Start the Debates: Who is your Top-25 All-Time?

[KevinLoveFan]

Updating this to add Jokic, who went from missing the list to my top 15. Also elevated Curry a bit since my prior list in May 2022 was before his last title. If Jokic can win more another ring or two at his current skill level, I can see him breaking top 10 before his career is up. But as of right now, Bird, Duncan, and Hakeem still have the greater overall careers IMO.

1. MJ
2. LeBron
3. Bill Russell
4. Wilt
5. Kareem
6. Magic
7. Shaq
8. Kobe
9. Bird
10. Duncan
11. Hakeem
12. Oscar
13. Curry
14. Jokic
15. Oscar
16. West
17. Hondo
18. Dr. J
19. KG
20. Dirk
21. Scottie
22. Isiah
23. Moses
24. Stockton
25. Karl Malone

 

[PIP]

1. Michael Jordan
The rest.
#2. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
#3. Nikola Jokic
#4. Magic Johnson
#5. Wilt Chamberlain
#6. Steph Curry
#7. Kobe Bryant
#8. Hakeem Olajuwon
#9. Larry Bird
#10. Tim Duncan
#11. Shaquille O’Neal
#12. Dirk Nowitzki
#13. David Robinson
#14. Karl Malone
#15. Dwayne Wade
#16. Charles Barkley
#17. Kevin Garnett
#18. Oscar Robertson
#19. Kevin Durant
#20. Chris Paul
#21. Scottie Pippen
#22. Moses Malone
#23. Dr. J
#24. Isiah Thomas
#25. Giannis

 

[Benway]

Michael Jordan is the Bill Russell of his generation. They should be ranked together.

 

[KevinLoveFan]

Michael Jordan is the Bill Russell of his generation. They should be ranked together.

One thing I'd like to add is that, if one ranks Wilt high, it's absurd to take Russell completely off the Top 25 list, and compare him to Jarrett Allen of all people. We had a poster do that earlier in the thread; that take was bad enough before Allen's poor performance against the Knicks. It looks even sillier now. No one in their right mind would think anyone on the Knicks is as big, strong, and talented as prime Wilt, and yet as others pointed out here in the thread, Russell defended Wilt as well as anyone did in the playoffs. He and Wilt played in the same era, and yet Russell held his own. Advanced stats also need to be taken into careful historical context before spewing them out; the NBA DID NOT keep track of blocked shots until the 1970s. Russell likely averaged as many as 10 blocked shots per game according to most historians, including blocking out on the perimeter. He completely revolutionized defense. It's beyond ridiculous as a take to say he was less than Jarrett fricking Allen (whom I like, btw, but it's insulting to say he's better than Russell). 20 years ago, I didn't even think Dikembe Mutombo was a fair comparison, but at least he was closer to Russell than Allen is.

 

[PIP]

One thing I'd like to add is that, if one ranks Wilt high, it's absurd to take Russell completely off the Top 25 list, and compare him to Jarrett Allen of all people. We had a poster do that earlier in the thread; that take was bad enough before Allen's poor performance against the Knicks. It looks even sillier now. No one in their right mind would think anyone on the Knicks is as big, strong, and talented as prime Wilt, and yet as others pointed out here in the thread, Russell defended Wilt as well as anyone did in the playoffs. He and Wilt played in the same era, and yet Russell held his own. Advanced stats also need to be taken into careful historical context before spewing them out; the NBA DID NOT keep track of blocked shots until the 1970s. Russell likely averaged as many as 10 blocked shots per game according to most historians, including blocking out on the perimeter. He completely revolutionized defense. It's beyond ridiculous as a take to say he was less than Jarrett fricking Allen (whom I like, btw, but it's insulting to say he's better than Russell). 20 years ago, I didn't even think Dikembe Mutombo was a fair comparison, but at least he was closer to Russell than Allen is.

Agreed!

There’s simply no way anyone can compare Jarrett Allen to Bill Russell…

Now if you wanna compare Jarrett Allen to Clemon Johnson I’ll go ahead and listen to that one…

 

[Jscc]

1. Michael Jordan
The rest.
#2. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
#3. Nikola Jokic
#4. Magic Johnson
#5. Wilt Chamberlain
#6. Steph Curry
#7. Kobe Bryant
#8. Hakeem Olajuwon
#9. Larry Bird
#10. Tim Duncan
#11. Shaquille O’Neal
#12. Dirk Nowitzki
#13. David Robinson
#14. Karl Malone
#15. Dwayne Wade
#16. Charles Barkley
#17. Kevin Garnett
#18. Oscar Robertson
#19. Kevin Durant
#20. Chris Paul
#21. Scottie Pippen
#22. Moses Malone
#23. Dr. J
#24. Isiah Thomas
#25. Giannis

My man, formerly known as PIP, has the exact inverse of mine:

1. LeBron James

2-25. It don't matter