The Athletic has finished its list of best 75 NBA players of all time for the 75th anniversary, can you guess the top 3?

[Morrison71]

The Athletic NBA 75 - The Athletic

Unrivaled sports coverage across every team you care about and every league you follow. Get exclusive access to breaking news, powerful stories and smart analysis.

theathletic.com

Spoiler: Top 75

No. 75: Lenny Wilkens
No. 74: Robert Parish
No. 73: Pete Maravich
No. 72: Jerry Lucas
No. 71: Alex English
No. 70: Hal Greer
No. 69: Alonzo Mourning
No. 68: Damian Lillard
No. 67: Nate "Tiny" Archibald
No. 66: Billy Cunningham
No. 65: Chris Webber
No. 64: Bill Walton
No. 63: Carmelo Anthony
No. 62: Dennis Rodman
No. 61: Dolph Schayes
No. 60: Wes Unseld
No. 59: James Worthy
No. 58: Earl Monroe
No. 57: Dave Cowens
No. 56: Dwight Howard
No. 55: Tracy McGrady
No. 54: Bob McAdoo
No. 53: Anthony Davis
No. 52: Ray Allen
No. 51: Dominique Wilkins
No. 50: Paul Pierce
No. 49: Kevin McHale
No. 48: Gary Payton
No. 47: Reggie Miller
No. 46: Russell Westbrook
No. 45: Walt Frazier
No. 44: Willis Reed
No. 43: Clyde Drexler
No. 42: George Gervin
No. 41: Elvin Hayes
No. 40: Allen Iverson
No. 39: Bob Cousy
No. 38: Steve Nash
No. 37: Patrick Ewing
No. 36: Jason Kidd
No 35: George Mikan
No. 34: Kawhi Leonard
No. 33: James Harden
No. 32: Scottie Pippen
No 31 Bob Pettit
No 30 Chris Paul
No 29 John Havlicek
No 28 Dwyane Wade
No 27: Rick Barry
No 26: Isiah Thomas
No 25: John Stockton
No 24: Giannis Antetokounmpo
No 23: Elgin Baylor
No 22: Charles Barkley
No 21: Dirk Nowitzki
No 20: David Robinson
No 19: Julius Erving
No 18: Moses Malone
No 17: Kevin Garnett
No 16: Karl Malone
No 15: Stephen Curry
No 14: Jerry West
No 13: Kevin Durant
No 12: Oscar Robertson
No 11: Hakeem Olajuwon
No 10: Kobe Bryant
No 9: Tim Duncan
No 8: Shaq
No 7: Larry Bird
No 6: Wilt Chamberlain
No 5: Magic Johnson
No 4: Bill Russell
No 3: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
No 2: LeBron James
No 1: Michael Jordan

 

[fezzador]

Without looking I’m guessing MJ, Wilt, and LBJ in some order.

 

[SeaPA]

Also without looking
1. Jordan
2. Lebron
3. Shaq

 

[noleclone2]

1) MJ
2) Lebron
3) Bill Russell

 

[millah_22]

Lonzo
LaMelo
LiAngelo

 

[hawkifann]

Without looking, I’ll say they went semi-retro with MJ, Magic & Bird.

 

[FAUlty Gator]

They forgot George Gervin. He should be in for his Iceman poster alone.

 

[Morrison71]

I think Dirk and Charles Barkley are too low and I would probably put Hakeem higher.

 

[SeaPA]

They forgot George Gervin. He should be in for his Iceman poster alone.

He’s on there, 42.

 

[uinab]

Without looking, I'm guessing MJ, LJ, and KA-J.

 

[Herky T Hawk]

I like Scottie and he was a great player deserving of this list. But #32? And then looking at several of the names after him. Too high.

Also, Wilt is in the wrong spot. You’re talking about a guy so good that they had to make several rule changes to the game to account for him.

 

[Menace Sockeyes]

MJ
LJ
Kareem?

 

[Legend12]

Julius Erving is way to high.

 

[ping72]

MJ
Wilt
Kareem

 

[WDSMHAWK]

I would have had Duncan above Shaq, just based on consistency and length of their "primes".

 

[HawkOptimist]

Not going to cheat and look, but my top 3 would be…

MJ
Kobe
Lebron

 

[CarolinaHawkeye]

Elgin Baylor
Oscar Robertson
Wilt Chamberlain

 

[Tenacious E]

The Athletic NBA 75 - The Athletic

Unrivaled sports coverage across every team you care about and every league you follow. Get exclusive access to breaking news, powerful stories and smart analysis.

theathletic.com

Spoiler: Top 75

No. 75: Lenny Wilkens
No. 74: Robert Parish
No. 73: Pete Maravich
No. 72: Jerry Lucas
No. 71: Alex English
No. 70: Hal Greer
No. 69: Alonzo Mourning
No. 68: Damian Lillard
No. 67: Nate "Tiny" Archibald
No. 66: Billy Cunningham
No. 65: Chris Webber
No. 64: Bill Walton
No. 63: Carmelo Anthony
No. 62: Dennis Rodman
No. 61: Dolph Schayes
No. 60: Wes Unseld
No. 59: James Worthy
No. 58: Earl Monroe
No. 57: Dave Cowens
No. 56: Dwight Howard
No. 55: Tracy McGrady
No. 54: Bob McAdoo
No. 53: Anthony Davis
No. 52: Ray Allen
No. 51: Dominique Wilkins
No. 50: Paul Pierce
No. 49: Kevin McHale
No. 48: Gary Payton
No. 47: Reggie Miller
No. 46: Russell Westbrook
No. 45: Walt Frazier
No. 44: Willis Reed
No. 43: Clyde Drexler
No. 42: George Gervin
No. 41: Elvin Hayes
No. 40: Allen Iverson
No. 39: Bob Cousy
No. 38: Steve Nash
No. 37: Patrick Ewing
No. 36: Jason Kidd
No 35: George Mikan
No. 34: Kawhi Leonard
No. 33: James Harden
No. 32: Scottie Pippen
No 31 Bob Pettit
No 30 Chris Paul
No 29 John Havlicek
No 28 Dwyane Wade
No 27: Rick Barry
No 26: Isiah Thomas
No 25: John Stockton
No 24: Giannis Antetokounmpo
No 23: Elgin Baylor
No 22: Charles Barkley
No 21: Dirk Nowitzki
No 20: David Robinson
No 19: Julius Erving
No 18: Moses Malone
No 17: Kevin Garnett
No 16: Karl Malone
No 15: Stephen Curry
No 14: Jerry West
No 13: Kevin Durant
No 12: Oscar Robertson
No 11: Hakeem Olajuwon
No 10: Kobe Bryant
No 9: Tim Duncan
No 8: Shaq
No 7: Larry Bird
No 6: Wilt Chamberlain
No 5: Magic Johnson
No 4: Bill Russell
No 3: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
No 2: LeBron James
No 1: Michael Jordan

Without looking: mj, lebron, magic

 

[Tenacious E]

The Athletic NBA 75 - The Athletic

Unrivaled sports coverage across every team you care about and every league you follow. Get exclusive access to breaking news, powerful stories and smart analysis.

theathletic.com

Spoiler: Top 75

No. 75: Lenny Wilkens
No. 74: Robert Parish
No. 73: Pete Maravich
No. 72: Jerry Lucas
No. 71: Alex English
No. 70: Hal Greer
No. 69: Alonzo Mourning
No. 68: Damian Lillard
No. 67: Nate "Tiny" Archibald
No. 66: Billy Cunningham
No. 65: Chris Webber
No. 64: Bill Walton
No. 63: Carmelo Anthony
No. 62: Dennis Rodman
No. 61: Dolph Schayes
No. 60: Wes Unseld
No. 59: James Worthy
No. 58: Earl Monroe
No. 57: Dave Cowens
No. 56: Dwight Howard
No. 55: Tracy McGrady
No. 54: Bob McAdoo
No. 53: Anthony Davis
No. 52: Ray Allen
No. 51: Dominique Wilkins
No. 50: Paul Pierce
No. 49: Kevin McHale
No. 48: Gary Payton
No. 47: Reggie Miller
No. 46: Russell Westbrook
No. 45: Walt Frazier
No. 44: Willis Reed
No. 43: Clyde Drexler
No. 42: George Gervin
No. 41: Elvin Hayes
No. 40: Allen Iverson
No. 39: Bob Cousy
No. 38: Steve Nash
No. 37: Patrick Ewing
No. 36: Jason Kidd
No 35: George Mikan
No. 34: Kawhi Leonard
No. 33: James Harden
No. 32: Scottie Pippen
No 31 Bob Pettit
No 30 Chris Paul
No 29 John Havlicek
No 28 Dwyane Wade
No 27: Rick Barry
No 26: Isiah Thomas
No 25: John Stockton
No 24: Giannis Antetokounmpo
No 23: Elgin Baylor
No 22: Charles Barkley
No 21: Dirk Nowitzki
No 20: David Robinson
No 19: Julius Erving
No 18: Moses Malone
No 17: Kevin Garnett
No 16: Karl Malone
No 15: Stephen Curry
No 14: Jerry West
No 13: Kevin Durant
No 12: Oscar Robertson
No 11: Hakeem Olajuwon
No 10: Kobe Bryant
No 9: Tim Duncan
No 8: Shaq
No 7: Larry Bird
No 6: Wilt Chamberlain
No 5: Magic Johnson
No 4: Bill Russell
No 3: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
No 2: LeBron James
No 1: Michael Jordan

Looking at that list, how f!cking spoiled have Lakers fans been over the years?

 

[anon_b29nm7v7dwp6r]

The top three should be MJ and some combination of Kareem, Larry, wilt and Magic to round it out.

That’s the only answer.

 

[Brian_Fantana]

The top three should be MJ and some combination of Kareem, Larry, wilt and Magic to round it out.

That’s the only answer.

Not a big fan of Lebron; but do believe he should be on the list. His game seems like it would translate well to any era

 

[anon_b29nm7v7dwp6r]

Not a big fan of Lebron; but do believe he should be on the list. His game seems like it would translate well to any era

I am not a huge Lebron fan either. I could be persuaded to include him in the discussion of top 3 though. To me he is sort of like Kobe, one of the all time greats….just not sure where he fits Into the discussion.

 

[bdg8]

I like Scottie and he was a great player deserving of this list. But #32? And then looking at several of the names after him. Too high.

Also, Wilt is in the wrong spot. You’re talking about a guy so good that they had to make several rule changes to the game to account for him.

would you rather have Pippen or Harden if building a team?

 

[Hawk_4shur]

I was going to say MJ, LeBron & Duncan.

But I think Kareem instead of Duncan after reviewing other ideas here.


After looking - HA! Nailed it.

 

[mstp1992]

Without looking I’ll go with Jordan, Magic, Wilt.

Not sure where George Mikan ended up, but he was a truly dominant force among his peers.

 

[mstp1992]

would you rather have Pippen or Harden if building a team?

Pippen. He was a great defender. Harden can’t even spell defense.

 

[LuteHawk]

Michael Jordan, LeBron James, Bill Russell
are the top 3 in the NBA history.

 

[SSG T]

I haven't looked yet, but, the Top 4 should be MJ, LBJ, Kareem and Wilt (not necessarily in that order).

 

[SSG T]

The Athletic NBA 75 - The Athletic

Unrivaled sports coverage across every team you care about and every league you follow. Get exclusive access to breaking news, powerful stories and smart analysis.

theathletic.com

Spoiler: Top 75

No. 75: Lenny Wilkens
No. 74: Robert Parish
No. 73: Pete Maravich
No. 72: Jerry Lucas
No. 71: Alex English
No. 70: Hal Greer
No. 69: Alonzo Mourning
No. 68: Damian Lillard
No. 67: Nate "Tiny" Archibald
No. 66: Billy Cunningham
No. 65: Chris Webber
No. 64: Bill Walton
No. 63: Carmelo Anthony
No. 62: Dennis Rodman
No. 61: Dolph Schayes
No. 60: Wes Unseld
No. 59: James Worthy
No. 58: Earl Monroe
No. 57: Dave Cowens
No. 56: Dwight Howard
No. 55: Tracy McGrady
No. 54: Bob McAdoo
No. 53: Anthony Davis
No. 52: Ray Allen
No. 51: Dominique Wilkins
No. 50: Paul Pierce
No. 49: Kevin McHale
No. 48: Gary Payton
No. 47: Reggie Miller
No. 46: Russell Westbrook
No. 45: Walt Frazier
No. 44: Willis Reed
No. 43: Clyde Drexler
No. 42: George Gervin
No. 41: Elvin Hayes
No. 40: Allen Iverson
No. 39: Bob Cousy
No. 38: Steve Nash
No. 37: Patrick Ewing
No. 36: Jason Kidd
No 35: George Mikan
No. 34: Kawhi Leonard
No. 33: James Harden
No. 32: Scottie Pippen
No 31 Bob Pettit
No 30 Chris Paul
No 29 John Havlicek
No 28 Dwyane Wade
No 27: Rick Barry
No 26: Isiah Thomas
No 25: John Stockton
No 24: Giannis Antetokounmpo
No 23: Elgin Baylor
No 22: Charles Barkley
No 21: Dirk Nowitzki
No 20: David Robinson
No 19: Julius Erving
No 18: Moses Malone
No 17: Kevin Garnett
No 16: Karl Malone
No 15: Stephen Curry
No 14: Jerry West
No 13: Kevin Durant
No 12: Oscar Robertson
No 11: Hakeem Olajuwon
No 10: Kobe Bryant
No 9: Tim Duncan
No 8: Shaq
No 7: Larry Bird
No 6: Wilt Chamberlain
No 5: Magic Johnson
No 4: Bill Russell
No 3: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
No 2: LeBron James
No 1: Michael Jordan

Honestly, the Top is (mostly) who I'd have. I'd switch out Hakeem for Russell, but the rest I'd have there. My order would be a bit different.

I wonder how the current generation will be viewed in, say, 15 years. I'd think guys who aren't on the list, like Jokic and Embiid, will be, and see where guys like Steph, KD and Giannis end up.

Honestly, how the F is Embiid not on the list?

 

[Bro D]

Harden 33 lol

 

[Bro D]

I like Scottie and he was a great player deserving of this list. But #32? And then looking at several of the names after him. Too high.

How to say you know nothing about basketball without saying it

 

[WDSMHAWK]

Honestly, the Top is (mostly) who I'd have. I'd switch out Hakeem for Russell, but the rest I'd have there. My order would be a bit different.

I wonder how the current generation will be viewed in, say, 15 years. I'd think guys who aren't on the list, like Jokic and Embiid, will be, and see where guys like Steph, KD and Giannis end up.

Honestly, how the F is Embiid not on the list?

I love Embiid but he's only been healthy for like 3 or 4 seasons and has not had any real playoff success. I'm not upset or surprised he's not on here. I'm guessing if Embiid stays healthy he will be ranked above quite a few of these players when they do the Top 100 list in 25 years.

 

[blhawk]

How to say you know nothing about basketball without saying it

Scottie was great but do you really think he'd be #32 if he played his whole career in Seattle? He certainly didn't do much post Michael

 

[SSG T]

Scottie was great but do you really think he'd be #32 if he played his whole career in Seattle? He certainly didn't do much post Michael

I know how Bro will react, but Pippen isn't a Top 50 player and probably isn't Top 75. I think he was shockingly overrated. If he wasn't on the Bulls during their 2 threepeats, he'd be thought of as a good player, but not even Top 20 of the decade.

FTR, Win Shares per 48 min, he's 138th. PER, he's 137th. For Comparison, his teammate, MJ, is #1 in both. LeBron is #7 and #2 respectively.

 

[Bro D]

Scottie was great but do you really think he'd be #32 if he played his whole career in Seattle? He certainly didn't do much post Michael

He was a referee screw job away from winning one in Portland

 

[Herky T Hawk]

How to say you know nothing about basketball without saying it

If I was starting a team and had to pick between Scottie and the players at #35-40, Scottie is probably either last or second to last from that group. I could see him in the top 50, but he needs to be in the 40s, not almost in the 20s.

Unless by your comment you’re saying that Scottie shouldn’t be in the top 75 list.

I also was thinking, what if this wasn’t an NBA list but instead just best basketball players? Sabonis and Hawkins would probably need to be added somewhere.

 

[swagsurfer02]

I like Scottie and he was a great player deserving of this list. But #32? And then looking at several of the names after him. Too high.

Also, Wilt is in the wrong spot. You’re talking about a guy so good that they had to make several rule changes to the game to account for him.

You think Scottie should be lower than 32?

 

[Herky T Hawk]

You think Scottie should be lower than 32?

If you consider the top of the list to be #1, the way that this list is laid out, then yes, he should be lower. At least somewhere in the 40s if not potentially lower.

 

[swagsurfer02]

If you consider the top of the list to be #1, the way that this list is laid out, then yes, he should be lower. At least somewhere in the 40s if not potentially lower.

Which players currently are below him are better players?

 

[Tenacious E]

Which players currently are below him are better players?

Nash, Ewing, Iverson, Clyde, Reggie, and nique to name a few.