Top 10 Greatest NBA Players of All Time

Shaquille O'Neal was the most dominant player of his generation-possibly of all time. It was borderline unfair how he brutalized defenders with brute strength.
Shaq led the Los Angeles Lakers to three consecutive NBA Championships in the early 2000s, winning three Finals MVPs in the process. The 2000 regular season MVP winner was also selected to 14 All-NBA Teams in his career.
8. Tim Duncan
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Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images
Career playoff stats: 21.9 PPG, 12.0 RPG, 2.4 BPG
Accolades: 4 NBA titles, 3 Finals MVPs, 2 reg. season MVPs
Tim Duncan is the model of consistency. Look through his statistics throughout the years, and you won't find too much variation.
"The Big Fundamental" led the San Antonio Spurs to four NBA Championships, en route to three Finals MVPs. His perfect Finals record was blemished last season in a seven-game series loss to the Miami Heat, but four out of five isn't too bad. Duncan been selected to 14 All-NBA and All-Defensive Teams each and still looks to have a little left in the tank.
7. Wilt Chamberlain
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Dick Raphael/Getty Images
Career playoff stats: 22.5 PPG, 24.5 RPG, 4.2 APG
Accolades: 2 NBA titles, 1 Finals MVP, 4 reg. season MVPs
Wilt Chamberlain is the reason I said Shaq was "possibly" the most dominant player of all time. Chamberlain's dominance is widely acknowledged, and as time passes he seems more and more like a mythical figure. In the 1961-62 regular season, he averaged 50.4 points and 25.7 rebounds. Simply unreal.
Had Wilt accomplished more in the postseason, he would be closer to No. 1. It seems crazy to expect more from a player who averaged 22 and 25, but that's how it goes when you're the most dominant.
6. LeBron James
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Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images
Career playoff stats: 28.1 PPG, 8.6 RPG, 6.7 APG
Accolades: 2 NBA titles, 2 Finals MVPs, 4 reg. season MVPs
LeBron James entered the league burdened with unimaginable expectations. Expectations he surely couldn't live up to, right?
Wrong. The Miami Heat superstar has gotten the championship monkey off of his back two times over and is now chasing history. Just 10 seasons into his NBA career, he's already one of the game's all-time greats. The statistics and MVP counts speak for themselves. "King James" has developed into a great two-way player, being named to 9 All-NBA and 5 All-Defensive Teams.
The next player on the list shouldn't get too comfortable, because LeBron could be slowly creeping up the list by the end of this coming season.
5. Larry Bird
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Brian Drake/Getty Images
Career playoff stats: 23.8 PPG, 10.3 RPG, 6.5 APG
Accolades: 3 NBA titles, 2 Finals MVPs, 3 reg. season MVPs
Derrick Rose gave a rather fitting assessment of Larry Bird in an interview with Rappler Sports recently. Bird was never the most athletic player on the court, but he was always dominant. Whatever he lacked in athleticism, he made up for with his basketball IQ, great skills-including that deadly jump shot-and fierce competitiveness.
Bird led the Boston Celtics to three NBA Championships, compiling three regular season MVPs and 2 Finals MVPs along the way. "Larry Legend" was selected to 10 All-NBA and three All-Defense Teams in his 13-year career.
2. Bill Russell
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Dick Raphael/Getty Images
Career playoff stats: 16.2 PPG, 24.9 RPG, 4.7 APG
Accolades: 11 NBA titles, 5 reg. season MVPs
The greatest defender in the game's history led the Boston Celtics to a record 11 NBA Championships.
Bill Russell is an interesting case, as his offensive stats don't jump out at you, but his impact went far beyond numbers. Russell could flat-out dominate the game defensively. Still, his career averages are nothing to sniff at, and if blocks and Finals MVPs were counted/awarded throughout his career, he would've won plenty of those.
Russell is the greatest winner in all of sports. His 11-championship count may be the safest record in the NBA game.
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Do any current superstars like Kobe Bryant and LeBron James make the cut? Let's take a look at the 10 greatest players in NBA history and find out.