Opinion: Our Top 15 ALL-TIME NBA PLAYERS

by | Apr 15, 2022 | News

By Nate Underdog & Frase

  1. (Nate Underdog) Michael Jordan – 6X champion, finals MVP in all 6, 5X League MVP, 14X All-Star, 3 All-Star MVPS, 10X all-NBA 1st team, 9X NBA All-Defensive 1st team, 10X scoring champion. How anyone debates this is still beyond me… Never lost a finals, biggest killer to ever play the game.

 

  1. (Frase) Michael Jordan – We agree here. He’s the true goat. Took the world by storm with his otherworldly athleticism first coming into the league and evolved into the greatest closer in basketball history. His competitive fire was truly unmatched. He is bigger than the sport itself. All you need to hear is two letters – MJ.

 

  1. (Nate Underdog) Kareem Abdul-Jabbar – 6X champion, 2X Finals MVP, 6X League MVP, 19X NBA All-Star, 10X All-NBA 1st team, 5X All-Defensive 1st team, 2X NBA scoring champ, 4X Block Leader, All-Time NBA scoring Leader. This man was so good they banned dunking after his 1st year of college just to slow his dominance.

 

  1. (Frase) Kobe Bryant – He’s the next best thing to MJ. I tend to lean toward players that have that killer instinct and want the last shot. Kobe tried to emulate MJ, but was so very unique in his own right. Kobe wanted to rip your heart out, none of this everybody always buddy-buddy stuff. I like that.

 

  1. (Nate Underdog) Magic Johnson – 5X Champion, 3X Finals MVP, 3X League MVP, 12X All-Star, 2X All-Star MVP, 9X All-NBA 1st team, 4X NBA Assist Leader, 2X NBA Steals Leader. Forced to retire early do to HIV so numbers could have been so much better, but him and the next man on my list helped bring the NBA to where it is today with their rivalry.

 

  1. (Frase) Lebron James – An absolute freak of nature athlete, maybe the greatest size and speed combo athlete of all time. Great passer, dunker, locomotive on the semi-break. His 3 ball has got better with age – and his career longevity is unmatched. He has that all-time scoring record in sights. I only have him 3 because as I mentioned above, I lean toward lethal killer instinct guys. I haven’t always seen that from him in crunch time, but Lebron is the man.

 

  1. (Nate Underdog) Larry Bird – 3X Champion, 2X Finals MVP, 3X League MVP, 12X NBA All-Star, 1X All-Star MVP, 9X All-NBA 1st Team, 1X NBA All-Defensive 1st team, 3X All-Defensive 2nd team, 2X 50-40-90 club… Maybe the greatest shooter we ever seen before Steph and the greatest trash talker the NBA has ever had, sadly much like Magic forced to retire early due to back problems.

 

  1. (Frase) Kareem Abdul-Jabbar – I’m going to keep this one simple. He is the NBA’s all-time leading scorer and has the most unstoppable shot in the history of the game… the Sky Hook. He’s an icon.

 

  1. (Nate Underdog) Hakeem Olajuwon – 2X Champion, 2X finals MVP, 1X League MVP, 12X NBA All-Star, 6X All-NBA 1st Team, 3X All-NBA 2nd team, 3X All-NBA 3rd team, 5X All-Defensive 1st team, 4X All-Defensive 2nd team, 2X Defensive player of the year, 2X Rebound leader, 3X Blocks Leader. The most dominate center I ever saw, he owned all the great centers in an era of centers on both ends of the floor.

 

  1. (Frase) Larry Bird – Larry Legend was before his time – yet he completely dominated his time. He was a lights out scorer, but also completely unselfish. He was tough as nails and one of greatest all time trash talkers. If he played in today’s game where he would have been encouraged to get up more threes – I really don’t think people realize how many points and three-point records he would have racked up.

 

  1. (Nate Underdog) Lebron James – 4X Champion, 4X Finals MVP, 4X League MVP, 18X NBA All-Star, 3X All-Star MVP, 13X All-NBA 1st team, 3X ALL-NBA 2nd team, 2X All-NBA 3rd team, 5X NBA All-Defensive 1st team, 1X NBA ALL-Defensive 2nd team, 1X scoring champ, 1X assist Leader. He is this generations MJ but he falls short in my opinion with so many lost NBA Finals, running to super teams, and no killer instinct.

 

  1. (Frase) Magic Johnson – The greatest passer in the history of the game. He was a walking highlight tape that elevated the play of all his teammates. The Magic man dominated the 80’s captaining the Showtime Lakers, his game would have translated and dominated in any era. He and Bird’s careers were cut short – If that wasn’t the case those two would be a much bigger argument for top 3.

 

  1. (Nate Underdog) Tim Duncan – 5X NBA Champion, 3X Finals MVP, 2X League MVP, 15X NBA All-Star, 1X All-Star MVP, 10X All-NBA 1st team, 3X All-NBA 2nd team, 2X ALL-NBA 3rd team, 8X NBA All-Defensive 1st team, 7X NBA ALL-Defensive 2nd team. Ultimate team player did whatever the team needed him to do to win.

 

  1. (Frase) Shaq – One word – Dominance. You just flat out could not stop him. He was very athletic for his massive size and dunked over or through everything in his path. He didn’t quite take care of his body the way I’m sure he wish he would have towards the end of his career – but in his prime he was the most unstoppable force in the history of the game.

 

  1. (Nate Underdog) Kobe Bryant – 5X Champion, 2X Finals MVP, 1X League MVP, 18X NBA All-Star, 4X All-Star MVP, 11X All-NBA 1st team, 2X All-NBA 2nd team, 2X ALL-NBA 3rd team, 9X NBA ALL-Defensive 1st team, 3X All-Defensive 2nd team, 2X NBA Scoring Champ. He is the player that most reminded me of MJ.

 

  1. (Frase) Steph Curry – The 2022 championship moved him up my board, no doubt about it, that was a legacy builder. His highlight tape of shots made from beyond the 3-point line is 1 of 1. He’s insane from behind the arch. He can drive and finish and likes to dish to his teammates. He seems to never miss a free throw and his ability to hit from anywhere on the floor with any defender on him makes him an absolute thrill to watch, he changed the league.

 

  1. (Nate Underdog) Oscar Robertson – 1X NBA Champion, 12X NBA All-Star, 3x All-Star MVP, 9X All-NBA 1st team, 2X All-NBA 2nd team, 6X NBA assist leader. The man who created the word TRIPLE DOUBLE.

 

  1. (Frase) Tim Duncan – The Big Fundamental. When I was younger, I thought he and the Spurs were so boring. By the end of their dynasty, I ended up having so much respect for the way they played team basketball, it was beautiful, and it all ran through Duncan. He would wear you down with that bank shot and could score from anywhere he wanted inside the three-point line. Duncan was the type of player that would elevate your team to championship contention in any era of the league.

 

  1. (Nate Underdog) Shaquille O’Neal – 4X NBA Champion, 3X Finals MVP, 1X MVP, 15X NBA All-Star, 3X All-Star MVP, 8X All-NBA 1st team, 2X ALL-NBA 2nd team, 4X ALL-NBA 3rd team, 3X NBA ALL-Defensive 2nd team, 2X NBA scoring champ. It’s hard to describe just how dominate this man was in his prime.

 

  1. (Frase) Bill Russell – He played in an era when he was dominating against some questionable big man talent. There were a couple other legit big guys don’t get me wrong, but it’s just a fact. A lot of his highlights seem to be against shorter more unathletic bigs that wouldn’t sniff the NBA these days. BUT… Bill Russell is synonymous with the word winning. He is a winner, and he would absolutely make his mark in any era. A pillar of the sport.

 

  1. (Nate Underdog) Bill Russell – 11X Champion, 5X League MVP, 12X NBA All-Star, 1X All-Star MVP, 3X All-NBA 1st team, 8X All-NBA 2nd team, 1X NBA All-Defensive 1st team, 4X rebounding champ. Known as the man with all the titles.

 

  1. (Frase) Hakeem Olajuwan – When an NBA big man wants to learn how to be more affective on the post – they reach out to Olajuwan. His moves on the post, lead by “The Dream Shake” were poetry in motion. He may have got a bit lucky winning a couple championships while MJ was busy not raking in minor league baseball, but Olajuwan is one of the greatest to ever lace em up.

 

  1. (Nate Underdog) Kevin Durant – 2X NBA Champion, 2X Finals MVP, 1X League MVP, 12X NBA All-Star, 2X All-Star MVP, 6X All-NBA 1st team, 4X ALL-NBA 2nd team, 4X scoring champ. Never seen anyone his size score in all the ways he does at such a high level.

 

  1. (Frase) Wilt Chamberlin – Wilt the Stilt was larger than life when he was playing the game. You could almost argue that he got bored at times. I think we all wish we could have seen Wilt play in the big men eras. He’s a player you cannot tell the history of basketball without. The headband and high socks, the dunks and blocks. He was a dominate force.

 

  1. (Nate Underdog) Moses Malone – 1X NBA Champion, 1X Finals MVP, 3X League MVP, 12X NBA All-Star, 1X ABA All-Star, 4X ALL-NBA 1st team, 4X All-NBA 2nd team, 1X All-Defensive 1st team, 1X All Defensive 2nd team. He was a cross breed of Charles Barkley and Karl Malone before there was Barkley and Malone.

 

  1. (Frase) Dr. J – The Doctor. He is one of the most important needle movers in the history of the game. I’m sure if he could do it all over again, he would have played his entire career in NBA rather than spending years of his prime in the ABA with the likes of the Flint Tropics. He was just silky smooth on the court, and his ability to dunk the basketball is breathtaking. He seemed to float above the defenders in slow motion and hold that basketball like a grapefruit.

 

  1. (Nate Underdog) Wilt Chamberlain – 2X NBA Champion, 1X Finals MVP, 4X League MVP, 13X NBA All-Star, 1X All-Star MVP, 7X All-NBA 1st team, 3X All-NBA 2nd team, 2X All-Defensive 1st team, 7X Scoring Champ, 11X rebound Champ, 1X assist Leader. The only man to score 100 points in a game, but I can’t put him top 10 because of the players he played against.

 

  1. (Frase) Kevin Garnett – KG is completely equal ranking wise to Duncan in my books. The Spurs’ Championships is the only difference maker. When KG was in his prime on the Timberwolves, he was absolutely unbelievable. I think people’s mind go to him yelling “Anything is Possible” in a Celtics jersey when they think KG. He was a force on every level of the game, and famous for his heavy swearing trash talking. He was loyal to his teammates and wanted to crush his opponents. I may have him higher on my all-time list than most, but I have KG top 15 with full confidence.

 

  1. (Nate Underdog) Stephen Curry – 4X NBA Champion, 1X Finals MVP, 8X NBA All-Star, 1X All-Star MVP, 4X ALL-NBA 1st team, 3X All-NBA 2nd team, 1X ALL-NBA 3rd team, 2X Scoring Champ, 1X steals leader. The Greatest shooter the game has ever seen.

 

  1. (Frase) Walt Frazier – Having “Clyde” 15th may be a reach to some, and I understand that, but he was the definition of cool on and off the court. His game was so smooth. He has the most badass NBA Finals Game 7 performance in history when he took down the mighty Lakers with a 36 points, 19 assists, 7 rebounds, 5 steals game. He could lead a championship team at the point guard position in any era.

 

That’s our top 15 – Who is Yours?