Who is the best basketball player ever?

Question

Can be dead or alive.

Answer 1

In order to answer this question, you need to ask which player in history to current, will thrive and succeed regardless of any era you place them in. Then you have to look at which player played during the toughest period with the most rigid rules which made it hard for a basketball player to thrive (tougher defense, stricter rules to abide by, better coaching, etc.). Then you look at how dominant they were in respect to their team, their level of competition (better talent, more athletic and versatile players, amount of good teams) and the achievements they've attained (NBA awards, championships, All-Star status, etc.)

A few names come to mind:
Wilt Chamberlin (excelled in so many categories, even lead the league in assists)
Magic Johnson (one of the few players to play all 5 position)
Julius Erving (the first true gravity defying player)
Oscar Robertson (only player to avg a triple double)
Rick Barry (a complete package from the guard position)
Larry Bird (a dead eye shooter who excelled at crunch time)
Michael Jordan (won almost every NBA award you can think of)
Shaquille O'Neal (arguably the most unstoppable force inside the paint)
and even
Tim Duncan (is starting to mimic Jordan's award and championship achievements but to a lesser degree)

It's a tough list to choose from but the 2 guys that stand out to me is Jordan and Chamberlin because you can put them in any era and they will be just as dominant. These 2 guys brought so many arsenals to the table and redefined their respective positions (swing man and big men). Both players had to literally face 1 on 5 type of defenses and still will their team to victory almost singlehandedly. But if I had to choose, I would have to go with Jordan because I think Wilt had such a huge advantage in terms of size and power against the competition during his days that it made it almost a breeze to dominate. MJ had to work very hard to become the best at his position. He played all 48 minutes and took no breaks on defense or offense.

This is what Jordan had to say during a SLAM magazine interview when it was asked who was his biggest competition on the court. He said it was himself because in order to come out and play the whole game with the same level of intensity, you have constantly:

- challenge yourself
- go against the fatigue
- stand up to the wear and tear of the game

Now that to me, sounds like a winner who has got nothing but love and passion for the game, and represents the NBA in it's most true aspect. Plus, it is much more harder for a guard to impact the game than it is for a big men because of the size and height factor. That is also why quality big men are always drafted early in the draft in respect to smaller players. Therefore, I nominate Michael Jordan as the best basketball player ever because he plays the sport for all the right reasons and has never wavered under the face of adversity.

Answer 2

Michael Jordan

Answer 3

Michael Jordan

Answer 4

Micheal Jordan

Answer 5

Probably Michael Jordan.

Answer 6

Wilt Chamberlain

Answer 7

Wilt Chamberlan

Answer 8

That would be Jesus H. Christ. Jesus, or J.C., was the two guard for the Sacramento Kings from 0021-0037. He won 15 titles, 13 scoring titles, and had career averages of 42 points, 7 boards, 10 dimes. He also won the slam dunk titles from 0022-0031, except for when it was cancelled in 0029 due to a plague of locusts.

Answer 9

The past MJ, and current LBJ.

But neither can play Bill Walton or Dennis Rodman in a 1 on 1 game.

Answer 10

Jordan.