The usual suspects forming the top 9 of the greatest basketball players list in some order are
- MJ
- LeBron
- Kareem
- Wilt
- Bill Russell
- Magic
- Tim Duncan
- Larry Bird
- Shaq
Who rounds out the top 10 list at #10? Some names that come to mind are
- Kobe
- Hakeem
- Oscar
- Steph
Glad im not the only one who thinks Bill Russell is a tad overrated. Incredible defender, but underwhelming scorer even for back then, and won his rings with easily the best team in the league when there were what, 12 teams that existed?
There were actually only 8 teams for some of his rings IIRC.
It feels dirty disrespecting Russell because he’s such a great and important figure for the league. It feels like attacking your own grandpa, but realistically he’s not a top 5-10 player.
He’s the Jesse Owens of basketball. Important for his historic value, but has been eclipsed by modern greats.