thebigm57
Favorite Answer
Depends on your criteria for greatest. Here's a top 10 list and reasons for greatness:
1) Bill Russell – Bill Russell was the cornerstone of the Boston Celtics’ dynasty of the 1960’s, an uncanny shotblocker who revolutionized NBA defensive concepts. A five-time NBA Most Valuable Player and a 12-time All-Star, the angular center amassed 21,620 career rebounds, an average of 22.5 per game, and led the league in rebounding four times.
2) Wilt Chamberlain – He was basketball’s unstoppable force, the most awesome offensive force the game has ever see. Asked to name the greatest players ever to play basketball, most fans and aficionados would put Wilt Chamberlain at or near the top of the list. He dominated the game as few players in any sport ever have.
3) Kareem Abdul-Jabbar – When Kareem Abdul-Jabbar left the game in 1989 at age 42, no NBA player had ever scored more points, blocked more shots, won more MVP awards, played in more All-Star games, or logged more seasons.
4) Moses Malone – One of the game’s all-time great centers, Moses Malone was a relentless rebounder and effective scorer who made the jump from high school to a pro career that lasted 21 years. The third-leading rebounder and sixth-leading scorer in combined NBA/ABA history, he was honored in 1996-97 as a member on the NBA’s 50th Anniversary All-Time Team.
5) Hakeem Olajuwon – During his 18-year career, Nigerian Hakeem Olajuwon staked his claim as one of the greatest players in NBA history. Long considered a physical marvel since his days at the University of Houston, his aesthetic and productive play – highlighted by the Houston Rockets’ back-to-back NBA titles – earned him a place among the game’s best.
6) Shaquille O’Neal – Selected in 1996 as one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History –- Three-time NBA Finals MVP after leading the Lakers to back-to-back NBA Finals victories (2000, 2001, 2002) – Voted the 1999-2000 Most Valu able Player (regular season) by media.
7) Patrick Ewing – Warrior. That is the one-word description often applied to Patrick Ewing. He was indefatigable and relentless in pursuit of an NBA championship despite being denied on an annual basis. Bold predictions did not always materialize and some took them as empty promises, while others as a will to succeed.
8) David Robinson – One of the top centers of his era, if not all time, David “ The Admiral” Robinson was a marvel of a basketball player and a respected figure off the court. A lean, muscular, 7’1” athlete, he was fast, strong and agile.
9) Willis Reed – Of all the thrilling baskets scored in NBA history, there have been few more fabled than the two Willis Reed hit in the first few minutes of Game 7 of the 1970 NBA Finals. Although they counted for only four points on the scoreboard, they were worth a million bucks of inspiration in the hearts of the New York Knicks.
10) Robert Parish – Robert parish played in more games than any other player in NBA history. A 7’1” center who combined strength, agility and remarkable endurance, Parish won three NBA titles with the Boston Celtics in the 1980’s and teamed with Larry Bird and Kevin McHale to form one of the greatest front lines in NBA history. He capped his career by winning yet another championship ring as a member of the 1996-97 Chicago Bulls. Parish announced his retirement after his 21st season in the NBA, and after playing in 1,611 games.
Anonymous
Team medical director Dr. Timothy Kremchek said Chapman could begin throwing off a mound in six to eight weeks, a timetable that could get him back in games in late May. The left hander with a fastball that has reached 105 mph could start exercising and throwing on flat ground in a couple of weeks, Kremchek said.
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Glacier4
Bill Russell! There is no question! Without him, the Celtics would be another no clout team like the Bucks or the Pacers.. instead they are a legacy likely to never be broken. Not saying Bird, and the new guys are anything to pass over... but he made this team the NBA's biggest story.
Dave
I'd have to give a tie between Kareem and Wilt. They were the best ever in my opinion, and what one lacked, the other had.
Close 2nd's: Hakeem, Russell (he may have a power forward body, but he played center), and maybe Shaq. Or maybe not.
Close 3rd's: Bellamy, Lanier, Moses Malone, Gilmore.
Big Z
Wilt Chamberlain