Or maybe a player not mentioned in the subject? Curious to know what people's thoughts are on this.

Chamberlain by far.

was Oscar Robertson. He averaged a triple double for an entire season and almost did it a second time, back before the stat became a media sensation. The Big "O" just had the misfortune of playing in the same era as the old Celtics. Chamberlain was right behid him. Then Jordan, Bird, Jerry West and Elgin Baylor.

Yes - many people say it's between him and MJ.

I'll have to think a bit on this one.

Was Pistol Pete Maravich, rest his soul.  There was nothing they guy could not do.  He could shoot from outside, drive to the basket, dunk with style, make great passes, dribble like a Globetrotter.

It is too bad that he did not play in this era as his athletic ability was so far ahead of his time.

I can only imagine him playing with LaBron, Kobe of Dwight!

former LSU coach, went back to the 3 years that Pete played, looked at shot charts and game films, and estimated that if the 3-point shot had been in effect, Pistol would have scored about 5,000 points; in ONLY THREE YEARS!!!!!! His trademarks were the floppy hair and floppy socks.

the top five, in order:  

1. Chamberlain

2. Jordan

3. The Big O

4. Bird

5. Magic

Yes, the hardest thing to do is to compare players from different eras objectively.

I'm pretty sure that if you take the Big O's career stats and averag them out he has a triple double for his entire career

Figured you would have picked Al Horford and Joakim Noah, LMAO

When Jordan Played,  the list of folks that played before him was there and has never changed.. He became the best player to ever play the game by all accounts including all the players listed as top 5 so the only question should be will there ever be another Jordan... maybe but not as of yet!! end of discussion..lol
MJ is the greatest of all time!!  

Jordan is a great player, however, he is the most over hyped player ever. The NBA got behind him like they have never gotten behind any one else and put him up pedastal.  Wilt is the only player ever in the history of the game to lead the league in every major statical category.   Talking about triple doubles he is the ony player to ever score over 20 points, grab 20 rebounds and dish out over 20 assist in a game.  22 points, 25 rebounds, and 21 assist. He has some impressive quadruple doubles as well.  24 points, 32 rebounds, 12 assist,  and 12 blocks.

MJ wishes he was like me.

used to be 6 feet wide (that's why it was called the "key", short for "keyhole" because it looked like a skeleton key hole) and was widened to 12 feet then 16 feet due to Wilt.

He scored 50% more points than his contemporary, Bob Petit. That would be the equivalent of someone hitting 1,000 home runs in baseball. (He also missed his first year when he played with the Globetrotters).

Besides the 100 points in a game, Wilt also had 55 rebounds in one game.

He never fouled out of an NBA game,  but his most amazing stat is that he averaged 48.3 minutes a game one season -- and a game is 48 minutes!! That record will NEVER be broken.

which ultimately lead to his untimely death...

Here's my nos. 6-10, in order:

6. Dr. J

7. Russell

8. Kareem

9. Baylor

10. Kobe or LeBron, take your pick

Wilt was unfairly criticized because of the talent (or lack of) around him, and he was constantly being compared to Bill Russell. there were also times when he seemed to lose interest in the game, but when he was motivated to play, no one could stop him, not even Russell. Gus Johnson once tried to do a windmill dunk overhim; Wilt caught the ball while it was in Johnson's hand, and threw ball and Johnson top the floor. Johnson's shoulder was dislocated, and he weighed around 250 pounds.

Of course, it was his own college coach (Dean Smith) that stopped him, which actually helped him become the pro player he became.  Discipline and understanding of the game mixed with extraordinary talent.

I would still vote for Russell as greatest.  2 NCAA title in college, Olympic Gold medalist (when it was amateurs not NBA players), and then a few NBA championships.  No bad.

It takes a team to get a ring, not one player.  Hell if it only took one player then Lebron would have a ring and Kobe would have more than three.  So you can't judge how great someone is based on their ring count.  Greatness comes in THEIR stats.

if kobe can win 2-3 more championships or even tie Jordan with 6 titles, then you have to put
KObe in that conversation as best ever.
will eventually
1)score over 30,000 points
2)consistent member on all nba defensive team

why not kobe bryant?

in an interview this week that Jordan should be the new NBA logo.  Still, this takes nothing away from West as a great player

Everyone you mentioned was good, but do you think Baylor was really better then Russell?  Baylor could score, but he couldn't stop you.  Russell could win you games like no other player.

I think the man that has the most games played, the most career points and the most career NBA MVP awards should at least be mentioned in this conversation!

That said:
1. Wilt 100 in game before the 3 point shot and 24 second clock is unbeatable.

2. Big O. the best all around player ever.

3. M J and his ability to make the players around him better...lots of help from S P and D.R.

4. K. A. J. Longest run on the court and biggest span of MVP's gets him here. Most points career to boot by 5000 thats a LOT!

Th rest fall off fast in my book. Kobe has a long way to go to even get close to these guys.  I would put Magic and Stockton ahead of Kobe.

My old high school coach told me that. He said that no one changed the game as much as Wilt did.  There where ohter rule changes as well but I can't recall them.

would have easily surpassed the record had he stayed in Utah and not chased a ring.  What a moron! He would have set a record that may never be broken.  Kobe or LeBron would have to avg. 30 ppg. for 16 years and nobody plays that long anymore because they make so much money they don't need to stick around.

Wilt Chamberlain.  End of story.  The conversation may now begin over who was second-best.

Just because they are douche bags doesn't make them any less of a player as far as stats go.  So who was your pick again??

LOL!! I was just kidding! But seriously MJ is the best that ever did it! But I keep hearing alot about Wilt! Sorry I'm waaaaaaaay too young to ever see me him play, but here a real question for all you Wilt fans? Do you think that he could've been a dominated now him he was playing today with all the Shaq's, D Howard's, Ewings's, Yao's, Robinson's, & all the other great centers that have come along?

Just curious

Muahz!!!
CJ

To be able to play at the NBA level for that many years means something.  Durability and a game will take you deep into a career.

-- Modified on 6/3/2009 11:47:42 PM

been great.  He was so dominant when he played that he clearly was bored at times.  If he was playing today, he'd have considerably more competition, but he's play up to his potential, and still dominate.  Remember, Wilt was a phenomenal athlete.  He was the NCAA decathlon champ in college, Ali refused to fight him when people were trying to promote the fight, and the NFL tried like hell to get him to play.  You simply can't compare athletes from different time periods, but no-one dominated their time period like Wilt did!

That's the thing - there are many greats of past - Chamberlain, Robertson, Russell, etc.  But what about today?  It's really difficult to compare the athletes when time periods are involved because competition was and is indeed different.  Today, there are many GOOD players.

I had never heard of this man and I looked him up - he seems as if he was a good player in college but not AS great when he went pro.

I spent 6 years teaching Little League players the value of good sportsmanship.  When LeBron went 4 year old and took his little ball and went home after getting his ass whipped by Orlando, he permanently fell off my "Best" list.  As did Kobe when he took 3 shots in the second half of a Game 7 to lose to Phoenix so he could show up his coach and teammates. Find me the game when Jordan took 3 shots in the second half.

LeBron and Kobe top the Biggest Babies list.

My pick is MJ, Tasha.  It's an easy choice.  BTW, my favorite basketball player was his sidekick, Scottie Pippen, the most underated ever.

I have not followed NBA since his retirement.

-- Modified on 6/6/2009 10:25:46 AM

When Magic asked him about that, Kobe correctly said that it was impossible to answer.

The key was just to be mentioned in the discussion!