Part 4 the Greatest NBA Player of All Time 20–11

20. Artis Gilmore (1971–1989)

Points: 460

11x NBA/ABA All-star, 5x all ABA 1st team, ABA MVP (1972), 4x all ABA 1st team defensive, ABA Champion (1975), ABA Playoff MVP (1975)

Gilmore has always been a hard player for people who make these kinds of lists to rate. One of the reasons I did this project was to give ABA players a fair shake. Gilmore is easily the second best player in that league’s history. Most pundits will say that he not a top 25 player of all time because he wasn’t as successful in the NBA. Two things to consider. He made the all-star team six times once he got to the NBA. In the 1960’s, 70’s, and 80’s the first six years of a players career were usually their best. Injuries slow a player down after that, so it’s not unreasonable to think he would make some of those All NBAs either way.

I did take away sixty points from Gilmore for playing in ABA. If you want to remove his championship or MVP plus a couple of all NBA’s that’s fine I still think this is a good spot for the A-Train.

Fun fact: Artis Gilmore’s wife was named Enola Gay. Given that Artis was born in 1949, I’m pretty sure she is named after the plane that bombed Hiroshima. That’s insane.

19. George Mikan (1946–1954,1956)

Points: 468

4x NBA Allstar, 6x All-BAA/NBA First Team, 3x NBA season champion (1949–51), Rebounding leader (1953), 5x BAA/NBA champion (1949–50, 52–54)

Once you saw Dolph, you probably knew Mikan was coming at some point. Dolph played in the tougher era than Mikan, Mikan get’s a zero on era score. In the first draft Mikan and Schayes were too high on this list so I decided not to figure out who was the MVP in 1951 because the MVP didn’t exist yet. During Mikan’s time in NBA, the only two individual awards a player could grab were all-star and first team all NBA. Even all-star games only started in the middle of his career. The final modern award DPOY didn’t come into existent till 1982. Most modern awards were not in existence until the early seventies. Deciding not to do this acts like indirect era penalty on players pre 1970. I like this because it takes me out of it a bit. I do feel a bit bad for defensive players from the sixties like Russel and West.

So why is Mikan this high with all the deductions? He was the best player on five championships and the best player on a finals team. He was actually the best player on seven championship teams. Two of those championships were in the defunct NBL. Had Mikan just joined the BAA (which turned into the NBA) two years earlier he would be five to six spots higher. Why do I count his BAA championships? Well because the NBA does. When Lakers fans say they are only one championship behind the Celtics. They are counting those Mikan championships. He is part of the NBA history like it or not.

He was the first of the Commissioner of the ABA which is pretty cool. I also think that Mikan probably could have gotten a college scholarship to play basketball today which is more than I can say for Dolph.

18. Bob Pettit (1954–1965)

Points: 487

11x NBA Allstar, 10x NBA First Team, All Second NBA second team, 2x NBA scoring champion (1956, 59), 2x MVP (1956, 1959), NBA champion (1958)

Weirdly Pettit’s career begins right as Mikan’s career ends. The NBA was tougher than Mikan’s era but not modern yet. Russel in 1957 and Wilt in 1959 changed the league. It’s worth noting that most white players of Pettit’s era fell away from things like MVPs, Championships, and First Team All NBA but he didn’t.

Pettit is exceptional when it comes to stats in my system fifth all time. Players of Pettit’s era point and rebound stats are high because of the pace of the game. I have tried to discount these number in my era score. There is only so much I can do.

Anyway, hopefully, this the last slow footed white guy who only plays offense we have to talk about for a while.

17. Dirk Nowitzki (1998–Present)

Points: 516

13x NBA Allstar, 4x NBA First Team, 5x NBA second team, Finals MVP (2011), MVP (2007), NBA champion (2011)

Damn it! Well, at least we know Dirk can play in the modern NBA. Dirk is elite in almost every category. The only ones he lacks are stats and advanced stats even there he scores just not a lot. Dirk robbed by the referees and Dwayne Wade of the 2006 championship. In 2007 he won the MVP and then lost in the first round. He was in my mind a choke artist. I use to call him Chokeitzki. I am very clever. Then in 2011, he lead the Mavericks to the most shocking championship of my lifetime.

He faced the best player of his generation some say the best player of all time, LeBron James. Dwayne Wade who beat him in 2006 and I rated as the thirty-fourth player of all time on this list. In most places, he is rated as high as the mid-twenties. Plus Hall of Famer Chris Bosh all in their pure prime. I still can’t believe it happened.

Dirk’s second best player in the regular season was Jason Terry who came off the bench. His second best player in playoffs was 37 years old Jason Kidd. I have been watching the finals since the Lakers won their back to back titles in 1988 and I have never been so shocked. The two championships that come close to Mavericks are the 1995 Rockets and the 2004 Pistons. We talked about how the Pistons have been criminally underrated, they had two to three hall of farmers in their prime on their team, and were playing a Lakers team at war with itself. The Rockets were the six seed underdogs to the Magic in 95 to be sure. But they were also the defending champions. Dirk achievement is not the cherry on top it’s the whole ice cream sundae of his career.

16. Kevin Durant (2007–Present)

Points: 520

9x NBA Allstar, 6x NBA First Team, 2x NBA second team, 2x Finals MVP (2017–18), MVP (2014), 2x NBA champion (2017–18), 4x scoring champion (2010–12,14)

When Kevin Durant leaves Golden State matters on his place on this list fifteen, fourteen, and thirteen are sixty-five, seventy-two, and one hundred forty points ahead of him on this list. That is a lot. To give some perspective the biggest difference before this is 29 points, Pettit and Dirk. The folks above Durant are the elite of the elite. If Durant stays on the Warriors, he has a chance to climb close to the top. If not he may not rise much higher.

His career so far by any measure has been fantastic. He is really on the same career trajectory as Jordan or LeBron without the MVPs. He is hurt somewhat because he is not a defensive player but only against the best of the best. He may end up being the greatest scorer of all time.

15. Moses Malone (1974–1995)

Points: 585

13x NBA/ABA Allstar, 4x NBA First Team, 4x NBA second team, Finals MVP (1983), 3x MVP (1979,82–83), First All Defensive team, NBA champion (1983), 6x rebound leaders (1979,1981–85)

Moses had a very high and short peak. Comparable to Shaq with fewer championships but more MVPs. He was a freakish athlete. Moses would miss shots on purpose because he knew he could get the rebound. His two years in the ABA hurt him on my list. Moses played for bad teams in the ABA he won some rookie awards, an all-star nod but didn’t have any playoff success.

Like I said before Moses is the beginning of the elite part of this list. He checks all the boxes playoffs, career, longevity and era. Even in his weakest category advance stats, he gets points. His peak just wasn’t as long as some of the folks higher on the list. Moses will be on most people’s lists forever be the gatekeeper to the penthouse unless it’s the next guy.

14. Kevin Garnett (1995–2016)

Points: 592

15x NBA Allstar, 4x NBA First Team, 3x NBA second team, MVP (2004), 9x First All Defensive team, DPOY (2008), NBA champion (2008), 4x rebound leaders (2004–07)

Garnett in a lot of ways is the first modern superstar. Coming out of high school allowed him to accomplish things like fifteen all-star appearances and nine defensive first teams. That players before him just can’t match. Garnett is the benchmark for player longevity all time he gets a hundred percent score.

Moses was the first player to come out of high school. Garnett did not have to deal with being in the ABA for his first two years or being mismanaged in NBA because he was viewed as not “right” for the league. Poor Moses career really didn’t start until his second year with the Houston Rockets. His fifth year as a professional.

An incredible two-way player’s Garnett did languished in Minnesota for twelve years. I personally always partially blamed him for this because I thought his Timberwolves teams were better than the media narrative claimed. Remember Dirk won a championship and went to multiple conference championships with only slightly better talent. Garnett only made one conference finals with the Timberwolves.

Garnet did get his first championship by moving to Boston in 2008 to form the first modern super team with Paul Pierce and Ray Allen. If Garnett played to today he would have moved four times and may have been higher or lower on this list. If he had played fifteen years early he probably would have not left the Timberwolves and might not be on the list at all.

Moses and Garnett will be at the gates of NBA Heaven forever, that’s pretty cool.

13. Hakeem Olajuwon (1984–2002)

Points: 660

12x NBA Allstar, 6x NBA First Team, 3x NBA second team, MVP (1994), 2x NBA Finals (1994–5) 5x First All Defensive team, 2x DPOY (1993–4), 2x NBA champion (1994–5), 2x rebound leaders (1989–90), 3x blocks leaders (1990–91,93)

So this is where the list starts sucking for me. Hakeem Olajuwon is my favorite player of all time. There is no way in mind that he is not ahead of twelve or eleven. Maybe a few of top ten players as well. That is this list. No human feeling. I have built a system. I HATE THIS.

Hakeem had some rough years between the original Twin Tower Era (him and Ralph Sampson) and his two championships. The Rockets made the finals in 1986 with Sampson by 1988 Sampson’s knees had crumbled. They traded him to Golden State Warriors.

Olajuwon as the only star in 1989 had a great season but lost in the first round in Seattle. Things went downhill from there. It got so bad that he asked the Rockets for a trade at the end of 1992 season. He also insulted the owner Charlie Thomas. This part of his career is the reason he is not higher on the list.

Fun Fact: Quick sidetrack the rough years were my first as a Rockets fan. The only other good player in those years besides Hakeem was Sleepy Floyd. He got the nickname Sleepy because he looked Sleepy. Anyway, he was fun to watch.

Olajuwon was not traded in 1992 or 93. A lot of fortunate things happen to the rockets over those two years the owner sold the team, Rudy Tomjanovich became the head coach, Robert Horry was drafted to play small forward always a position of weakness for the Rockets, and at the end of 1993, Micheal Jordan retired.

It’s easy to say that the last one is the reason that Olajuwon won his two titles but that that misses the point. The point is that Ewing, Barkley, Karl Malone, Shaq, Robinson, Miller, and Payton didn’t. Olajuwon’s Rockets famously vanquished Robinson, Ewing, and Shaq during those two years aka all his center rivals.

I hate this list.

12. Karl Malone (1985–2004)

Points: 691

14x NBA Allstar, 11x NBA First Team, 2x NBA second team,2x MVP (1997–8), 3x First All Defensive team

If anyone breaks my system it’s Karl Malone. He makes me think I should count the best player on a title more. It’s now worth sixty points but is that enough? Malone has a high longevity and era score. I have capped longevity but should I cap era as well?

Malone’s positives on this list are his career achievements. I’ve talked about Steve Nash’s two suspect MVPs. Malone’s are just as shaky. His first MVP was given to him because people were tired of giving it to Jordan and maybe the most fraudulent MVP in NBA history. The second was in the 98–99 strike shorten season which most people argue shouldn’t have had an MVP. You also have to wonder if Tim Duncan would have been a little older would he have won that one. To fair to Malone even if we took both MVPs away he would only drop a spot on the list. He is just really good in every category that’s not the playoffs.

He has eleven first team all NBA nods which you can’t question. Any all-time list is going to rate him the greatest NBA player to never win a championship. I just feel my system rates him a little too high.

11. Shaquille O’Neal (1992–2011)

Points: 732

15x NBA Allstar, 8x NBA First Team, 2x NBA second team, MVP (2000), 2x scoring champion (1995,2000), 4x NBA Champion (2000–02, 2006), 3x Finals MVP (2000–02)

Shaq in his prime was the most unstoppable player I’ve ever watched. In the early 2000s, I tried to play fantasy basketball for a couple years. It wasn’t fun because whoever had Shaq won.

I never had the first pick so I never got him. I would look at my league every day just hope he got injured. He was that dominate. Former Commissioner David Stern would tell league owners that they were one move away from a championship. What was the move? Acquire Shaq. No one except Jordan was that dominate in my lifetime.

So why isn’t the top ten? Well, for one thing, he is close to being top ten. Eleven to six are only forty-five points apart. If you told me Shaq was the six best player of all time I couldn’t argue. He is forty one points ahead of Karl Malone. So if Moses and Garnet at the gates, Hakeem and Karl are at the party, Shaq is the beginning of plateau right before Mount Rushmore.

He loses out to his rivals because his career prime is just not as long. He was at the top of the mountain for about eight years the guys ahead of him have at least ten. Only one person above him has less than two MVPs. He didn’t rebound and was the most injured player in the top 17. He isn’t as defensively dominant as other centers in the top 50. All of this is splitting hairs on a truly great player but at this point of the list that is what we have to do.

We are finally at the top ten next time you get to find out who the G.O.A.T is.