Ranking the top 30 NBA Players of all time

 Ranking the top 30 NBA Players of all time

There are constantly debates surrounding the sports world concerning NBA legends and their counterparts, as it pertains to who is better, who's peak was better, who's prime was longer, who's career was robbed, how do the different "era's" of basketball play in comparison to one another, and overall it all turns into an exhausting clump of arguments and confusion between fans. Questions such as "Lebron or Jordan," "Bird or Magic," "Russell or Wilt," are without a doubt interesting, but have still been repeated to an almost annoying extent, especially through modern mainstream sports television and media. Nonetheless, these repetitive arguments are still meticulously discussed and debated, and we cannot deny do still hold an entertaining clasp over basketball fans - just like rewatching a favorite TV Show for the eleventh time can still be fun, debating Steph Curry or Kevin Durant can still be fun as well, no matter how many times we might have brought it up before. And that's what we are attempting today, but we shall go further past these two player debates and further into discussing the 30 greatest players in NBA History. Why 30, instead of 10, 20, etc? I think 30 remains the most pure cutoff, as there are not often just ten players you could argue for a top 10, more like 15. This also pertains to top 20, 25, etc. Frankly, I'm just being a little more lenient on who gets to enter the beloved top 30, and it makes my job easier because I don't have to ignore or cast off as many legends from the ranking as I would for a top 20 list. 

However, I will still bring up some players who deserve to be mentioned but do not quite crack the top 30: Allen Iverson, Chris Paul, Jason Kidd, Steve Nash, Patrick Ewing, Bob Cousy, Bob Pettit, and George Mikan. I was very tempted to put AI in this list, but as of recent years and a new addition to the top 30, people had to be moved around and he was unfortunately jousted from the ranking. Chris Paul almost snuck in there, especially due to his finals appearance with the Suns in 2021, but he ultimately did not earn a spot. If the Suns had beat the Bucks, with CP3 getting his first ring, would it have been enough for him to crack the list? It certainly gives him an advantage over fellow ringless players, like Stockton, Malone, Barkley - one championship really can make a large difference. But I'm not sure he would have, and regardless, they lost. But shoutout to CP3 anyways, he still has a chance to jump in before his career ends. Steve Nash and Jason Kidd really blend together for me (as disrespectful as this may be), and while they did have amazing moments in their career, what with Nash's incredible offensive game and Kidd's all-around playmaking and defensive capabilities, they didn't do enough in the long run to make it. Patrick Ewing as well looks pitiful compared to some of the other big men in this top 30, and while he had some good years in the 90s, he didn't really accomplish much nor leave as much of a mark as some of these other NBA greats. Bob Pettit was phenomenal in the 50s and 60s, but similar to Ewing, and taking in consideration the competition and difference between time eras, Pettit doesn't make the cut. I do want to emphasize that Pettit was without a doubt one of the premiere players of his generation. Same goes to Cousy, who was the 50s and 60s version of Steve Nash, but its hard to forecast how he would have been now. Lastly comes Mikan, who we simply have to give a shoutout to because no one else is as old as this guy, not even guys such as Pettit or Russell. He dominated in the 40s and 50s, but when you're playing plumbers who had just returned from fighting the Nazi's, what else would you expect? 

Some other guys who possibly could climb up the ranks into the list would be James Harden, Nikola Jokic, Luka Doncic, Joel Embiid, Jayson Tatum, and possibly even Ja Morant or Zion Williamson. However, for most of these players it is much to early to tell (especially the latter half), but who knows how much recency bias will affect us in a couple of years. However, it is certainly possible, as Giannis wasn't even an honorable mention three years ago, but with MVP's, DPOY's, and his title run, he euro-stepped his way into the top 30 and even leapfrogged some residing legends into nearly the top 20. If Jokic continues to put up his ridiculous numbers and further proves himself in the playoffs, he could make a Giannis type jump as well. Same with Luka, and Harden really just needs to win a chip or two. The others have a lot more to accomplish, but like I said, anything is possible. 

But without further ado let's get to the top 30 NBA Players of all time. 

30. Kawhi Leonard, SF, San Antonio Spurs/Toronto Raptors/Los Angeles Clippers

Following his legendary playoff run with the Raptors in 2019, Kawhi was a guaranteed top 30 NBA Player for me. As of recent years, individual player playoff runs that especially stick out to me are Lebron in 2018 (he made up for his garbage team by making insane highlight plays, racking up remarkable stat lines, and making what seemed like a game-winner weekly), Giannis in 2021 (50 points in game 6 of the NBA Finals is pretty crazy) and Kawhi in 2019. That raptors team was the perfect blend of nitty-gritty defense and efficient scoring, and Kawhi was the headliner of it all (shoutout to Pascal Siakam and Kyle Lowry as well). They prevented the Warriors three-peat in six games, and despite the tremendous luck they received from the injuries to Klay Thompson and Kevin Durant, they (once again, especially Kawhi) showed tenacity and skill. Kawhi was one of my favorite players that season, not only for his deadpan awkward yet hilarious personality (the laugh will forever go down in history as one of the strangest and greatest NBA moments), but his excellent defensive prowess and ferocious offensive game made him extremely fun to watch. However, these last few seasons have really bumped Kawhi down for me. The Clippers choking in the playoffs, the frustrating amount of load-management (even worse than his Spurs days), etc, have prevented us from watching this beast play; and instead, have left us disappointed and annoyed. His prime is running out, and who knows how much longer it will last, so the fact that we've barely seen him in action for the past two and a half seasons leaves a painful mark on his growing but faltering legacy. However, he's still recently 31, and had accomplished so much before he hit 30, with his finals MVP's and defensive accolades. He remains one of the best two-way players in the NBA, and I rank his defense very high in NBA History, right alongside Scottie Pippen and Draymond Green, yet his offensive game still towers over other greats. I long to see more from the Claw,  and an MVP or another title run could certainly help his case, but if things don't pick up soon, I could easily see a guy like CP3, Jokic, or Harden taking his place. 

29. John Stockton, PG, Utah Jazz

When deciding between Chris Paul and John Stockton for the "bottom of the list, title-less point guard, with dependability and longevity under his belt," I ultimately chose Stockton for a couple of reasons, the main being was Stockton's remarkable durability and consistency throughout his career. In his nineteen seasons for the Jazz in the NBA, Stockton made the playoffs EVERY SINGLE YEAR. If you had Stockton on your team, you were almost guaranteed a playoff spot as long as you surrounded him with solid role players and a reliable big man (without Karl Malone who knows how his career goes). And Stockton never was injured - you can't really pin the blame directly on CP3, but still, time and time again he's gone down with injury in the playoffs. Stockton was much more consistently reliable. He's the model for a modern day point guard: quick, smart, excellent passer, good defender, decent shooter and finisher. He pretty much solidified the pick and roll as a reliable NBA play, running it to perfection with Malone - better than anyone in NBA History. He also had a consistent pull up three pointer, and a great deep inbound pass that he constantly ran with Malone as well. He's at the top of the record books in assists and steals, and those records are unlikely to be broken any time soon. He did enough in his career to solidify himself as a top 5 PG of all time. You can't blame the Jazz for losing those two finals to the Bulls, but they had failed to reach the finals earlier in his career, when the NBA was more competitive in the late 80s/early 90s. When they finally did in '97 and '98, the NBA was going through a transition phase, with the main threats in the West being the aging Sonics, emerging Lakers, etc. But they still get credit for putting up a fight against Jordan. Overall, Stockton was kinda the Tim Duncan of point guards - not flashy, boring. But very reliable: He could pick you apart with his precision playmaking, sneaky defense, and a solid offensive bag that he could whip out on you when his team needed a quick bucket. And while he could easily be taken off the top 30 if a guy like CP3 finally wins a chip, he belongs on the list as of now, being the fifth best PG of all time. 

28. David Robinson, C, San Antonio Spurs

I'm sure there are many that may think The Admiral deserves to be ranked higher on the list, and while I respect his career credentials and his many accolades, I think his pure dominance and grace on the basketball court was often overrated by basketball fans. He was one of the most anticipated rookies entering the NBA, and right so - The Admiral had a "larger than life" persona, remarkable stature, and knowledge and love for the game. People excepted him to be the modern-day, 7'1 Bill Russell. And yes, he was very skilled, and had an excellent NBA career, winning an MVP and DPOY. He was a great scorer, excellent defender, and reliable rebounder, putting up insane statistics early on his career. However, he had some crucial flaws in his game. He often came up short in the clutch, and was heavily outplayed by Hakeem the dream in the NBA finals. His two championships were carried by the arrival of Tim Duncan, and Robinson ultimately failed to lead a team to a championship. As a legendary player, no matter how physically imposing or dominant you are, if you shy away in the clutch, your legacy is heavily affected. And unfortunately for The Admiral, his is. Nonetheless, he is one of the most athletic NBA players of all time, which was rare for big men at his time, and he is one of the most well liked players on this list. I only wish he could have done more for his legacy when he was the number one guy. 

27. John Havlicek, SF, Boston Celtics

Jordan

Lebron

Kareem

Russell

Bird

Magic

Kobe

West

Robertson

shaq

wilt

duncan

steph

olajuwon

durant

dr j

wade

giannis

dirk

kg

barkley

karl malone

moses malone

havlicek

pippen

baylor

robinson

isiah thomas