Nba at 75: Top 3 players in each position?

[Dagoods]

CENTERS:

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: 6 Rings, 6 MVPs, 2 FMVPs, 5x All-NBA 1st Defensive Team, 2 Scoring Titles, 1 Rebounding title, Led the league in blocks 4x, All-NBA 1st Team 10x, Rookie of the Year, 19x All-Star.

Wilt Chamberlain: 2 Rings, 4 MVPs, 1FMVP, 2x All-NBA 1st Defensive Team, 7 Scoring Titles, 11 Rebounding titles, All-NBA 1st Team 7x, Led the league in assists once, Rookie of the Year, 13x All-Star, All-Star MVP.

Bill Russell: 11 Rings, 5 MVPs, 1x All-NBA Defensive Team, All-NBA 1st Team 3x, 12x All-Star, All-Star MVP.

Dilemma: SHAQ was unstoppable in his prime, but he was never a 2-way threat. OLAJUWON was amazing but he only managed to win two rings.

POWER FORWARDS:

Tim Duncan: 5 Rings, 2 MVPs, 3FMVP, All-NBA 1st Team 10x, 8x All-NBA 1st Defensive Team, Rookie of the Year, 15x All-Star, All-Star MVP.

Giannis Antetokounmpo: 1 Ring, 2 MVPs, 1 FMVP, All-NBA 1st Team 3x, 3x All-NBA 1st Defensive Team, Defensive Player of the Year winner, 5x All-Star, All-Star MVP...and counting.

Karl Malone: 2 MVPs, All-NBA 1st Team 11x, 3x All-NBA 1st Defensive Team, 14x All-Star, 2x All-Star MVP.

Dilemma: KG and DIRK each won a ring but Malone's longevity is simply astonishing. I only see KG as having a good case here. THOUGHTS?

SMALL FORWARDS:

LeBron James: 4 Rings, 4 MVPs, 4 FMVPs, 1 Scoring Title, Led the league in assists once, All-NBA 1st Team 13x, 5x All-NBA 1st Defensive Team, Rookie of the Year winner, 17x All-Star, 3x All-Star MVP.

Larry Bird: 3 Rings, 3 MVPs, 2 FMVPs, All-NBA 1st Team 9x, Rookie of the Year winner, 12x All-Star, All-Star MVP.

Kevin Durant: 2 Rings, 1 MVP, 2 FMVPs, All-NBA 1st Team 6x, 4x Scoring Champion, Rookie of the Year winner, 11x All-Star, 2x All-Star MVP.

Dilemma: Dr. J is a close call but DURANT edges him by a hair.

SHOOTING GUARDS:


Michael Jordan: 6 Rings, 5 MVPs, 6 FMVPs, 10x Scoring Titles, 3x Led the league in steals, Defensive Player of the Year, Rookie of the Year winner, All-NBA 1st Team 10x, 9x All-NBA 1st Defensive Team, 14x All-Star, 3x All-Star MVP.

Kobe Bryant: 5 Rings, 1 MVP, 2 FMVPs, 2x Scoring Titles, All-NBA 1st Team 11x, 9x All-NBA 1st Defensive Team, 18x All-Star, 4x All-Star MVP.

Jerry West: 1 Ring, 1 FMVP, Scoring Title, Led the league in assists once, All-NBA 1st Team 10x, 4x All-NBA 1st Defensive Team, 14x All-Star, 1x All-Star MVP.

Dilemma: WADE won more but he only won one scoring title, never led the league in steals, etc. He was amazing in his prime but West was BIRD before BIRD and was just as good if not better than Wade for a longer period of time.

POINT GUARDS:

Magic Johnson: 5 Rings, 3 MVPs, 3 FMVPs, All-NBA 1st Team 9x, 2x Led the league in steals, Led the league in assists 4x, 12x All-Star, 2x All-Star MVP.

Stephen Curry: 3 Rings, 2 MVPs, 2x Scoring Titles, Led the league in steals, All-NBA 1st Team 4x, 7x All-Star

Oscar Robertson: 1 Ring, 1 MVP, Led the league in assists 6x, All-NBA 1st Team 9x, 12x All-Star, 3x All-Star MVP.

Dilemma: ISIAH and STOCKTON were phenomenal but they did not make the final cut.

WHAT SAY YOU?
YOUR THOUGHTS...YOUR THOUGHTS...

[HBK_Kliq_2]

point guard - magic, curry, trae young

shooting guard - jordan, kobe, manu ginobili

small forward - kawhi, bird, kevin durant

power forward - giannis, dirk, karl malone

center - hakeem, shaq, bill russell

[jalbert009]

CENTERS:

OLAJUWON was amazing but he only managed to win two rings.

POWER FORWARDS:

Giannis Antetokounmpo: 1 Ring, 2 MVPs, 1 FMVP, All-NBA 1st Team 3x, 3x All-NBA 1st Defensive Team, Defensive Player of the Year winner, 5x All-Star, All-Star MVP...and counting.


Dilemma: KG and DIRK each won a ring but Malone's longevity is simply astonishing. I only see KG as having a good case here. THOUGHTS?


WHAT SAY YOU?
YOUR THOUGHTS...YOUR THOUGHTS...


You cant say the reason Hakeem didn't make the cut because he only won 2 rings and then Wilt is in there who also only won 2 rings. That just makes you sound like a hypocrite. But I do agree Wilt should be on there.

With the PF's. I think Giannis should be left out. Its already hard enough as it is to rank KG, Dirk, Barkley and Malone as who should be ranked higher. They are all sort of interchangeable already as it is depending on what you value more. Giannis is right there with them already but lets wait for his career to end before we delve into that conversation.

I would have Duncan, KG and Dirk on there personally.

[Dagoods]

Thanks for your input!

WILT won 2 rings with two different clubs and he would have won Finals MVP with the 76rs had the award existed back then. WILT was a better rebounder and possibly a better shot blocker than Hakeem as well. If anything, WILT was more complete imho.

PFs...MALONE's 11x All-NBA 1st is quite impressive. KG only managed to earn 4 selections (mainly due to DUNCAN). However, RUSSELL only managed to earn 3 selections because he competed against WILT. DIRK is too limited defensively for my liking, KG and MALONE is pretty close though.

Karl Malone: 2 MVPs, All-NBA 1st Team 11x, 3x All-NBA 1st Defensive Team, 14x All-Star, 2x All-Star MVP.

Kevin Garnett: 1 Ring, 1 MVP, 4x Rebounding Titles, Defensive Player of the Year, All-NBA 1st Team 4x, 9x All-NBA 1st Defensive Team, 15x All-Star, All-Star MVP.

[iamgine]

Well those are pretty weak reasonings. One is about two way player, the other about rings, then longevity, then scoring title. Seems like just make up something just cause.

[Dagoods]

Yeah I guess rings and personal accolades should not matter. Yes, I guess IVERSON and a few other thugs should get more love...:hammerhead:

[nayte]

Well those are pretty weak reasonings. One is about two way player, the other about rings, then longevity, then scoring title. Seems like just make up something just cause.

Isn't that what everyone's lists are. There is no set criteria these things are personal opinions . You can't decide what someone uses .

In saying that you're allowed to disagree and say it's weak reasoning lol.

[Axe]

Isn't that what everyone's lists are. There is no set criteria these things are personal opinions . You can't decide what someone uses .

In saying that you're allowed to disagree and say it's weak reasoning lol.
Op's list could be neither right or wrong here. I think hondo deserves an honorable mention amongst the sfs given he won 8 rings and some accolades, along with some stats that exceed jordan's but he only had one finals mvp in his career tho. Plus, he played in one of the jurassic eras before. So i guess that affects his atr.

[nayte]

I'm more on the no ones lists are really right or wrong. So I agree with what your saying but you should have compared him to other small forwards not Jordan imo
Apologies if I've worded that wrong but I think u know what I mean

[RogueBorg]

If you want to make this exercise tougher and get a good laugh try naming the top 25 players at each position. It seems easy at first but it is extremely difficult.

[ScottieQuitting]

Isiah Thomas is the second best PG ever. Oscar Robertson was a loser. And a combo guard.

[ShawkFactory]

Isiah Thomas is the second best PG ever. Oscar Robertson was a loser. And a combo guard.

How? He lost to Boston or Philadelphia every year, sometimes making them very competitive series. As a member of the Cincinnati Royals.

Without looking it up, I challenge you to name two teammates of his in the entire decade he spent playing for them.

[ScottieQuitting]

How? He lost to Boston or Philadelphia every year, sometimes making them very competitive series. As a member of the Cincinnati Royals.

Without looking it up, I challenge you to name two teammates of his in the entire decade he spent playing for them.

He won one championship as the second best player on his team. He was Russell Westbrick, in a faster paced primordial training wheel stage of the game of basketball.

[ShawkFactory]

He won one championship as the second best player on his team. He was Russell Westbrick, in a faster paced primordial training wheel stage of the game of basketball.

Nothing you're saying makes me believe that you have any knowledge of Oscar Robertson :lol

Name two of his teammates before he joined the Bucks. That's a 10 year span. Should be easy, right? I mean, if he was that much of a loser surely there were some really good players sprinkled in there that he couldn't lead.

[coastalmarker99]

Nothing you're saying makes me believe that you have any knowledge of Oscar Robertson :lol

Name two of his teammates before he joined the Bucks. That's a 10 year span. Should be easy, right? I mean, if he was that much of a loser surely there were some really good players sprinkled in there that he couldn't lead.


Oscar only played with two or three above-average teammates in his time with the Royals.



And they were

Jerry Lucas

Wayne Embry

Jack Twyman

[coastalmarker99]

Oscar Robertson was once regarded as a top 5 or top 3 player of all time.

Here are some quotes that demonstrate his sometimes underrated greatness.

Praise from players, coaches


Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (2013)

“LeBron is awesome, MJ was awesome — but I think Oscar Robertson would have kicked them both in the behind,” said Abdul-Jabbar when asked about James and Jordan. “Absolutely. Oscar was awesome. He had brains. […] He had all the skills.”

Red Auerbach

“He Oscar is so great he scares me.”

Jerry Lucas

“He obviously was unbelievable, way ahead of his time. There is no more complete player than Oscar.”

Bill Russell

“Oscar was one of basketball’s great leaders, and his life is one of basketball’s great stories. He was unafraid, unabashed, and unmatched in everything he did. There will never be another like him.”

Rick Barry

“People just don’t have any idea how good Oscar was. The numbers are ridiculous.

If you’re getting 30 points and double-figures in rebounds as a point guard and 10 assists a game, that’s sick.

He is the greatest athlete in the history of sports in this country who has been overlooked in terms of his greatness.”


Jerry West

“Oscar Robertson was never a rookie. He was the measuring stick for how a player should play. He is a man for the ages.”


John Havlicek

"He Oscar is the best I've seen."


Jerry West

"Oscar Robertson was the greatest player I played against, period."


Magic Johnson

"I never knew how good Oscar was until I tried to do it."


Wayne Embry

“Oscar knew you were open before you knew you were open. [...] He was the greatest player I have ever seen, period.”



Pete Newell

"Oscar Robertson was the most fundamentally flawless player I ever saw."


Bob Boozer

“He played the game like he invented it. Oscar was James Naismith in tennis shoes. He did what he wanted to do.”



John Wooden

"I've always considered Oscar Robertson to be the best player in the game," says John Wooden. "Now I'm not so sure that Larry Bird isn't."



John Salley (on what Michael Jordan told him)

Interviewer: "Who did Jordan tell you is the greatest player ever?"

Salley: "He would say Oscar Robertson."



Praise from media & notable awards

AP Basketball Player of the Century (1999)

Michael Jordan (49)

Oscar Robertson (44)

Wilt Chamberlain (42)

Bill Russell (41)

Earvin Johnson (36)

Larry Bird (34)

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (25)

Elgin Baylor (19)

Jerry West (16)

Julius Erving (12)

Karl Malone (6)

Bob Pettit (4)

Bob Cousy (1)

John Havlicek (1)

Selection Panel of Marv Albert, Chick Hearn, Fuzzy Levane, Harvey Pollack, Bill Russell, and Lenny Wilkens



SLAM Magazine Top 75 NBA Players of All-Time (2003)

Michael Jordan

Wilt Chamberlain

Oscar Robertson

Bill Russell

Magic Johnson

Larry Bird

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

Jerry West

Shaquille O'Neal

Julius Erving




National Association of Basketball Coaches' Player of the Century

PLAYERS OF THE CENTURY

Larry Bird (Indiana State)

Kareem Abdul Jabbar (UCLA)

Earvin "Magic" Johnson (Michigan State)

Michael Jordan (North Carolina)

Oscar Robertson (Cincinnati)

Bill Russell (San Francisco)

Bill Walton (UCLA)



PLAYER OF THE CENTURY

Oscar Robertson Cincinnati

New York Times (2009

[coastalmarker99]

Isiah Thomas is the second best PG ever. Oscar Robertson was a loser. And a combo guard.

Oscar averaged 30/10/11 over his first six seasons while leading the league in TS%.

He was second in scoring (to Wilt), first in assists by a mile (20% more than anyone else), and 10th in rebounds.

He had 148 triple-doubles over those 6 seasons.





Wilt had the second most with 17, and only 6 other players had more than two.


Oscar also finished top 5 in MVP voting each of his first 8 seasons and was the only guard to win the MVP award in the 1960s.



Also In 1965 without hall of famer Jerry Lucas in the lineup.

Oscar Robertson averaged :

37.1 points

9.4 assist

10.1 rebounds

+9.86 rTS%


While the Royals played at a 52.48 win pace


It could be said that Oscar was the godfather of Floor-raising alongside Wilt.

[Full Court]

I actually agree with OP's entire list. I can't think of anything I'd change on it.

[Jasper]

[B]CENTERS:

WHAT SAY YOU?
YOUR THOUGHTS...YOUR THOUGHTS...

well done !!!

/

[Jasper]

coastmarker99 -

Kareem would be the player of the century - he has more cred than the goat.

[Jasper]

Op's list could be neither right or wrong here. I think hondo deserves an honorable mention amongst the sfs given he won 8 rings and some accolades, along with some stats that exceed jordan's but he only had one finals mvp in his career tho. Plus, he played in one of the jurassic eras before. So i guess that affects his atr.

6th man award would be fitting.

[hold this L]

Zeke is better than Oscar.

Bill should be second, Shaq 3rd.

[Sulico]

I would put Bill Russell on #1, Shaq instead of Wilt.

Duncan/Dirk/KG

Scottie Pippen instead of KD. And it was between him and Havlicek, not him and KD.

Manu instead of West. And I would also put Wade before West.

Point Guards I agree with.


Rings have to have more value. If we only care about stats, what's the point of winning? Let's just see who puts up prettier stat sheets.

[Axe]

6th man award would be fitting.
Yep, too bad the award didn't exist yet during his timeline.

[SaintzFury13]

I would put Bill Russell on #1, Shaq instead of Wilt.

Duncan/Dirk/KG

Scottie Pippen instead of KD. And it was between him and Havlicek, not him and KD.

Manu instead of West. And I would also put Wade before West.

Point Guards I agree with.


Rings have to have more value. If we only care about stats, what's the point of winning? Let's just see who puts up prettier stat sheets.

If that's the case then KG and Dirk have no legitimate reason for being on your list.

[AussieSteve]

point guard - magic, curry, trae young

shooting guard - jordan, kobe, manu ginobili

small forward - kawhi, bird, kevin durant

power forward - giannis, dirk, karl malone

center - hakeem, shaq, bill russell

Why do you hate Tim Duncan so much? Dude is so clearly #1 on the PF list that to not have him in the top 3 can only be driven by some kind of misguided agenda

[John8204]

PG - Magic, Oscar, Stockton
SG - Jordan, Bryant, West
SF - Bird, Erving, Havlicek
PF - Lebron, Duncan, Olajuwon
C - Wilt, Kareem, Russell

[RogueBorg]

PG - Magic, Oscar, Stockton
SG - Jordan, Bryant, West
SF - Bird, Erving, Havlicek
PF - Lebron, Duncan, Olajuwon
C - Wilt, Kareem, Russell

Kareem is the best center of all-time.

[John8204]

Kareem is the best center of all-time.

Wilt was better in the paint he is after all the only member of the 30/20 club and averaged more assists than Kareem. Both are top five but I would take Wilt over Kareem

[expansionera]

PG - Magic, Isiah, Oscar
SG - Kobe, Wade, West
SF - Pippen, Bird, Bron
PF - Giannis, Dirk, Duncan
C - WILT, Russell, Kareem