50 Greatest Players of My Lifetime – Part 6 – Players 6-1

6. Hakeem Olajuwon – 1 MVP, 1 MVP Runner Up, 6 time 1st team All-NBA, 3 time 2nd team All-NBA, 3 time 3rd team All-NBA, 2 time champion, 2 finals MVPs, 2 time DPOY, 2 time rebounding leader

5. Shaquille O’Neal – 1 MVP, 2 MVP Runner Ups, 8 time 1st team All-NBA, 2 time 2nd team All-NBA, 4 time 3rd team All-NBA, 4 time champion, 3 finals MVPs, 2 time scoring leader

Another close call between two all time great centers, but I give the nod to Shaq because his peak level of dominance was just a little more dominant than Hakeem’s.  Those three title winning years in LA were some of the most dominant years any player has ever had and the rest of the league simply had no answer.  His stat lines in the finals were just ridiculous:  2000 – 38 points, 17 rebounds, 2001 – 33 points, 16 rebounds, 2002 – 36 points, 12 rebounds. Add to that his showmanship and one of a kind combination of size, strength, and agility and I don’t think we will ever see anyone else quite like the Diesel.

As for Hakeem, him putting David Robinson into the spin cycle in the ’95 playoffs after Robinson beat him out for MVP is one of those iconic playoff moments that defined The Dream’s legacy. And there is definitely something to say for the fact that every one of Hakeem’s teammates from those Rockets squads cannot speak more highly of his character and leadership and what a great teammate he was.  But at the end of the day, I can’t get past 38 and 17 in the 2000 finals, so Shaq edges out the five spot.

4. Kobe Bryant – 1 MVP, 1 MVP Runner Up, 11 time 1st team All-NBA, 2 time 2nd team All-NBA, 2 time 3rd team All-NBA, 5 time champion, 2 finals MVPs, 2 time scoring leader

3. Tim Duncan – 2 MVPs, 2 MVP Runner Ups, 10 time 1st team All-NBA, 3 time 2nd team All-NBA, 2 time 3rd team All-NBA, 5 time champion, 3 finals MVPs

Duncan and Kobe are clearly the two best players to bridge the gap between Jordan and Lebron, but I have to give the slight edge to Duncan mainly due to the sheer longevity and sustained excellence that he and the Spurs were able to achieve over his 19-year career (they never won less than 50 games!). I am a lifelong Lakers fan, so it is hard for me to admit, but Duncan and the Spurs were the model of class and the way basketball was meant to be played.  Kobe was a complete assassin and a competitor unlike anybody we have seen since Jordan while Duncan simply went about his business and quietly dominated the league while incredibly leading his team to titles 15 years apart.  As a Lakers fan I was lucky enough to have been able to watch Kobe’s entire career.  There were definitely some ups and downs along the way, but being able to go to a couple of games during his farewell tour gave me a chance to truly appreciate how going to Staples Center will never quite be the same without the Mamba.  I watched him play in Houston during that final season, and hearing the crowd chant “Kobe! Kobe!” while simultaneously booing Dwight Howard (remember, this was in Houston) is one of my favorite basketball memories of recent years.  He brought a certain level of energy to the building every game as you never knew if tonight was the night he was going to drop 81 or hit a game winner to send the LA fans into a frenzy. Both are all time greats and its pretty cool that they will be entering the hall of fame together in a few years.

2. Lebron James – 4 MVPs, 2 MVP Runner Ups, 11 time 1st team All-NBA, 2 time 2nd team All-NBA, 3 time champion, 3 finals MVPs, 1 time scoring leader

1. Michael Jordan – 5 MVPS, 3 MVP Runner Ups, 10 time 1st team All-NBA, 1 time 2nd team All-NBA, 6 time champion, 6 finals MVPs, 1 time DPOY, 10 time scoring leader

My hope for the New Year is that we can finally clear our brains from the fog of recency bias that the excitement of this season has created and put things back into proper perspective.  And nowhere is this more needed than in the greatest of all time debate that Lebron’s performance in last year’s playoffs and his continued dominance this season has stirred up.  There is no question about it, Lebron is ONE of the greatest players of all time and his numbers and sustained excellence are truly remarkable. Let me say it again, Lebron is unbelievable and definitely the second-best player I have seen in my lifetime. But let’s be real, he is not Jordan.  In my opinion, it’s really not even that complicated and simply comes down to this:  You cannot be the greatest of all time if you consistently come in second.  There are only a handful of athletes in any sport that attain that rare level where when they reach the mountaintop, they close off all paths for challengers to try and knock them off. And Jordan not only closed all paths, he rained down lightning upon the heads of his opponents so that they didn’t even want to attempt the climb.  During the Bulls stretch of six titles in the 90s, Jordan systematically destroyed the wills of every potential challenger and left no doubt as to who controlled the league.  He snatched the torch out of Magic’s hands, shrugged off the advances of Drexler, ripped the heart out of Barkley’s chest, soared over the outstretched arms of Ewing, and slapped back to back titles out of the hands of Stockton and Malone.  I don’t need to do an in-depth comparison of stats and analytics, because I watched the game, and I saw the hopelessness in the eyes of Jordan’s opponents.  I saw Jordan walk into stadiums across the league and witnessed every eye transfixed on his every move as if Larry Bird’s prophecy was true and he really was “God disguised as Michael Jordan”.  From switching hands in midair in ’91 to posing with his game winning follow-through in ’98, I saw opponents realize the inevitable, that until Jordan decided they would get their chance, they simply wouldn’t have any.  Lebron is a once in a generation talent, but that has never been in question.  The problem is that he has never truly held the league by the throat, and to be the greatest of ALL TIME, that is a minimum requirement.