Greatest NBA Player Ever: What’s The Standard?

In the great debate over who takes the crown as the NBA’s greatest player what factors contribute? There are many arguments and an abundance of opinions but when it’s all boiled down only two sides remain. What ultimately decides who takes the stand as the best basketball player of all time? Championships and statistics are the two main arguments on how to determine the true king of the court.

The championship side isn’t all that complicated but it does require some clarification. Some people misinterpret the championship side to mean that no matter what, whoever has the most championship rings is the best. If this was true then Bill Russell would have to be crowned the greatest of the greats due to his twelve championship rings. The problem with this is that Bill Russell wasn’t a wild factor for his team. When you hear people talk about the greatest players of all time they immediately point out the team leaders. These “leaders” are easy to spot because they either make or break their respective teams. For example, if Michael Jordan never played for the Chicago Bulls then that team never could’ve pulled off the six championships that they accomplished with Jordan leading the way. So basically the most championships are awarded to Jordan for his outstanding six. Close seconds are people like Magic Johnson and Kobe Bryant with five championships apiece. But in this category Michael Jordan sits on his throne.

The other of the two strongest arguments is statistics. This is basically the points, rebounds, shot percentages, steals, blocks, and etc. The people that side with this argument will say that the greatest player is the one scoring the most points in a game or grabbing the most boards. All of the categories come into play when considering who the best player is, statistically. Jordan may have had outstanding stats but when it comes to who gets the gold in statistics you have to give it to “Wilt the Stilt.” Wilt Chamberlain is usually known because of his historical 100 point game that astounded basketball fans everywhere. With no three point line, one man put up 100 points which has only been rivaled by Kobe’s 81 point game. Points and rebounds were Wilt’s thing. If you think Dwight Howard is a rebounding monster then you would shutter at Chamberlain’s ability to pull down crucial boards and then turn around and score huge averages. Either way, when it comes to stats, Wilt Chamberlain is the one that holds the crown.

My personal opinion, although it carries no weight, is that championships from team leaders are what define greatness. For me, when I look at the bottom line it comes down to who can finish strong. History is written by the victor and not the one who played good but lost. The defining moment for any NBA player is in the championship game where winning is all that matters. No one memorizes who has the most lost championships. No one cares who played good in the final game because what the world wants to know is who was crowned victorious. So in my opinion Michael Jordan is without a doubt the best basketball player of all time and will continue to sit on his throne until someone with equal aid (Michael Jordan’s greatest teammate was Scottie Pippen, but he was nowhere near King Michael’s skill level) can surpass him.

Despite my own opinion, the choice is yours to make. Feel free to comment on which side you choose in this debate.