A popular discussion, always, is trying to rank the best players in a sport. Actually, the only one that keeps popping up, is the NBA GOAT discussion; I laugh. I laugh because there is no argument for who the best player of all time is in the NBA; that title is taken. Michael Jeffrey Jordan is and will always be numero uno; big shocker there. The question in my rankings start at #2. THIS should be where the discussion should evolve. Tell me #2 is. Talk to me about the top 5/10 of all time. #1 is already taken.
Am I ready to rank the other tiers at this point? I don’t know. I could certainly give it a shot. I already did my all-time starting five of the Big O, MJ, Bird, KG, and Olajuwon; this gives me a head start on my rankings. This doesn’t necessarily mean this is my 1-5… it’s just MY all-time starting five. If I were to rank them overall, it would be a slightly different story.
LeBron James… the biggest, latest “threat” to MJ’s crown. I put “threat” in quotation marks, because it’s kind of a joke. No matter who says what, no matter what narrative is pushed, no matter what other record LeBron breaks because he won’t retire, the crown is taken “king”… another joke. OK, got it, but where DOES he rank all-time? Well, I think I’m the wrong person to ask that question. I certainly wouldn’t have him top 5, maybe not even top 10. Top 20, sure. But, if you wanted to slot him top 5/10, I won’t call you stupid. I’d only do that if you think about putting him #1; then you’re an f-ing idiot.
Kobe Bryant… the recent riser up the all-time ranks. Is he #2? Well, before you answer that, just remember he isn’t even the best all-time Laker! Same goes for LBJ. Heard of Magic, Kareem? They’re both ranked ahead of Kobe on my list, and obvious James. So… how does that work again? What about Shaq and Wilt? A couple other Lakers that are certainly ranked ahead of James; how about Kobe? The Lakers have been blessed with a ton of talent, all-time talent over the years, and I haven’t even mentioned West or Baylor yet. Am I jealous? Maybe just a little bit.
The other all-time franchise, the Celtics, has had their share too, right? I know I just got done hating on them, but come on… all those banners… had to have some talent, even if a big chunk of those titles came when there was like 6 teams in the league. Bill “11 rings” Russell… in the convo, right? Larry Bird? Yeah, don’t get it twisted, he was legit… all-time legit. People tend to forget about players in the past… just because you weren’t alive to see it, doesn’t mean it didn’t happen, ok?
I crack up at some of this shit… Kyrie and Luka best backcourt of all time. This “all-time” term… is used a little loosely… actually, A LOT loosely. We all want to witness the “greatest” in anything and everything, but the fact is, if you weren’t alive to see MJ play, well… there’s always YouTube. I may have a few VHS tapes lying around too; hit me up.
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