Greatest NBA player
Twenty all-time greats of the NBA. Titles, MVPs, statistics and sheer impact on the game all count.
Tier list by PairTier · 20 items
- Michael Jordan — Guard for the Chicago Bulls; six championships, six Finals MVPs and five regular-season MVPs.
- LeBron James — Forward for Cleveland, Miami and the Lakers; four championships, four MVPs and the NBA's all-time leading scorer.
- Kareem Abdul-Jabbar — Center for Milwaukee and the Lakers; six championships, a record six MVPs and the skyhook.
- Magic Johnson — Point guard for the Lakers' 'Showtime' teams; five championships and three MVPs.
- Larry Bird — Forward for the Boston Celtics; three championships and three straight MVPs (1984–86).
- Bill Russell — Center for the Boston Celtics; eleven championships in thirteen seasons and five MVPs.
- Wilt Chamberlain — Dominant center who scored 100 points in a game in 1962; four MVPs and two championships.
- Tim Duncan — Power forward for the San Antonio Spurs for his whole career; five championships and two MVPs.
- Shaquille O'Neal — Center for Orlando, the Lakers and Miami; four championships and three Finals MVPs.
- Kobe Bryant — Guard who played 20 seasons for the Lakers; five championships and the 2008 MVP.
- Stephen Curry — Golden State guard who changed the game with three-point shooting; four championships and two MVPs.
- Hakeem Olajuwon — Houston Rockets center famed for the 'Dream Shake'; two championships and the 1994 MVP.
- Kevin Durant — Scoring forward; 2014 MVP and two championships with Golden State, winning Finals MVP both times.
- Oscar Robertson — Guard who averaged a triple-double in 1961–62; 1964 MVP and 1971 champion with Milwaukee.
- Jerry West — Lakers guard nicknamed 'Mr. Clutch'; 1972 champion and the silhouette behind the NBA logo.
- Julius Erving — 'Dr. J', high-flying forward in the ABA and for Philadelphia; 1981 NBA MVP and 1983 champion.
- Karl Malone — Utah Jazz power forward known as 'The Mailman'; two MVPs and one of the league's top career scorers.
- Dirk Nowitzki — German forward who spent 21 seasons with Dallas; 2007 MVP and 2011 champion and Finals MVP.
- Giannis Antetokounmpo — Greek forward for Milwaukee; two MVPs and the 2021 championship and Finals MVP.
- Nikola Jokić — Serbian center for Denver; multiple MVPs and the 2023 championship and Finals MVP.