Top 10 Best Basketball Players of All Time

Basketball is the sport of legends, and these players are the best of the best. They have dazzled fans with their amazing skills, incredible athleticism, and unstoppable will to win. They have won championships, MVPs, and other awards, but more importantly, they have changed the game forever.

This list features players from all positions, eras, and teams, but they all have one thing in common: they are the ultimate basketball players. Some of them were pioneers who revolutionized the game, while others were dominant forces who ruled the game for years.

The Top Ten

Michael Jordan

Michael Jeffrey Jordan, also known by his initials MJ, is an American retired professional basketball player. Widely regarded as the greatest basketball player of all time, he made six NBA Finals appearances. Jordan won the NBA championship each time.

Jordan, Kareem, and Wilt are the top three players of all time. Jordan was a 6-time NBA champ, and he and his teams were 6-0 in the Finals. He was a 5-time MVP. He has the highest scoring average (30.1) in NBA history. He was an outstanding defensive player.
Kareem was a 6-time MVP, 6-time NBA champ, had an unstoppable shot (the sky hook) that no one since has perfected, was a true defensive force in the middle, and was an excellent rebounder.
Wilt was a completely dominant force whose abilities and accomplishments get criticized because of the time in which he played. It's not Chamberlain's fault that he was so much better than the competition. No one was more feared in NBA history than Wilt.
Magic Johnson

Earvin "Magic" Johnson Jr. is a retired American professional basketball player who played point guard for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association for 13 seasons. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest point guards in NBA history.

Magic could easily play point guard, shooting guard, small forward, and power forward. He once played center in the 1980 NBA Finals and won with Kareem injured in Game 6. The Bulls struggled when Jordan played the point because he was not good at distributing. Jordan was too small in size and did not have the strength to play small forward at his prime.
Overall Talent
While I do give Michael Jordan the edge in scoring, Magic had more all-around talent. He has 100 more triple-doubles than Michael Jordan did, even though he retired at only 32. Magic Johnson was the best passer the game has ever seen. Not even John Stockton, Jason Kidd, Steve Nash, or Chris Paul can pass as well as Magic Johnson. Magic Johnson was the best rebounder who played at any guard position, averaging 7.2 rebounds a game for his career.
Competitiveness
While Jordan did win 6 rings, Magic Johnson won 5 rings in the 1980s era - that was the best in basketball. There were the Celtics who had Bird, McHale, and Parish. The Pistons who had Isiah Thomas, Dennis Rodman, Joe Dumars. And the 76ers who had Moses Malone and Dr. J. Magic beat all those teams, which were the only other teams to win a championship besides the Lakers in the 1980s. The teams Jordan beat had only one top-50 player of all time, or at most two like the Jazz. Magic Johnson saved the NBA, and he is the Greatest Player of All Time!
LeBron James

LeBron Raymone James is an American professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Over his career, LeBron has played for the Cleveland Cavaliers, Miami Heat, and the Lakers. He has won four NBA championships.

LeBron James, given the weapons players like Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, Kobe Bryant, or Michael Jordan had, could be on his way to more rings than them. James is the greatest team leader I've ever seen.
You put him on any team, and they are championship contenders. The year after he left Cleveland, they went from 61-21 to 19-63, and when he left the Heat, they went from 54-28 (in the finals) to 37-45 (no playoffs).
He has the greatest effect on any team that I've ever seen. If you're going to talk about the greatest of all time, there are only five names relevant to the conversation: Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, Wilt Chamberlain, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and LeBron James!
Larry Bird

Larry Joe Bird is a retired American professional basketball player who played for the Boston Celtics in the NBA from 1979 to 1992. He won three NBA championships, was named Rookie of the Year, and earned a Finals MVP award. Bird also won the Three-Point Contest three times and is widely regarded as... read more

Larry was a great shooter with few dunks, unlike Jordan who had many dunks to increase his shooting percentage. Larry was also a better rebounder, free-throw shooter, and passer than Jordan. Larry entered the NBA one year late after sitting out a year in college and missed almost another full year in his prime with a foot injury.
He was not a selfish shooter but just wanted to win and would get all of his teammates involved. He averaged over 10 rebounds per game for his career - not bad for someone who couldn't jump! He was both the first and second player ever to shoot over 50% from the field and over 90% from the line for a season - and this from a long-range shooter! He was the best ever with a full command of the game and awareness of what was happening - always.
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is an American retired professional basketball player who played 20 seasons in the National Basketball Association for the Milwaukee Bucks and the Los Angeles Lakers. He is the NBA's all-time leading scorer with 38,387 points, a record he held from 1989 until it was surpassed in 2023... read more

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is one of the most underrated players in NBA history despite being the all-time leader in scoring, having six championships (more than Jordan), having the most MVP trophies (more than Jordan), being third in rebounding, and third in shot blocking. It's amazing because shot blocking wasn't even counted statistically until his fourth year in the NBA. It's safe to say that if they would've counted it from his rookie year up, he might very well be the all-time leader in shot blocking. He is never in the conversation of the greatest of all time. Why?

Kareem was the best player of the 70s. Nobody could stop his sky hook. He continued to be top five for most of the 80s. I don't think he received the recognition he deserved due to a lack of flashiness and a quiet demeanor. At 7-2, 275 lbs, he was an immovable object with the grace of a gazelle. Come on, he led Milwaukee to two NBA Finals, winning one. Who else could have done that? This happened years before Magic Johnson came along. Let's give the man his props.
Wilt Chamberlain

Wilton Norman "Wilt" Chamberlain was an American basketball player. He was born on August 21, 1936, in Philadelphia and died on October 12, 1999, in Los Angeles due to heart failure. He was 63 years old at the time of his death.... read more

He averaged 50 points in a single season, scored 100 points in a single game, got 55 rebounds against the Celtics led by Bill Russell (2nd all-time career rebounder behind Chamberlain), and had a 33-game winning streak. Of the 62 times more than 60 points have been scored by a single person in a game, 32 of those times were by Chamberlain. Blocked shots were recorded after he retired, but Harvey Pollack asked his statisticians to count Chamberlain's blocks, and they got up to 25 one night, well above the record for most blocks in a single game.
Elgin Baylor said that Chamberlain was the only player who could dominate on both ends of the court. He recalled one particular game against the Bulls where he blocked every single shot for 4-5 minutes and how no one from the Bulls could get a shot in.
In a sport where one game is 48 minutes, for a season he averaged 48.5 minutes a game, thanks to overtime. Bill Russell, the man who won more rings than he has fingers, said that Wilt Chamberlain was the best player he ever played against and that it wasn't even close.
He scored a lot, but he was also an accurate shooter. Through more than 70 years of the National Basketball Association, Wilt Chamberlain still holds the record for the highest season field goal percentage at 0.727.
This man was unstoppable.
Kobe Bryant

Kobe Bryant (1978-2020) was an American professional basketball player who played his entire 20-year career with the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association. He won five NBA championships with the Lakers and retired in 2016 as the franchise's all-time leading scorer.... read more

This is for everyone on LeBron's comment list who can't even spell and continues to say how Kobe cannot take over a game, is a selfish ball player, or how he relied on his teammates. You are all mentally challenged and obviously have only watched LeBron for the past 7 years.
Kobe had Shaq, everyone says? Kobe and Shaq were all that team had as far as talent! The only other people on that team were role players, not stars. LeBron has 2 other All-Stars on his team and still couldn't do what Kobe did with role players. This is a joke of an argument.
I wish very much that I would have been old enough and involved enough with the game to see Jordan play. Unfortunately, I was not. Kobe Bryant is simply incredible. He is the only player in the entire league that I can safely say that anything is possible, and he has a chance to overcome any situation and prevail.
LeBron is predictable, same crap every year. Conference finals and lose, or, more recently, a loss in the finals when he choked and played like garbage. So he is exciting to watch, his stats are great, he wins regular season games. Every NBA player will say themselves that it means nothing without the championship. I personally believe they are still great accomplishments but nowhere near as impressive as what Kobe Bryant has done in this league.
I mean, come on people, the guy coaches his own teammates on the triangle offense in the middle of the games. He doesn't just play for his team. He makes his team every year. He builds his team and his teammates every year. He is incredibly intelligent in the game of basketball and possesses everything that LeBron personally wishes he had.
Bill Russell

William Felton "Bill" Russell was an American professional basketball player. He played center for the Boston Celtics in the National Basketball Association from 1956 to 1969. Russell was an 11-time NBA champion and a five-time MVP, widely regarded as one of the greatest players in the history of the... read more

Most opinions that I read about come from people who use statistics. They are simply very misleading. And how does one define the "best" basketball player? Is it the one with the best overall skills? Russell was not too good at dribbling or shooting.
But in a team game, I think it makes more sense to talk about how "valuable" a player is. In other words, what would happen if the team lost that player? How easy would it be to replace that player's skills with someone else?
If we look at it that way, then Russell is clearly the first choice. No one is even close. Russell was the Boston Celtics' fast break, possibly the most dominating aspect that basketball has ever seen. Russell got the rebound, turned, made his outlet pass, and the ball was near half-court by the time Russell hit the ground. No wonder he did not score many points.
Chamberlain, on the other hand, rebounded, shook his body, then handed off to his guard (Hal Greer most of the time). When Chamberlain got the ball, the rest of his team could take a nap, for all that it mattered. Wilt was going to shoot, score, or miss.
When Russell blocked a shot, it almost always "miraculously" ended up in the hands of a Celtic. Chamberlain's blocks went out of bounds. According to statistics, each had a blocked shot. But they did not have equal effects.
With Russell on defense, he intimidated shooters because his body could get to places that no one else could. There is no statistic at all for that. One of the two years that Russell did not win, he got hurt in the playoffs. The Celtics did not have the most individually talented players, but they had the most valuable player, one that made everyone else better.
Shaquille O'Neal

Shaquille Rashaun O'Neal, known widely as Shaq, is a retired American professional basketball player. He currently works as a sports analyst on the television program Inside the NBA. Renowned for his dominant presence on the court and his charismatic, approachable personality, O'Neal remains one of the... read more

Shaq was the most dominant player of all time. He was so dominant that we never use his last name. You wouldn't recognize his full name better than just Shaq. It's like Ichiro. Everyone knows his last name is Suzuki, but people refrain from saying it because they think it would be a sin or something.

Nobody can do a better charge than this man. He is currently, I think, the most experienced pro-basketball player on the NBA roster, being on it for currently 15 years. I mean, he is simply amazing. Him, along with the amazing Dwyane Wade, took the Miami Heat to places it hasn't gone before.
Oscar Robertson

Oscar Palmer Robertson, nicknamed "The Big O," is an American retired National Basketball Association player who played for the Cincinnati Royals and Milwaukee Bucks. He was the first player in NBA history to average a triple-double over an entire season, a feat he accomplished in the 1961-62 season... read more

The first player to average a triple-double, and he almost did it three more times. No one else has ever done something like this. He also did this without a three-point line. Oscar gave the NBA a new style of play and was one of the first great NBA point guards.

A "triple-double" for an entire season, and four other seasons where he almost did it as well - despite steals and blocks not being recorded as stats until his final season (so who knows how many others he should have/could have earned). Simple as that.

The Newcomers

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Chris Ford

The first person to hit a three-pointer.
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Metta Sandiford-Artest

Metta World Peace, born Ronald William Artest Jr. on November 13, 1979, and now legally named Metta Sandiford-Artest, is an American former professional basketball player who spent 17 seasons in the National Basketball Association. He is widely regarded as one of the league's elite perimeter lockdown... read more

The Contenders

Tim Duncan

Timothy Theodore "Tim" Duncan is a retired American professional basketball player. He played his entire 19-season career with the San Antonio Spurs of the National Basketball Association. Duncan won five NBA championships, earned two MVP awards, and is widely regarded as one of the greatest power forwards... read more

Are you kidding me?! 18? Tim Duncan is in the top ten at the very least. I sense a bit of Spurs hating on this list. The guy is a perennial All-Star, League MVP winner, Finals MVP winner, Rookie of the Year, All-NBA, etc. And possesses the traits that all true champions have: the ability to modify his game over time as needed.
Duncan's entry into the league was marked with moves and grace the likes of which hadn't ever been seen at the power forward position and will, from here on out, be the standard by which other power forwards will be judged. As he got older, he continued to find ways to remain relevant, even if he was no longer dominant. His basketball IQ is through the roof, and his mere presence on the floor makes his team better while simultaneously frustrating his opponents and making them worse.
I'm not sure why you have so many players ahead of Tim that have not won as many championships, if they even won one at all. I'm sorry, but this Hall of Fame player deserves to be way higher on this list than he is. Not bad for a kid from a tiny little island with 50,000 people on it and no real basketball program.
Hakeem Olajuwon

Hakeem Abdul Olajuwon, formerly known as Akeem Olajuwon, is a Nigerian-American retired professional basketball player. He played in the NBA from 1984 to 2002, spending most of his career with the Houston Rockets. Olajuwon led the Rockets to two NBA championships in 1994 and 1995 and was named NBA Finals... read more

Although many people consider Hakeem to be one of the ten greatest players to ever step onto the hardwood, his current fourteenth spot on this list proves that he is still one of the most underrated players. I genuinely believe that he is the greatest center of all time.
Offensively, his Dream Shake was absolutely uncontainable due to his guard-like ability to dribble and spin. He also had a knack for finishing with either power or finesse and was a constant threat with his mid-range jumper. What set him apart the most on the offensive end was his ability to pass the ball, especially when faced with double and triple teams.
Defensively, he was probably even better. He didn't just defend the post through help-side blocks. He was also an elite one-on-one defender. This goes without mentioning his ability to steal the ball - he ranks in the top 25 all-time - and leading the league in rebounding in back-to-back years. He also won back-to-back titles as the only superstar on the roster, something that many other greats cannot claim.
If you switched Hakeem with Kareem, Wilt, Russell, or Shaq, I can't see why he wouldn't win as many rings, if not more, given the context of the situation. This includes the weaker eras with Wilt and Russell, as well as having another bona fide superstar like Kareem and Shaq did.
The only players who achieved all five of the major statistical categories at an elite level for an extended period of time while overachieving in terms of team success are Pippen in '94, a prime Garnett, and LeBron James. Although this isn't a benchmark for greatness, it does point out the uniqueness of Hakeem. The only players I'd take over prime Hakeem are Michael and Magic.
Kevin Durant

Kevin Wayne Durant is an American professional basketball player for the Brooklyn Nets in the NBA. He previously starred with the Seattle SuperSonics/Oklahoma City Thunder and the Golden State Warriors. He was named NBA Finals MVP in both 2017 and 2018 after championship seasons with the Warriors.

Kevin Durant is amazing. As a player and as a person, he dominates and scores more points than LeBron and Kobe. In the summer, he's the one who calls up his teammates to go to the gym and shoot. Great leader. And the reason he wears the number 35 jersey is because his high school coach was murdered at the age of 35. Humble.

Durant is not even in the top 10? In the game at STAPLES Center in Los Angeles, Durant scored 34 points in 30 minutes of action! I know I copied and pasted that, but he has also won an NBA Most Valuable Player Award, four NBA scoring titles, the NBA Rookie of the Year Award, and two Olympic gold medals! Not many basketball players can say that, huh?
Allen Iverson

Allen Ezail Iverson (born June 7, 1975) is an American retired professional basketball player. He played 14 seasons in the NBA, primarily with the Philadelphia 76ers. Iverson was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2016 and is considered one of the greatest point guards in... read more

The reason AI is in the top 10 is that he is the greatest little man in the history of the game. If I were ever to pick a starting shooting guard for my team, I would pick Allen Iverson. Yes, sorry Kobe, D-Wade, Michael Jordan, and Jerry West (who, by the way, for some reason isn't in the top 15), because he is not a point guard. He is a shooting guard.
Allen had the best crossover ever. If you haven't seen it, look it up. It was an ankle breaker. He even crossed Jordan, and that's no easy task. I guess you can say he has the "Answer."

In his prime (2000-2001), Iverson carried a sorry 76ers team to the finals. They were legitimately so bad. They would have been the worst team in the league if not for him.
He is the only player, other than Wilt Chamberlain, to average over 40 points a game in a single season, and I don't think Wilt counts because, at that time, there was nobody near him in height. Iverson got more double teams in that year than most players get in their career.
Dwyane Wade

Dwyane Tyrone Wade Jr. is an American retired professional basketball player. He played 16 seasons in the NBA, primarily with the Miami Heat. After retiring in 2019, Wade became involved in sports media and ownership, including part-ownership of the Utah Jazz and Chicago Sky, and was inducted into the... read more

I have compared Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, and Larry Bird with D-Wade, and Dwyane is better than all of them. He has a very unique and exciting playing style, and sometimes he does play dirty, but so do Kobe Bryant and Larry Bird.
He's without a doubt the greatest thing to happen to the Miami Heat. LeBron isn't the greatest player in the team's history. It is definitely this man. He also has a lot of teamwork attributes and can work with anyone, Shaq, LeBron, etc. It's a shame he didn't get to play against greats like Wilt Chamberlain, Larry Bird, Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, Patrick Ewing, or even Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. He would've definitely given them a challenge.
Julius Erving

Julius Winfield Erving II, commonly known by the nickname Dr. J, is an American retired basketball player who helped popularize a modern style of play that emphasizes leaping and playing above the rim. He was a key figure in the American Basketball Association (ABA) before the merger with the NBA, and... read more

Julius Erving, Dr. J, is the first player to make an art out of a dunk. That's why people love him. People say he is the heart of the city. He earned an NBA championship ring, won an NBA MVP award, went to 11 NBA All-Star Games, and took home the All-Star MVP twice. And that doesn't even count the two ABA titles, two ABA MVP awards, and 6 ABA All-Star Games.
Forever... Or his famous dunk from the free-throw line... Now, that is history! Dr. J! Also, the greatest flyer, dunker, and hangtimer ever! A class act.

Doc is the best thing to happen to the game since the ball! Erving won only one title in the NBA, but all fail to remember that he led a garbage team in '80 and '82 to the finals, only to lose in six games against the seven all-star Lakers. The Sixers had no one but the Doc! Also, he is the greatest flyer, dunker, and hang-timer ever! A true class act.
Jerry West

Jerry Alan West was an American basketball player known for his time with the Los Angeles Lakers. He spent his entire professional career playing for the Lakers in the National Basketball Association. West is widely regarded as one of the greatest players in NBA history.

If Jerry West had been blessed with the three-point line, he would be among the top five without question. The NBA should use their computer systems to check West's shots made for a year and give him an extra point for every three-pointer he made. No question, Jerry West would be right there with Michael Jordan as the greatest player ever. Even without the three-point shot, West holds the scoring record for a series. Move Jerry to second at the least.

Jerry West was an outstanding basketball player, a good general manager, and a guy who deserves to be the face of the NBA. He was tough and clutch.
This list is completely whack as well. Anyone who thinks Ginobili, Gasol, Reddick, Yao, Rondo, Nash, and Luke Walton (not Bill) are better than Jerry West knows very, very little about basketball history.
Stephen Curry

Wardell Stephen Curry II is an American professional basketball player for the Golden State Warriors of the NBA. He is widely considered one of the greatest shooters in NBA history and has set numerous records for three-point shooting. Curry is a two-time MVP and has helped lead the Warriors to multiple... read more

His story is amazing. Indeed an 'underdog' through high school and college because he was probably just as good as the next guy, but just always a bit on the short side when it comes to the standard size for basketball players. Most people thought he was not going to make it to the NBA.
A true star, he is one of the prize role models in the game today. His dedication and hard work to always improve is second to none in the league at the moment. Some believe he is the best shooter in NBA history.
And to be honest, I'm writing this in 2016. The man just came off his first championship season with the Dubs, and he is surely still going places. Get him higher up this list, people!
Scottie Pippen

Scottie Maurice Pippen is an American retired professional basketball player. He played 17 seasons in the National Basketball Association, most notably with the Chicago Bulls. Pippen was a six-time NBA champion and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2010.

Scottie Pippen is the best basketball player ever! A lot of people say, "Scottie wasn't the best basketball player, but the most versatile player, the best all-around player." Is it enough?
If someone is the most versatile player ever or the best player all-around, then who is the best basketball player ever? The most versatile and the best all-around player. Scottie Pippen forever.

Those were the days of the Bulls! Jordan, Pippen, and Rodman are the best ever! I am a huge Bulls fan and own a lot of Chicago team memorabilia. Out of all the years that I have watched basketball, those guys are the best ever and should always be. Go Bulls!
Derrick Rose

Derrick Martell Rose is an American professional basketball player for the Minnesota Timberwolves in the NBA. He became the youngest MVP in NBA history in 2011 while playing for the Chicago Bulls. He has also had successful stints with the New York Knicks, Cleveland Cavaliers, Detroit Pistons, and Minneapolis... read more

Derrick Rose is my favorite basketball player. He can do it all. He can do a windmill, a crazy dunk, he can get 50 points if he wants, he can get 15 assists if he wants, he can shoot free throws, 3-pointers, long-range 2-pointers, and he can steal the ball. He is only 6'3, and he still blocks like a 7-footer. The best point guard of all time.

Derrick Rose is amazing. He is the player who gets the attention of the crowd with his unbelievable moves, and no one can stop him on the court. The best point guard I've ever seen. Derrick Rose is the best.
Karl Malone

Karl Anthony Malone is an American retired professional basketball player. Nicknamed "The Mailman," Malone played the power forward position and spent his first 18 seasons in the National Basketball Association with the Utah Jazz. He formed a formidable duo with teammate John Stockton, and together they... read more

While the NBA has become a league of entitled victims, beggars, and whiners, Karl Malone becomes even more of a legend. Karl Malone had the greatest work ethic in basketball. He played through injuries, dominated the league, and was unstoppable.
Of the players I've watched in the last 40 years, nobody else worked harder or reached that level through sheer effort. He might not have won a championship, but not everyone is a champion. Karl is a champion and a legend.

Are you kidding me? He's the second-leading scorer in the NBA and he's ranked 23rd? He should be in the top ten, and Allen Iverson should be ranked well below Karl Malone.
Dirk Nowitzki

Dirk Werner Nowitzki is a German former professional basketball player who played for the Dallas Mavericks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Nowitzki spent his entire 21-season NBA career with the Mavericks, making him one of the longest-tenured players with a single franchise in league history... read more

Dirk is the best white basketball player ever, with only Larry Bird as competition. His ability to post up, rebound, shoot the 3-pointer, and shoot free throws elevated his teams from above average most years to competing for a championship.
His fadeaway jumper is unstoppable (except from behind, and rarely at that) and arguably the second-best in that category after Jabbar's skyhook. Although he sometimes struggled with driving to the basket, he did it and did it well.
Dirk led his Dallas Mavericks team to an NBA Championship in 6 games (4-2) over the Miami "dream team" that had LeBron James and Dwyane Wade, two of the other greatest basketball players ever.
Charles Barkley

Charles Wade Barkley is an American retired professional basketball player and current television analyst. He played 16 seasons in the NBA and is widely regarded as one of the greatest power forwards of all time. Barkley currently appears as a commentator on Inside the NBA.

Charles is really undervalued because he had such a big mouth. In terms of his ability, he is closer to the top 10 than number 36. He was as good as Kevin Durant, not as good a defender as LeBron, but better in the post and a better overall shooter than James. He is a guy that people don't remember well enough.

This list depresses me. So many players, even power forwards, are ranked ahead of Barkley. This entire list was written by four-year-olds who only know LBJ and Kobe. How do you rank Derrick Rose above Jerry West?! Let me repeat that: Derrick Rose is ranked ahead of the Logo. Good job.
John Stockton

John Houston Stockton is an American retired professional basketball player. He played his entire NBA career from 1984 to 2003 as a point guard for the Utah Jazz. Stockton is widely considered one of the best point guards in basketball history.... read more

Best pure point guard of all time. Made passing and defense look easy. As far as fundamentals go, John is the best of all time. His great basketball IQ led to his longevity.
He was an inspiration to white kids everywhere, showing them that just because they're white doesn't mean they can't flat-out ball.

The demographic of this website is too young to appreciate this man. A very improvisational, creative, and at times "sneaky" athlete. It would benefit every future NBA hopeful to study footage of this man's plays.
Pistol Pete Maravich

Peter Press Maravich, known by his nickname Pistol Pete, was an American professional basketball player. He starred at Louisiana State University, where he remains the all-time leading NCAA Division I scorer. Maravich played for several NBA teams and was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball... read more

There will never be a ballplayer with the God-given talent of Pistol Pete! Someone did the math and estimated that if there was a three-point line when he played, he would've averaged 56 points a game. Mind you, that's average! Just go back and watch the commentaries, and listen to what the coaches and the players who had to play against him have to say. One Black author put it this way: it's as if they melted down the Harlem Globetrotters and put the whole team in that white skinny body, and then some! Where do you think Michael Jordan learned his moves from?

His scoring ability and, correctly described, his shot-making were considered freakish at the time. Although he was unfairly characterized as a ball hog or a chucker, it is because his game was so far ahead of anyone who played at that time. But it was his control of the ball, utter ability to create, and court vision that was and is unmatched. The Pistol was in tune with the game at all times. He was a legend. I only wish he had been drafted by the Knicks, Celtics, Lakers, or Bucks. Can you imagine him playing with Lew Alcindor?