Who doesn’t like basketball? The sport has seen exceptional moments and excellent players over the years. These moments are without a doubt created by the most well-known names in the court. Basketball is a sport where a single player can turn over the full game single-handedly. In its 73 years, the NBA has given us several exceptional players and these names are forever going to stay in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. Here are some of the best basketball champions the world has seen to date.
10) Hakeem Olajuwon
Active years: 1984 to 2002
Team: Houston Rockets and the Toronto Raptors
Position: center position.
Acclamations: 2 NBA titles, 2 Finals MVPs, 1 regular season MVP
Hakeem Olajuwon is perhaps most known for his trademark move which is known as Dream Shake. The-dream Shake led his team to win 2 final MVPs back-to-back for Houston rockets. The player is known as one of the most prominent defenders of all time with 3.3 blocks on an average game. This also makes him the only player in the history of the NBA to win regular-season MVP and defensive player of the year in the same season of 1994.
9) Wilt Chamberlain
Active years: 1958–1973
Team: San Francisco Warriors, the Philadelphia 76ers, and the Los Angeles Lakers
Position: center
Acclamations: 2 NBA titles, 1 Finals MVP, 4 regular season MVPs
Wilt Chamberlain is known as one of the best and most prominent dominant players of all time. His Statistics are not only hard to believe but almost unimaginable as well with 50.4 points on an average and 25.7 rebounds. He can single-handedly be the one-man powerhouse for all the NBA teams he led.
8) Karl Malone
Active years: 1985–2004
Team: Los Angeles Lakers, Utah Jazz
Position: Power forward
Acclamations: 2 MVP Awards, 11 NBA First Team nominations, 3 times NBA All-Defensive First Team
Within an average of up to 25 points and 10.1 rebounds per game throughout his career Karl Malone’s 20 years career couldn’t land a win in the championship. A terrific physical defender and rebounder, he has a value over replacement player which is third all-time.
7) Kobe Bryant
Active years: 1996–2016
Team: Los Angeles Lakers
Position: Shooting guard
Acclamations: 5 NBA championships, 18-time All-Star, 12-time member of the All-Defensive Team, 2 NBA Finals MVP winners
Kobe Bryant led his team to five NBA championships. With the nickname, Black Mamba, he is the first all-time with 15 all NBA selections. With an average 25.0 points per game throughout his career the player also holds the third of all time rank with 50 point games. He started his career in the NBA right from high school.
6) Larry Bird
Active years: 1979–1992
Team: Boston Celtics
Position: power forward, small forward
Acclamations: 3 NBA titles, 2 Finals MVPs, 3 regular season MVPs
Larry bird is known as one of the best shooters of all time. The player led his team to 3 NBA championships and 5 NBA finals. Larry Bird averaged 24.3 points, 6.3 per game and 10.0 rebounds during his career. He had great basketball IQ and skills which is most prominent in his deadly jump shot.
5) Magic Johnson
Active years: 1980-1996
Team: Los Angeles Lakers, Magic M7 Borås, Magic Great Danes
Position: Point guard
Acclamations: 5 NBA titles, 3 Finals MVPs, 3 regular season MVPs
Magic Johnson started his career as a replacement for endangered Kareem Abdul Jabbar. He made his mark in the court when he won finals MVP as a rookie. Even though he played for a point guard he is one of the best all-rounders of all time. Johnson is the only player in NBA history with an average of more than 11 assists per game. He led his team to 5 NBA championships.
4) Shaquille O’Neal
Active years: 1992–2011
Team: Orlando Magic, Los Angeles Lakers, Cleveland Cavaliers, Phoenix Suns, Miami Heat, and Boston Celtics
Position: Center
Acclamations: 4 NBA titles, 3 Finals MVPs, 1 reg. season MV
Known for his immense strength and powerful play against defenders Shaquille O’Neal is one of the greatest players of his generation. The player holds the 6th best shooting percentage in NBA history. It is because of this great fiat he was able to lead his team Los Angeles Lakers to three consecutive NBA championships. Due to this, he landed with 3 finals MVP.
3) Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
Active years: 1969–1989
Team: Milwaukee Bucks and the Los Angeles Lakers.
Position: center
Acclamations: 6 NBA titles, 2 Finals MVPs, 6 regular season MVPs
Kareem Abdul Jabbar is known for his consistency and ability to maintain the averages in all the seasons he played. He holds an all-time leading scorer in the whole NBA history as well as a staggering 6 regular-season MVP awards. He holds the record for 19 all-star game selections in his 20 seasons of playing.
2) LeBron James
Active years: 2004-Present
Team: Los Angeles Lakers
Position: Power forward, Small forward
Acclamations: 2 NBA titles, 2 Finals MVPs, 4 Regular season MVPs
With a staggering career stats line, LeBron James stands out from the crowd. He led his team Miami Heat and Cleveland Cavaliers tour surprising eight consecutive NBA finals and ended up winning 3 championships as well. James holds a record of 27.1 points per game. The statistics and MVP are enough reasons why he earned the rightful title of “King James”.
1) Michael Jordan
Active years: 1984-2003
Team: Chicago Bulls, Washington Wizards
Position: Shooting guard / Small forward
Acclamations: 6 NBA titles, 6 Finals MVPs, 5 regular season MVPs
Hands down Michael Jordan is the greatest player in all of NBA history. He has an average of 30.1 points per game which places him right at the top of the chart. He is the best defense to date with an average of 2.35 seals per game. He led his team with unmatchable leadership Anderson unbelievable 6 NBA final appearances.
With all the right stats Michael Jordan takes the top spot in our list which makes him the greatest player of all times for now. He also did some commercials for different basketball shoes brands.
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