Top 8 Basketball Players Ever

8. Oscar Robertson

Perhaps less known to the current generation, but the elderly will certainly remember this powerful guard. With the Cincinnati Royals and the Milwaukee Bucks, ‘The Big O’ played his games as a shooting guard. In 1971, he brought the Bucks their only NBA title in history. Oscar Robertson is the only player to finish the season with a triple-double (double figures in three of the five key statistics: points, rebounds, assists, steals and blocks).

He was elected to the All-Star team 12 times and won the MVP award for best player of the season once. Naturally, this legendary basketball player has earned a place in The Hall of Fame.

7. Tim Duncan

Modesty adorns the man, Tim Duncan must have thought when he started excelling in the NBA every week. The man with the most beautiful name in basketball does exactly what he does best: dunk. As a centre/power forward, he was co-responsible for four national basketball titles.

He was voted best twice and made the All-NBA All-Stars selection 13 times. This tall guy has been playing for the San Antonio Spurs since 1997. Whoever says Tim Duncan says Spurs, and vice versa. Strengths? Especially his ability to judge the game, grab blocks and defensive rebounds. Duncan still thinks, by the way.

6. Kobe Bryant

Being named Michael Jordan’s successor at eighteen puts an immeasurable burden on your young shoulders. Yet Kobe Bryant manages to meet all expectations in his career. With brilliant moves and an uncompromising mentality, ‘The Black Mamba’ steals the show every game at the Staples Center of the Los Angeles Lakers. He has been with the Lakers since his 1996 draft and has scored more than 30,000 points as a shooting guard.

Bryant, therefore, belongs to an extremely select group. In addition, he is a five-time NBA champion, Bryant has made the NBA All-Star team no less than 15 times and has been the MVP of the season once. He is known for his solo moves that, sometimes to the frustration of his teammates, continue until the ball falls into the net.

5. Shaquille O’Neal

Possibly the strongest man in NBA history and many consider him the most dominant. With a height of 2.16 metres and a weight of 150 kilos, ‘Shaq’ was an absolute crowd-puller in the mid-nineties and the first decade of the twenty-first century.

With his daring playing, frivolous and sometimes aggressive character, he managed to give the audience what it wanted: spectacle. As a centre, he dominated the opposing team and O’Neal played professional basketball for nearly twenty years. He became a four-time NBA champion and formed an unbeatable tandem with the Lakers together with Bryant. Although the men did not always get along very well, this collaboration still yielded the necessary titles. This tank can do more than play basketball. For example, he can often be seen in films and music videos and he raps like crazy.

4. Wilt Chamberlain

In addition to being one of the best basketball players, Wilt Chamberlain says he slept with more than 20,000 women. If you look at it that way, it is a very good achievement that this centre of 2.16 metres scored so many points. He played from 1959-1973 and won the NBA championship twice during that time.

He holds the record of 100 points in a single game. With the Harlem Globetrotters, the Philadelphia 76ers and the Los Angeles Lakers, he built an impeccable scoring record. His favourite nickname was ‘The Big Dipper’, a name his friends chose because he always bowed his head when he walked in a door somewhere. Chamberlain has racked up 30 points and 20 rebounds per game during his career, an incredible average.

3. Larry Bird

Larry Joe Bird has played his entire professional career with the Boston Celtics. The red-haired forward of 2.06 metres was already a sight in his youth. His rivalry with another big name, Magic Johnson, took basketball’s popularity to a whole new level. He was a three-time NBA champion in 1981-84-86 and was named MVP three times in 1984-86.

The number 33 shirt is no longer worn by the Celtics out of respect for the man who became an interesting phenomenon with his trash-talking. Unmistakably, it often made it clear to opponents that the field was his. Later he also caused a furore as a coach.

2. Kareem Abdul Jabbar

The man with the most points in the NBA played his career, spanning twenty years, with the Milwaukee Bucks and the Los Angeles Lakers. The tall centre, 2.18 metres, has had a particularly long career. At the time of his retirement, Jabbar was the one with the most points, games played, minutes played, shots blocked and so on.

He managed to win the NBA finals six times and was chosen best in those finals twice. Jabbar also managed to make its regular season MVP six times, an incredible feat. His introverted nature and bad relationship with the press did not make him the most popular basketball player of all time. However, he is widely respected as a sportsman who was born to win.

1. Bill Russell

In 1934 Bill Russell was born. He played centre for the Boston Celtics in the 1950s and 1960s. He holds the record for the most championships, eleven in all. He was also the league’s MVP five times. Russell was known for his good rebounds and his defensive qualities.

He was the first black player to achieve superstar status. He played an important role in the Civil Rights Movement. Furthermore, he was the first black NBA coach down the line. Russell scored over 14,000 points and made the All-Star team numerous times. A fun fact to remember: Russel won the gold medal at the 1956 Olympics with the US basketball team as Captain.