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The 20 Best and Greatest NBA Players of All Time Ranked
One of the biggest debates in sports is the debate over who the greatest player in league history is. Michael Jordan? LeBron James? Kareem Abdul-Jabbar? There’s strong arguments for all three.
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But the debate isn’t just about who the GOAT is. People debate where all the greats in league history stand when compared with each other. Get on Twitter and you’re bound to see copious arguments about every player on this list and where they place in the all-time debate. Is Tim Duncan a top 10 player? Is Stephen Curry a top 15 player? When will names like Giannis Antetokounmpo and Nikola Jokic find their spot in this list? (Spoiler: not yet for either of those two, though they deserve mention and will certainly be here by the time their careers are over.)
This list will showcase the 20 greatest NBA players of all-time.
Top 20 NBA Players of All Time
Below are the 20 best NBA players of all-time. Remember: lists like this are subjective. Who would be in your top 20 list?
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20. Moses Malone
Moses Malone is a 13-time All Star and three-time MVP. He led the NBA in total rebounds six times and made eight All-NBA teams. He won the NBA championship in 1983 with the Philadelphia 76ers. Originally drafted in the ABA, he spent the early part of his NBA career in Houston. For his career, Malone averaged 21.5 points and 13.0 rebounds per game.
19. Karl Malone
Karl Malone spent almost the entirety of his NBA career with the Utah Jazz, who drafted him with the 13th overall pick in the 1985 NBA Draft. There, he formed a pair with John Stockton that made it to multiple NBA Finals. He never won one, but he did win two MVP awards and was a 14-time NBA All-Star, as well as a 14-time member of an All-NBA team. After leaving the Jazz, he played one season for the Lakers before retiring.
18. Dirk Nowitzki
Dirk Nowitzki is the rare player who never played for more than one NBA franchise. While he was officially drafted by the Bucks, Nowitzki was traded to Dallas, where he spent 21 seasons. A 14-time All-Star, Dirk brought the Mavs an NBA title in 2011 and won one MVP award. He made 12 All-NBA teams and averaged 20.7 points for his career while shooting 38% from three.
17. Julius Erving
Dr. J is best known for his stunning dunking ability, but he’s more than just a dunker. The four-time MVP played in both the NBA and ABA, making a combined 12 all-league teams between the two. He won a pair of titles in the ABA and one in the NBA. For his career, Erving averaged 24.2 points and 8.5 rebounds per game.
16. Kevin Garnett
The No. 5 overall pick by the Timberwolves in 1995, Garnett would have been a Hall of Famer even if he’d never been traded to the Celtics, where he won a title in 2008. But that championship helped cap off a strong NBA career. The one-time MVP led the NBA in rebounds three times and appeared in 15 All-Star Games. He was also the Defensive Player of the Year in 2008.
15. Jerry West
West, the No. 2 pick in the 1960 NBA Draft, spent his whole career with the Lakers, averaging 27.0 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 6.7 assists per game during his Hall-of-Fame career. He was a 14-time All-Star and led the league in scoring in 1970, when he averaged 31.2 points per game. While he was never the MVP, the fact he was an All-Star in every one of his NBA seasons is an impressive fact.
14. Steph Curry
Stephen Curry’s got a lock on the title of greatest shooter in league history. He’s currently the NBA’s all-time leader in three-pointers made, with 3,390 of them ahead of the 2023-24 NBA season. A two-time MVP and two-time scoring champion, Curry has made nine All-NBA teams during his career and has won four NBA titles with the Golden State Warriors.
13. Oscar Robertson
One of the greatest distributors of all-time, Robertson led the NBA in assists six times during his career. The 1964 MVP won one title as a player and made 11 All-NBA teams. He was the No. 1 overall pick by the Cincinnati Royals in the 1960 NBA Draft. For his career, Robertson averaged 9.5 assists per game and also added 25.7 points per contest.
12. Kobe Bryant
One of the most hotly-debated placements on any all-time list is Kobe Bryant. He won five NBA titles with the Lakers and made 15 All-NBA teams, but won just a single MVP award. Bryant led the NBA in scoring twice. He might not be in the GOAT conversation, but he’s one of the best guards in league history. He’s also the only player on this list with an Oscar. Bryant tragically passed away in 2020 in a helicopter accident.
11. Kevin Durant
Sure, Kevin Durant’s two NBA championships came after he joined an already strong Warriors squad, but that doesn’t take away from the stellar career that KD has had. The four-time scoring champion and 2014 NBA MVP has made 10 All-NBA teams during his career and has posted averages of 27.3 points, 7.1 rebounds and 4.3 assists per game since joining the league in 2007, when the SuperSonics used the No. 2 pick on him.
10. Hakeem Olajuwon
Hakeem Olajuwon, who played college ball in Houston before the Rockets took his first overall in the 1984 NBA Draft, is one of the greatest centers in league history. With his patented dream shake move, he averaged 21.8 points per game in his career. On the other end, he led the league in blocks three times and was the Defensive Player of the Year twice. He was also the overall league MVP in 1994.
9. Shaquille O’Neal
You can argue that no NBA player had the raw power of Shaquille O’Neal. He was unstoppable when he had the ball inside. Shaq led the NBA in scoring twice and won four NBA title, the first three with the Lakers and the final one with the Heat. He was MVP once but added three Finals MVP awards to his resume as well. Shaq averaged 23.7 points and 10.9 rebounds in the NBA. He made three All-Defensive teams.
8. Tim Duncan
Duncan was a portrait of consistency with the San Antonio Spurs, where he won five NBA title and made 15 All-Star appearances. One of the best defenders ever, Duncan appeared on 15 All-Defensive teams, though he never won DPOY. He averaged over 20 points and 11 rebounds per game in each of his first eight NBA seasons. Duncan ended his career with averages of 19.0 points and 10.8 rebounds per game on 50.6% shooting.
7. Wilt Chamberlain
If we went just by numbers, Chamberlain might be the GOAT. He used his huge physical advantage over his opponents to lead the NBA in scoring seven times and rebounding 11 times. Some of his averages were absurd—his career 30.1 points per game is second in league history, and in 1962 Wilt averaged 50.4 points per contest. What’s most wild is that even when the scoring went away later in his career, the rebounding didn’t He led the league in rebounds per game in each of his final three NBA seasons.
6. Larry Bird
There’s a little bit of “what could have been” with Bird, who played just 13 seasons because of back issues. But he made the most of those 13 years in the league, winning three MVPs and appearing in 12 All-Star Games. He won three titles with the Celtics. Bird averaged 24.3 points per game in his career and led the league in three-pointers twice. He was also the Rookie of the Year in his first NBA season.
5. Magic Johnson
Like Bird, there’s some “what could have been” with Magic as well, as he too played just 13 years, with his career cut short after his HIV diagnosis. Johnson also made the most of his time in the NBA though, winning three MVP awards and five NBA championships. He averaged 19.5 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 11.2 assists per game during his career, leading the NBA in assists four times. He came back from his retirement to play 32 games in the 1995-96 season and looked like he hadn’t missed a beat, averaging 14.6 points and 6.3 assists. His scoring numbers on a per-play basis were fairly in line with his pre-retirement numbers.
4. Bill Russell
There are people who think Russell’s the GOAT because of his championship rings, and there’s nothing wrong with thinking that. The man won NBA titles at a rate that no one playing today could ever approach. Russell played 13 seasons in the NBA; he won a championship in 11 of those. He was a 12-time All-Star and five-time MVP who led the NBA in rebounds four times. Russell averaged 22.5 rebounds per game across his 13 seasons, good for second in league history. No one will ever match the team success that Russell had.
3. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
Now we’ve reached the pantheon of this list, the three players who have the best case to be named as the greatest NBA player of all-time. Let’s start with a name that topped this list for much of the 1970s and 1980s, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
Kareem, one of the greatest college players in basketball history, was picked No. 1 overall by the Milwaukee Bucks in 1969. He played six seasons with the Bucks, making the All-Star team in all of those years and twice leading the NBA in scoring, including in 1972 when he averaged 34.8 points per game.
But his biggest impact came with the Lakers. In 1975, he was traded to Los Angeles along with Walt Wesley for Junior Bridgeman, Dave Meyers, Elmore Smith and Brian Winters. Five of his six NBA championships came in Los Angeles.
Overall, Abdul-Jabbar was a 19-time All-Star, missing just once. He was on 15 All-NBA teams and won six MVP awards. He was also the league’s leading scorer for years until he was recently passed on that list by LeBron James.
2. LeBron James
The biggest debate in NBA circles when it comes to the top players of all-time is the debate between Michael Jordan and LeBron James for the top spot.
From a longevity perspective, LeBron has the edge. He’s played 20 NBA seasons, making 19 All-Star teams and leading the league in scoring once and assists once. He’s the NBA’s all-time leader in points at 38,652 and is sixth in all-time points per game at 27.2. He’s also No. 4 on the list for all-time assists, and he’s the active leader in total rebounds. LeBron does it all.
He’s also won titles with three different teams, including bringing one to his hometown of Cleveland in 2016. He’s ultimately won four NBA titles and has also appeared in the Finals six other times. For years, the Eastern Conference ran through James, as his team represented the East in eight consecutive Finals.
And James still has time to add to his legacy. Don’t consider this placement at No. 2 overall to be set in stone, as James could still rise to No. 1 with another title, or just from his continued production as a scorer. He averaged 24.5 points per game last season despite being in his 20th NBA season.
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1. Michael Jordan
At the top of our list, we have Michael Jordan. Air Jordan. His Airness. M.J. The 14-time All-Star played just 15 NBA seasons because of a pair of early retirements, but what he did in those seasons is unmatched.
Jordan led the Bulls to six NBA titles, in the form of two three-peats that were interrupted only by the two seasons where Jordan was retired (or returning late from his retirement). He won 10 scoring titles. Three steals titles. Added five MVPs and a DPOY award to his mantle. Won Finals MVP in all six of his appearances.
Even when he came back in his late 30s for two seasons with the Wizards, he was very good. Jordan averaged 20.0 points per game as a 39-year-old. If he hadn’t retired three times during his career, he might have a resume that could never be topped. As it stands, he’s the winner in a tight GOAT battle with LeBron James.
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Best NBA Players of All Time FAQs
Here are some answers to the top questions about the league’s greatest players.
Who is better: LeBron or Michael Jordan?
It might come down to personal preference here as these two and neck-and-neck, but Jordan’s 6-0 record in the NBA Finals gives him a slight edge over LeBron James.
Who is the greatest NBA player before Jordan and LeBron?
Before MJ and LeBron shot to the top of the NBA’s all-time rankings, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was the top player of all-time, with Bill Russell competing for the role.
Who is the best NBA player right now?
LeBron James is the best active player in the league as far as all-time rankings go, but two-time MVP Nikola Jokic has the edge when it comes to who’s playing the best basketball right now.
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