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
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.