Sports Illustrated 's annual Top 100 list is back, aiming to answer that question. Westbrook owns the record for career triple-doubles -- 193 -- beating out Oscar Robertson's previous mark. -- Youngmisuk, 1987-98, 2003-04 Chicago Bulls; 1999 Houston Rockets; 1999-2003 Portland Trail Blazers, Pippen carved out a career for himself with unbelievable consistency on both ends of the floor. The star player on Blazers teams that averaged 60 wins and made Finals appearances in 1990 and 1992, Drexler was an All-NBA first team pick in '92 and a 10-time All-Star. He was arguably even more dominant as a defender, twice winning Defensive Player of the Year and setting a record for blocks in a career that might never be challenged. He developed into a very good spot-up shooter after his skills waned in his twilight, one reason he fit so well with Dirk Nowitzki as the leaders of the Mavs' championship team. Adding the former MVP to a team that had gone 73-9 the year before created arguably the greatest team in NBA history, with Durant shining brightest against LeBron James in the NBA Finals to win Finals MVP back-to-back years. Accomplishments: Two-time All-Star, two-time All-NBA, eight-time All-Defensive team, two-time Defensive Player of the Year, seven-time rebounding champ, five-time NBA champion. O'Neal became an All-Star 15 times and earned the 1999-2000 MVP award. Being in the conversation as the best player of all time means being part of an exclusive club -- no disrespect to those who just missed out on the top 10. Stats: 23.0 PPG, 6.3 RPG, 2.8 APG in 18 seasons with Denver Nuggets (2003-04 to 2010-11), New York Knicks (2010-11 to 2016-17), Oklahoma City Thunder (2017-18), Houston Rockets (2018-19), Portland Trail Blazers (2019-20 to 2020-21)*. -- Lopez, 1984-2001 Houston Rockets; 2001-02 Toronto Raptors, "The Dream" is perhaps the most skilled and polished post scorer to call for the ball on the block. TrueHoop TV: Kobe, Jerry West and the top shooting guards ever, All-Time #NBArank: The 10 greatest small forwards in NBA history, Photos: Classic action shots of league's best small forwards. Stats: 22.0 PPG, 4.7 RPG, 5.4 APG in 16 seasons with Miami Heat (2003-04 to 2015-16; 2017-18 to 2018-19), Chicago Bulls (2016-17) and Cleveland Cavaliers (2017-18). -- Bontemps, 1985-2000 New York Knicks; 2000-01 Seattle SuperSonics; 2001-02 Orlando Magic, This Knicks big man endeared himself to generations of New Yorkers because of his ability to perform and produce under the brightest of spotlights. He found a way to make seven All-Star teams and gave the Pistons their first taste of success after moving from Fort Wayne to Detroit. Stats: 20.9 PPG, 9.1 RPG, 4.5 APG in eight seasons with Milwaukee Bucks (2013-14 to 2020-21)*. NFL. His mobility and physicality changed the expectations for modern-day big men. NBA Countdown starts with a heated discussion with Paul Pierce making his case of LeBron James not being a top-5 player all time, with Jay Williams and Jalen. Accomplishments: Seven-time All-Star, two-time All-NBA, 1988 Finals MVP, three-time NBA champion. He'll forever be on the short list of players you'd want to take the last shot with the game on the line. Accomplishments: Nine-time All-Star, nine-time All-NBA, 2016-17 MVP, two-time All-Star MVP, two-time scoring champ, three-time assists champ. ESPN put out their own top 75. #8: Kobe Bryant is currently third on the all-time scoring list, and 15th in steals. Jordan's brilliance on both ends of the court defined a generation of basketball and set a new standard for players following in his footsteps. Fantasy Incarnate Word Cardinals. Oh yeah: Along the way, he was a six-time NBA Finals champ, six-time NBA Finals MVP, five-time NBA MVP and 14-time NBA All-Star. Accomplishments: 10-time All-Star, two-time All-NBA, two-time NBA champion. ESPN's NBA expert panel voted on thousands of head-to-head player matchups, taking into consideration the quality and quantity of their NBA contributions. Robertson averaged a triple-double for an entire season in 1961-62 and finished with what was then a record number of career triple-doubles, performances that would not be matched until Westbrook's recent peak. With his hook shot, Mikan led the league in scoring in his first three seasons. He loved being the face of the Pacers and he loved that he played his whole career in Indianapolis. Stats: 18.7 PPG, 12.9 RPG, 1.8 APG in 10 seasons with New York Knicks (1964-65 to 1973-74). As a five-time All-Star, Jones was hardly ineffective during the regular season, but he increased his scoring average in the playoffs every year from 1961-62 through 1966-67 -- peaking at 28.6 PPG in 1965 -- as the Celtics won five championships during that span. Jordan is widely regarded as the greatest basketball player of all time -- he changed so many different facets of the league -- but maybe most of all, he showed players they could grow themselves into a global brand on and off the floor with stellar play and the right marketing machine behind it all. NCAAW. It's clear why he is part of this list at age 27. Here's the entire list, 1-74: Michael Jordan LeBron James Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Bill Russell Magic Johnson Wilt Chamberlain Larry Bird Tim Duncan Kobe Bryant Shaquille O'Neal Oscar Robertson Hakeem Olajuwon Stephen Curry Kevin Durant Julius Erving Jerry West Karl Malone Moses Malone Dirk Nowitzki Kevin Garnett Scottie Pippen Elgin Baylor Stats: 18.8 PPG, 2.3 RPG, 7.4 APG in 13 seasons with Cincinnati Royals/KC-Omaha/Kansas City Kings (1970-71 to 1975-76), New York Nets (1976-77), Boston Celtics (1978-79 to 1982-83) and Milwaukee Bucks (1983-84). NCAAW. Gervin glided his way to buckets, often with a gold chain or two dangling from his neck, winning four scoring titles en route to 20,708 points in the NBA. ESPN's 100 Greatest NBA Players of All-Time Quiz Stats Popular Quizzes Today 1 Find the US States - No Outlines Minefield 2 Countries of the World 3 Find the Countries of Europe - No Outlines Minefield 4 Name Just One - 10 to 1: History Sports NBA Random Sports or NBA Quiz ESPN's 100 Greatest NBA Players of All-Time Stats -- Bontemps, 1969-75 Milwaukee Bucks; 1975-89 Los Angeles Lakers, No one in NBA history can match Abdul-Jabbar's lengthy list of achievements. Accomplishments: Eight-time All-Star, three-time All-NBA, three-time All-Defensive team, 1972-73 MVP, 1973 All-Star MVP, 1970-71 Rookie of the Year, two-time NBA champion. -- McMenamin, When you are the logo of the NBA, it means you have done something special in your career. -- Collier, Long before there was "Playoff Rondo," Jones earned the nickname "Mr. His staggering total of 38,387 points has looked unbreakable for decades. But Unseld wasn't just all muscle; he was one of the best outlet passers the NBA has seen. Old school vs. new school? Traya Bruce is the best bet for Nicholls from beyond the arc. Stats: 22.8 PPG, 8.6 RPG, 2.3 APG in 10 NBA seasons with Philadelphia Warriors (1950-51 to 1961-62). -- Collier, 1965-72, 1974-76 Philadelphia 76ers; also played two ABA seasons with Carolina Cougars (1972-74), A fixture with the 76ers as both a player and coach, Cunningham was part of one of the most iconic teams in NBA history: the 1967 NBA champion Sixers. He played like a swingman, shooting midrange shots and becoming just one of three players in NBA history to have at least 20,000 career points, 10,000 career rebounds and 5,000 career assists. Cricket. Garnett played with legendary passion and a gift of trash talk that rivaled the greatest in the game. Sports Illustrated unveils its sixth annual Top 100 list. Stats: 24.6 PPG, 11.2 RPG, 3.6 APG in 20 seasons with Milwaukee Bucks (1969-70 to 1974-75) and Los Angeles Lakers (1975-76 to 1988-89); NBA's career leader in total points. Accomplishments: Five-time All-Star, five-time All-NBA, two-time Finals MVP, two-time Defensive Player of the Year, 2020 All-Star MVP, 2014-15 steals champ, two-time NBA champion. He earned respect from his peers by how hard he played and how tough it was to go against him. Julius Erving. Nash was the featured player on one of the most exciting Offensive teams to watch in NBA History. Stephen Curry or Kevin Durant? Accomplishments: 10-time All-Star, six-time All-NBA, 2012-13 scoring champ. His presence loomed large through 15 NBA seasons as evidenced by the 15 points and 15 rebounds per game he averaged during an NBA career in which he became a beloved member of the Warriors' organization. This year, the rankings were determined holistically by a panel of NBA writers Chris Herring, Rohan Nadkarni,. 9-20, 3-13 conf. Jordan led the Bulls to six NBA championships, winning six Finals MVP awards and five regular-season MVP honors while becoming a global icon on and off the floor. Accomplishments: 14-time All-Star, 11-time All-NBA, nine-time All-Defensive team, five-time MVP, six-time Finals MVP, three-time All-Star MVP, 1987-88 Defensive Player of the Year, 1984-85 Rookie . NBA. From the five championships to the 81 points against the Raptors and the 60-piece in his sendoff, few to lace them up have had more legendary careers than Bryant. Cricket. ESPN's Malika Andrews and Kendrick Perkins the latter a Celtics alumnus himself dove into all things Boston basketball in a clip produced for the day's focus on the Celtics, getting . Gamecast; Preview; Northwestern State Lady Demons vs Incarnate Word . Wade always played bigger than his 6-foot-4 height, blocking more shots than any guard in history, playoffs included. Fantasy. Wade spent the majority of his 16-year career playing for the Miami Heat of the National Basketball Association (NBA) and won three NBA championships, was a 13-time NBA All-Star, an 8-time member of the All-NBA Team, and a 3-time member of the All-Defensive Team. Alexander leads Nicholls in scoring and rebounding with 13.9 points and 8.5 boards per game. Accomplishments: 18-time All-Star, 15-time All-NBA, 12-time All-Defensive team, 2007-08 MVP, two-time Finals MVP, four-time All-Star MVP, two-time scoring champ, five-time NBA champion. The complete list of players is in alphabetical order below. Johnson helped the team to a championship as a rookie, filling in for the injured Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in the clinching win. Stats: 20.3 PPG, 3.8 RPG, 6.0 APG in 12 seasons with Detroit Pistons (1966-67 to 1974-75), Washington Bullets (1975-76 to 1976-77) and Boston Celtics (1977-78). -- McMenamin, 1984-93, 1995-98 Chicago Bulls; 2001-03 Washington Wizards, The greatest player of all time. 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