Part 2: Best of the best

In my second article I will focus mainly on the most influential players in the basketball history. The list may show some surprises and some that are no brainers.


Part 2: Best of the best


First of all, I did not consider any player who has played fewer than 10 seasons. Hence, it’s the reason why I left out famous players like LeBron James. I think trying to place him on the all time list is premature and too much of a guess right now.

No 5: Larry Bird

Once every generation or so, a player comes along who can truly be called a superstar. Larry Bird was such a player. For 13 seasons with the Boston Celtics, from 1979-80 through 1991-92, Bird personified hustle, consistency and excellence in all areas of play - as a scorer, a passer, a rebounder, a defender, a team player, and, perhaps above all, as a clutch performer. Bird was so self-confident that he was known to waltz up to the opponents' bench before tipoff and predict a 40-point performance for himself. He was such a deadly shooter that he sometimes practiced three-pointers with his eyes closed.

No 4: Earvin "Magic" Johnson

Few athletes are truly unique, changing the way their sport is played with their singular skills. Earvin "Magic" Johnson was one of them. Just how great a basketball player was Johnson? So great, perhaps, that future generation of hoop fans may wish they had entered the world years earlier-just so they could have seen Magic play in person instead of watching him only on highlight reels. He was what Bob Cousy was to the 1950s, what Oscar Robertson was to the 1960s, what Julius Erving was to the 1970s. Still, Earvin Johnson was even more than a revolutionary player who, at 6-9, was the tallest point guard in league history.

No 3: Wilt Chamberlain

He was basketball's unstoppable force, the most awesome offensive force the game has ever seen. 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. Dominating the game as few players in any sport ever have, Chamberlain seemed capable of scoring and rebounding at will, despite the double- and triple-teams and constant fouling tactics that opposing teams used to try to shut him down. As Oscar Robertson put it in the Philadelphia Daily News when asked whether Chamberlain was the best ever, "The books don't lie."

No 2: 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. His list of personal and team accomplishments is perhaps the most awesome in league history: Rookie of the Year, member of six NBA championship teams, six-time NBA MVP, two-time NBA Finals MVP, 19-time All-Star, two-time scoring champ, and a member of the NBA 35th and 50th Anniversary All-Time Teams.

No 1: Michael Jordan

By acclamation, Michael Jordan is the greatest basketball player of all time. Although, a summary of his basketball career and influence on the game inevitably fails to do justice to the man. A phenomenal athlete with a unique combination of fundamental soundness, grace, speed, power, artistry, improvisational ability and an unquenchable competitive desire, Jordan single-handedly redefined the NBA superstar.

Even contemporaneous superstars recognized the unparalleled position of Jordan. Magic Johnson (4th on my list) said, ‘There's Michael Jordan and then there is the rest of us.’ Larry Bird (5th on my list), following a playoff game where Jordan dropped 63 points on the Boston Celtics in just his second season, appraisal of the young player was: ‘God disguised as Michael Jordan’.

His impact is far greater than a great amount of awards and championships. He burst into the league as a rookie sensation scoring in droves with an unmatchable first step and acrobatic drives and dunks and concluded his career as a cultural icon. Along the way, he became a true champion who spearheaded the globalization of the NBA with his dynamic on court abilities and personal sense of style that was marketed to the masses.

He was an accessible star who managed to maintain an air of mystique. He was visible as ‘Air Jordan’, as part of a sneaker advertising campaign and endorsing other products as well as the star of the movie, Space Jam. However, he would vanish into retirement twice only to return until hanging up the sneakers for the last time after the 2002/03 season.

No 0: My personal favourite: Vince Carter

Before his injuries, and before the trade demands, Vince Carter was the biggest superstar this league had seen since Michael Jordan. His run at the top was very short, spanning from 1999 to 2002, but while he was at the top, he garnered international recognition, and he put the city of Toronto on the NBA map forever.

His dunk against Frederic Weis of France, where he jumped over the seven-footers' head was just the icing on the cake. He put together the most dominant dunk-off performance in NBA history in 2000, and he carried the Raptors to one shot from the Eastern Conference Finals in 2000-2001.

His play of late has been solid, but he's certainly lost his status as one of the league's top five names. While it became obvious that Carter was never ready for the responsibilities of carrying a league the way Jordan did, it was never questioned whether he was talented enough to do so. He'll go down as one of the most marketable athletes of his generation, and the greatest dunker in NBA history.

The summer he spent in China with Yao Ming truly completed the package, and even while posting average numbers, his fans globally were sure to vote ‘Vinsanity' into the All-Star game.

If you can't think of a time when Carter was this popular, just look in your closet. Buried deep beneath the pants which used to fit, and the shirt that used to be black, is a purple and black jersey with the number 15 on it. Unless of course you're a Raptor fan, in which case you've probably burnt it.

External sources

Michael Jordan - witness the greatest of all time: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sUF8ZiMF9xw



Vince Carter – the most famous Vince Carter dunk, with 6 different camera angles and the crazy commentator reaction: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XMrPjl-927Q



Vince Carter – in my opinion the best slam dunk ever: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rGZtENNNUbA&feature=related



Michael Jordan quote: ‘One thing I believe to the fullest is that if you think and achieve as a team, the individual accolades will take care of themselves. Talent wins games, but teamwork and intelligence win championships.’