volume shoot, sometimes to the DETRIMENT of his team. It's a fact that his team was more successful when they managed to prevent him from shooting 20 times or more, even though he often tried to anyway despite that stat. The thing "he did" for his title teams was basically unnecessary and prevented his stacked teams from winning bigger and more consistently.

He did nothing else at a noteworthy level.

And he is "truly great"???


Truly great marketing by the league to a bunch of simple minded suckers.

[tpols]

What I've seen Kobe, Shaq, Duncan, Lebron

With HMs to

Kidd
Garnett
Wade
Dirk
Nash
AI
Pierce

[red1]

It's funny how people consider Kobe "truly great" simply based on how many title teams he was a part of, but they don't include guys like Fisher and Horry.

All Kobe did was volume shoot, sometimes to the DETRIMENT of his team. It's a fact that his team was more successful when they managed to prevent him from shooting 20 times or more, even though he often tried to anyway despite that stat. The thing "he did" for his title teams was basically unnecessary and prevented his stacked teams from winning bigger and more consistently.

He did nothing else at a noteworthy level.

And he is "truly great"???


Truly great marketing by the league to a bunch of simple minded suckers.
I think kobe is overrated as well but I wouldnt doubt for a second that he is truly great. Kobe's teams were stacked in large part because he was on them, not the other way around

[miles berg]

What I've seen Kobe, Shaq, Duncan, Lebron

With HMs to

Kidd
Garnett
Wade
Dirk
Nash
AI
Pierce

Dirk & KG belong in that top tier. They are clearly above the one's you put them with.

[OldSkoolball#52]

I think kobe is overrated as well but I wouldnt doubt for a second that he is truly great. Kobe's teams were stacked in large part because he was on them, not the other way around

But what was "truly great" about him, specifically speaking? It definitely wasn't his defense. His rebounding was solid, decent, acceptable. Not "great". He was capable of being a good passer but chose to do it waaaay to infrequently to remotely be considered "great" in that regard. Jason Kidd, Lebron, Marc Gasol are examples of great passers at different positions. Kobe was never, ever anywhere near a list like that.

He took a bunch of shots. And that's it. WITHOUT the type of efficiency someone like Dirk or Durant shot. He alienated teammates, and coaches. His teams had the same winning % with or without him. And again, he often shot his team straight OUT of games they might have won if he weren't so selfish. He was purely a me-first player who wanted his own stats even if it meant at the expense of the team.

The guy basically hogged the ball and all the attention, and when his TEAM was successful - usually by exploiting advantages in the post - he hogged the glory for it too.

He's no more great than Iverson or Carmelo, statistically speaking, or just going by their games. You look at guys who dominated in multiple phases, played the right way, and consistently elevated their teams rather than alienating and disinteresting them, and to me those are the greats. Guys like Duncan, Lebron, Jordan, Hakeem, etc. are on a tier way above Kobe. If you're really talking about the all-time greats of basketball, sorry, Kobe's just not there.

I just don't personally see what the specific, factual arguments are for Kobe's greatness without invoking empty cliches like "assassin, killer instinct, warrior, "rings!", and so forth. That's just me.

[tikay0]

Do you really need people to list great players? You should be old enough to recognize who they were.

You're gonna get the same list from every poster, minus some trolls.

[Legends66NBA7]

Wouldn't disagree with many of the selections.

Anybody else fee that Dr.J, Rick Barry, and Kobe's careers are somewhat similar in a sense of how they were viewed by their peers/fans in their greatness ?

[Heavincent]

The obvious ones are Jordan, Kareem, Russell, Wilt, Bird, Kobe, Magic, Hakeem, Duncan, Lebron, and Shaq.

[tikay0]

Wouldn't disagree with many of the selections.

Anybody else fee that Dr.J, Rick Barry, and Kobe's careers are somewhat similar in a sense of how they were viewed by their peers/fans in their greatness ?

If you still remember their names, and they're still talked about as legends, they're great. Common sense. Think about how many basketball players are on this planet, and how many players make the NBA, then you count how many players that were true talents, that made a consistent impact, year by year.

Edit: Totally misread your post. My bad. Yes, Kobe, and Dr. J were both respected highly by their peers. Can't say anything about Barry.

[EnoughSaid]

The obvious ones are Jordan, Kareem, Russell, Wilt, Bird, Kobe, Magic, Hakeem, Duncan, Lebron, and Shaq.

And to that you have to add: Oscar, West, Barkley, Dr.J, Baylor, Moses... Wade :D

[red1]

But what was "truly great" about him, specifically speaking? It definitely wasn't his defense. His rebounding was solid, decent, acceptable. Not "great". He was capable of being a good passer but chose to do it waaaay to infrequently to remotely be considered "great" in that regard.

He took a bunch of shots. And that's it. He alienated teammates, and coaches. His teams had the same winning % with or without him. And again, he often shot his team straight OUT of games they might have won if he weren't so selfish. He was purely a me-first player who wanted his own stats even if it meant at the expense of the team.

The guy basically hogged the ball and all the attention, and when his TEAM was successful - usually by exploiting advantages in the post - he hogged the glory for it too.

He's no more great than Iverson or Carmelo, statistically speaking, or just going by their games. You look at guys who dominated in multiple phases, played the right way, and consistently elevated their teams rather than alienating and disinteresting them.

I just don't personally see what the specifical, factual arguments are for Kobe's greatness rather without invoking empty cliches like "assassin, killer instinct, warrior, "rings!", and so forth. That's just me.
Thats the thing though, those cliches arent empty at all. Kobe's passion when it comes to basketball shows in a ton of ways. Playing through injuries, outplaying his competition, outlasting his competition, refining his skills and maximizing his potential, the desire to play a leadership role when the team is under pressure, etc. He may be a selfish player but there is no denying the fact that his presence on the court does open things up for his teammates. Derek fisher made a career off of hitting the clutch shots that kobe and his bigs opened up for him. All of his championship teams had arguably the best frontcourt in the league so there is no doubt that he had a considerable amount of help but he did obviously play a huge role in all of his rings

[jstern]

Players that won and completely dominated the league. Players who were clearly the best. So for me, Jordan, Shaq, Lebron, and Bird.

Edit: Too many posters are mentioning players that were and are great, but not truly great.

[tikay0]

Players that won and completely dominated the league. Players who were clearly the best. So for me, Jordan, Shaq, Lebron, and Bird.

You wouldn't consider Garnett a truly great player? Or Patrick Ewing? Or Charles Barkley? Malone? Stockton?

[I<3NBA]

Not a rapist

[jstern]

You wouldn't consider Garnett a truly great player? Or Patrick Ewing? Or Charles Barkley? Malone? Stockton?

I consider them great, but the OP said truly great. Perhaps that has a different meaning to different people. I figure it should be a really short list of just guys who dominated the whole league.

[tikay0]

I consider them great, but the OP said truly great. Perhaps that has a different meaning to different people. I figure it should be a really short list of just guys who dominated the whole league.

I definitely think Barkley, Malone, Stockton, Ewing, Garnett were truly great players. They just didn't have the best teams.

OK, Malone and Stockton had a very good team, but c'mon, who's beating MJ and Pippen?

[ProfessorMurder]

I consider them great, but the OP said truly great. Perhaps that has a different meaning to different people. I figure it should be a really short list of just guys who dominated the whole league.

LeBron sure has dominated the league with his 1 championship. Look out Bill Russell!

[Heavincent]

And to that you have to add: Oscar, West, Barkley, Dr.J, Baylor, Moses... Wade :D

Don't forget Dirk and KG.

[AT9]

I consider the "truly great" players to be players who will go down as legends.
I'll stick to the era I've been old enough to watch (00 and on):

Duncan and Shaq
Kobe and LeBron

Honorable mentions:

Dirk
KG
Nash
Durant (has the potential and time to move up)
Wade
AI
C-Webb
Chris Paul
Tony Parker

I'm sure I'm overlooking a few honorable mentions...

[DMV2]

From what I've seen...going by seasons and years.

Jordan 1996-98
Shaq 2000-02
Dirk 2011 Playoff run
LeBron 2012 entire year

[deja vu]

Tier 1: Jordan

Tier 2: Kareem, Bird, Magic

Tier 3: Wilt, Hakeem, Russell, Shaq

Tier 4: Duncan, Kobe

[secund2nun]

Lebron
Duncan
Hakeem
Shaq
MJ
KG
Bird
Magic
Kareem
Barkley
Malone
Ewing
Robinson

[305Baller]

Currently playing:
Tim Duncan
LeBron James
Kobe Bryant
Dwyane Wade
Carmelo Anthony
Chris Paul
Steve Nash
Kevin Durant
Jason Kidd
Pau Gasol
Dirk Nowitzki
Ray Allen
Manu Ginobilli
Tony Parker
Paul Pierce
Kevin Garnett
Rajon Rondo
Derrick Rose
Zach Randolph
...

[tpols]

Dirk & KG belong in that top tier. They are clearly above the one's you put them with.
Dirk, Kg, Wade, Kobe, and Duncan are all similar talents to me. Lebron and Shaq due to their physical gifts are on a slightly higher wow scale. Although you could make a weak case Kobe's work ethic, Duncan's selflessness and fundamental winning approach, KG's amazing versatility, and Wade's slashing ability are all just as rare/impressive.

I feel like J-Kidd gets underrated as an athlete on here too. Guy could fly and was strongest PG in the league with the most amazing feel for the game as far as anticipation knowing what was going on.

[SamuraiSWISH]

I'd split it up into eras.

1960: Russell, Wilt, West, Oscar, Baylor

1970: Kareem, Erving (+ Bill Walton peak)

1980: Magic, Bird, M Malone, Isiah

1990: Jordan, Hakeem, Barkley, K Malone, Stockton, Pippen

2000: Duncan, Kobe, Shaq, Garnett

2010: LeBron... (Durant pending + any others in the future)

Obivously some eras overlap, but I listed who I thought was *truly great*. Might have missed out some names
You mention Stockton and Pippen ... but not Wade?

:biggums:

Agenda exposed.

[tikay0]

Currently playing:
Tim Duncan
LeBron James
Kobe Bryant
Dwyane Wade
Carmelo Anthony
Chris Paul
Steve Nash
Kevin Durant
Jason Kidd
Pau Gasol
Dirk Nowitzki
Ray Allen
Manu Ginobilli
Tony Parker
Paul Pierce
Kevin Garnett
Rajon Rondo
Derrick Rose
Zach Randolph
...

T-Mac/Grant Hill :confusedshrug:

[tpols]

T-Mac :confusedshrug:
You should be asking why Zach Randolph is on anybody's all time great list.:oldlol: Whats next? Vlade Divac? Jamal Mashburn?

[305Baller]

T-Mac/Grant Hill :confusedshrug:

oh my bad are they still playing?

[tikay0]

oh my bad are they still playing?

T-Mac on Spurs. Hill on Suns.

[305Baller]

You should be asking why Zach Randolph is on anybody's all time great list.:oldlol: Whats next? Vlade Divac? Jamal Mashburn?

I think Randolph is a truly great current player.

As was Divac in his day... Mashburn, not so much. Injuries limited his prime.


edit. ok maybe not Divac...

good, good player though.

[SamuraiSWISH]

True Greatness? Multiple time MVP winners

[tikay0]

You should be asking why Zach Randolph is on anybody's all time great list.:oldlol: Whats next? Vlade Divac? Jamal Mashburn?

I noticed that, but decided to cut him some slack. Was a pretty good list.

[tpols]

True Greatness? Multiple time MVP winners
Guess Shaq wasnt truly great then..

[SamuraiSWISH]

Guess Shaq wasnt truly great then..
He had that 2000 season.

Then some of his shine taken away the next two seasons by playing alongside a historically great 2nd option on his team, putting up comparable 1st option numbers.

But one could argue he probably should've been MVP in 2001 or 2002. So Shaq might be the one exception to the rule. Possibly Hakeem as well, even though his rings come with a slight asterisk due to MJ being retired.

[tpols]

He had that 2000 season.

Then some of his shine taken away the next two seasons by playing alongside a historically great 2nd option on his team, putting up comparable 1st option numbers.
Which is why MVPs shouldnt determine it really.. theyre always looking for a stroyline now. They dont just give it to the best everytime.

Case in point.. Shaq>Iverson, Bron>Rose, Kobe>Nash, etc.

[tikay0]

He had that 2000 season.

Then some of his shine taken away the next two seasons by playing alongside a historically great 2nd option on his team, putting up comparable 1st option numbers.

But one could argue he probably should've been MVP in 2001 or 2002. So Shaq might be the one exception to the rule. Possibly Hakeem as well, even though his rings come with a slight asterisk due to MJ being retired.

C'mon man. Shaq and Hakeem are clearly "truly great" players. There's no argument for them not being so.

[SamuraiSWISH]

C'mon man. Shaq and Hakeem are clearly "truly great" players. There's no argument for them not being so.
I don't think those guys aren't great players.

[Big_Dogg]

One word..........

MAGIC!!

[HeatFanSince88]

I think kobe is overrated as well but I wouldnt doubt for a second that he is truly great. Kobe's teams were stacked in large part because he was on them, not the other way around

That works for guys like LeBron, but not with Kobe.

Even when LeBron had that 17 win scrub Cavs team he was good enough where people had them as the favorite in the conference. Now that hes on the Heat(a team with a cast) their by far the best team in the league

When it was just Kobe, Odom(whos better than anyone LeBron had on cleveland), and those guys they couldn't even win a single playoff series. LA won zero playoff zeries without a hall of fame big in their prime on top of Kobe.

[ripthekik]

for me the criteria starts with the inner make up of a player. you cannot be great without a true competitive fire and mentality no matter what your statistical output is.

Therefore certain players are missing from my great list
This.
Some players just clearly lack competitiveness like Jordan/Kobe has, they prefer to stacked up their chances beyond reasonable just to win. And they'll believe they won legitly. It's like College D1 players teaming up and beating HS players and celebrating, No shame.

[bdreason]

In chronological order (I think).


Russell
Wilt
Kareem
Magic
Bird
MJ
Hakeem
Shaq
Duncan

[SpurrDurr]

Duncan cause first of all hes an exquisite human being, promised his dying mother to finish college and he kept his word delaying his NBA career a couple years.
Always been a low profile player and a good family man.

[kennethgriffin]

anyone with atleast one of championship/finals mvp/season mvp

with russell being the only exception due to the finals mvp award not being around back then


so basically


- russell
- kareem
- wilt
- magic
- bird
- kobe
- shaq
- duncan
- hakeem
- lebron
- moses


those are the only truly great players in nba history

everyone else is missing a huge piece of the puzzle

[K Xerxes]

You mention Stockton and Pippen ... but not Wade?

:biggums:

Agenda exposed.

My bad, I missed his name out. He's borderline 'truly great', but, yeah, he falls into the mix. Along with Dirk.

[Unbiased_one]

Great = Good relative to other stars on a consistent basis.

The greatest players are those that represent their genration. It's the consistently elite play that seperates them. From the players I've watched:

- AI
- Kobe
- Shaq
- Duncan
- LeBron
- Wade
- KG
- Dirk
- Nash
- Kidd

Great players of today:

- Bron
- Durant
- Kobe
- Paul
- Melo
- Duncan

melo :lol

[Element]

I'm not saying Melo is an all time great

He's a great player in today's league. He hasn't played at that level for a lot of seasons tho which is why I excluded him from the first list (like Durant, CP3).

[Unbiased_one]

I'm not saying Melo is an all time great

He's a great player in today's league. He hasn't played at that level for a lot of seasons tho which is why I excluded him from the first list (like Durant, CP3).

Melo has never even made an all-nba first team...I guess it depends what your definition of great is.

of players I've watched, the ones who I regard as 'truly great' are magic, bird, mj, shaq and Duncan. I caught the back end of kareem's career too but I didn't see the great part. Lebron is getting there.

[Kews1]

Jordan
Magic
Bird
Russell
Wilt

[Doctor Rivers]

But what was "truly great" about him, specifically speaking? It definitely wasn't his defense. His rebounding was solid, decent, acceptable. Not "great". He was capable of being a good passer but chose to do it waaaay to infrequently to remotely be considered "great" in that regard. Jason Kidd, Lebron, Marc Gasol are examples of great passers at different positions. Kobe was never, ever anywhere near a list like that.

He took a bunch of shots. And that's it. WITHOUT the type of efficiency someone like Dirk or Durant shot. He alienated teammates, and coaches. His teams had the same winning % with or without him. And again, he often shot his team straight OUT of games they might have won if he weren't so selfish. He was purely a me-first player who wanted his own stats even if it meant at the expense of the team.

The guy basically hogged the ball and all the attention, and when his TEAM was successful - usually by exploiting advantages in the post - he hogged the glory for it too.

He's no more great than Iverson or Carmelo, statistically speaking, or just going by their games. You look at guys who dominated in multiple phases, played the right way, and consistently elevated their teams rather than alienating and disinteresting them, and to me those are the greats. Guys like Duncan, Lebron, Jordan, Hakeem, etc. are on a tier way above Kobe. If you're really talking about the all-time greats of basketball, sorry, Kobe's just not there.

I just don't personally see what the specific, factual arguments are for Kobe's greatness without invoking empty cliches like "assassin, killer instinct, warrior, "rings!", and so forth. That's just me.

damn son give it up sheesh

[Unbiased_one]

damn son give it up sheesh

I've watched the nba for nearly 30 years, and over that time there have been 5 players who clearly played the game on a different level to kobe: bird, magic, mj, shaq and Duncan. Hakeem was also certainly a better player, and probably greater too.

I wouldn't really say LeBron is in the conversation right now but I wouldn't be surprised if he was clearly greater than kobe too by the end of his career. IMHO if allen Iverson and kobe had been swapped for the threepeat teams the lakers would still pretty easily have won those three titles (and maybe more...maybe Iverson doesn't have those issues with shaq...). Iverson and Kobe were very similar at their respective peaks.

[KOBE143]

The four possible GOAT candidate AKA the Big 4..

MJ
KAJ
Kobe
Magic

:bowdown:

[Unbiased_one]

The four possible GOAT candidate AKA the Big 4..

MJ
KAJ
Kobe
Magic

:bowdown:

give me one reason why kobe should be above shaq (apart from 5>4 or some shit like that)

[KOBE143]

give me one reason why kobe should be above shaq (apart from 5>4 or some shit like that)
Kobe GOAT Lakers :bowdown:
Shaq GOAT nothing

:confusedshrug:

[Unbiased_one]

Kobe GOAT Lakers :bowdown:
Shaq GOAT nothing

:confusedshrug:

Shaq had the most dominant peak of any player in the last 30 years (yes including Jordan).

Kobe has never even been the clear cut best player in the NBA.

[trabash]

Jordan, Shaq and Lebron - only these 3, as I can only name players that I've witnessed myself since actively following the NBA.

[Unbiased_one]

Jordan, Shaq and Lebron - only these 3, as I can only name players that I've witnessed myself since actively following the NBA.

You have LeBron over Duncan? Even at this stage of his career? :confusedshrug:

[KOBE143]

Shaq had the most dominant peak of any player in the last 30 years (yes including Jordan).

Kobe has never even been the clear cut best player in the NBA.
Who cares? Shaq peak only last for 3 years.. Kobe peak of dominance last for eternity.. How Great is Our Gawdbe :bowdown:

[Booz Vivic]

Short list for now.

Jordan
Russell
Wilt
Kareem
Magic
Bird

:biggums:
him being white doesnt mean heas GOAT

[Jailblazers7]

If Dr J played his whole career in the NBA, then he would be on everyones list. He still should be but everyone kind of ignores his ABA years.

[Unbiased_one]

Who cares? Shaq peak only last for 3 years.. Kobe peak of dominance last for eternity.. How Great is Our Gawdbe :bowdown:

'Dominant' is not a word I would ever associate with kobe. Shaq was the best player in the nba from 99-04 (most of it by a huge margin). He's also high up on most of the all-time cumulative lists so he wasn't just a flash in the pan.

[fpliii]

If Dr J played his whole career in the NBA, then he would be on everyones list. He still should be but everyone kind of ignores his ABA years.

:applause:

[Unbiased_one]

If Dr J played his whole career in the NBA, then he would be on everyones list. He still should be but everyone kind of ignores his ABA years.

I only saw 2 games he played in and they were right at the end of his career so he doesn't make my list. Similar thing for kareem.

[chazzy]

Shaq was the best player in the nba from 99-04 (most of it by a huge margin).
Duncan and KG would like a word with you

[Unbiased_one]

Duncan and KG would like a word with you

I think Duncan was certainly arguable in 02-03 (he had a great season) but if I had to draft a team to play that season (even in light of what happened) I'm taking shaq first.

[LAZERUSS]

What is the definition of "truly great?"

You could make a strong case that Chamberlain was the best player the entire decade of the 60's. Not only that, but he wiped the floor in h2h play against his best peers in that time frame...including the post-season.

In the early 70's, Kareem was the best player inthe league (albeit, he declined in the post-season in a couple of those seasons.)

In the mid-70's, and from '74 thru '76, McAdoo was the most dominant player in the game (sorry Kareem.) He won one MVP, and clearly should have won another in '76. And he was just as dominant in the post-season, too.

From the '78-79 season thru the '82-83 season, Moses was clearly the best player in the game (and he just crushed Kareem h2h in those seasons, as well.)

And for nearly the entire decade of the 90's (and not including '94 and '95), Jordan was head-and-shoulders above the league.

And from 98-99 thru 04-05 Shaq was easily the best player in the league.

Those are the best examples of being "truly great" that I can think of. Those players were the absolute best in the game in those periods.