The GOAT List: 100 Greatest Players in Basketball History

[WRECK!A!NIZE]

[FONT="Book Antiqua"]#77 Artis Gilmore[/FONT]
Team(s): Kentucky Cornels, Chicago Bulls, San Antonio Spurs
Years Played: 1971-1988
Career Numbers: 18.8 ppg 12.3 rpg 2.3 apg

Of all the ABA greats to have played at least five years in the fledgling league only three lasted 10 or more years in the NBA; the Ice Man played for ten, the Doctor eleven and the A-train twelve. No it doesn’t have quite the same ring as the other two, but Gilmore was not as flashy, didn’t attract as much attention and liked it that way. In his 17 years as a pro Gilmore was a consistent success, dominating early on as the ABA Rookie of the Year and Most Valuable Player in 1972. Later winning the ABA all-star game MVP in 1974 and eventually most importantly the ABA playoffs MVP for the 1975 champion Kentucky Cornels. Gilmore was an all-star and All-ABA first team selection all five years he was in the league. He was also the leagues leader in defensive and total rebounds those five years. Upon reaching the NBA Gilmore was acquired by a perpetually rebuilding Chicago Bulls team for whom he averaged 21 points and 11

[G.O.A.T]

Updated the Original post and index to make navigation and reading juch easier and quicker.

[L.Kizzle]

Updated the Original post and index to make navigation and reading juch easier and quicker.

Nice list, I'd have Big Ben at #83 and move everyone else up one. Ben Shouldn't be over Zo Mourning.

[G.O.A.T]

Nice list, I'd have Big Ben at #83 and move everyone else up one. Ben Shouldn't be over Zo Mourning.

Even with the title as a starter not a reserve, twice as many defensive MVP's and all-NBA selections and being the better rebounder?

And you'd put Bobby Jones above him too doesn't a dominant defensive post have a bigger impact then a dominant defensive wing?

Not that I think either of those is crazy, I am just asking.

[Niquesports]

Updated the Original post and index to make navigation and reading juch easier and quicker.

Very Interesting you have Mutombo over Mourning
and Bobby Jones over marques Johnson

[Niquesports]

Even with the title as a starter not a reserve, twice as many defensive MVP's and all-NBA selections and being the better rebounder?

And you'd put Bobby Jones above him too doesn't a dominant defensive post have a bigger impact then a dominant defensive wing?

Not that I think either of those is crazy, I am just asking.

The reason I would take Mourning over BIg Ben is because from what Ive seen he has been a at best avg Center for everyother team he has played on he fit in perfect with the Pistons they didnt need him to score and they had Big PF to make up for his lack of hieght the other teams he played on where they needed him to be a true C he really wasnt that Good Mourning has been a true warrior of a Center with every team he was on scoring rebounding and Defense. YOu my man GOAT and you put iin some hard work but this is a big mistake in my view.

[G.O.A.T]

Very Interesting you have Mutombo over Mourning
and Bobby Jones over marques Johnson

In the foreward to the list it's mentioned that 51-99 in particular are in loose order, and again the top of the last post I said that some of these guys could be higher or lower on the list but I ranked them all together for continuity purposes.

You'll see throughout my list I have a lot of value for role players who excelled in the greatest moments and on the biggest stages. Guys who understood their limitations and still maximized their abilities to become very good and in some cases elite players.

I respect your opinion of Zo over the Fro, but Wallace being such an unlikely cornerstone of a champion defies explanation and makes what he did in his career seem like a greater accomplishment then what Mourning did.

As for Diekembe or Zo, I had too. Dikemebe was so exceptional on defense and a more integral part of more good teams as a center then Zo.

I wanted to rank them side by side for a while, thought it's be fitting since they played three years together at Georgetown.

There is no doubt Alonzo is more skilled a complete player then Mutombo or Ben and of course Marques Johnson was a more dynamic player then Bobby Jones, but the later mentioned guys were all elite at what they did for long periods of time while the former had shorter primes and never really were elite at what they did for very long.

[Niquesports]

In the foreward to the list it's mentioned that 51-99 in particular are in loose order, and again the top of the last post I said that some of these guys could be higher or lower on the list but I ranked them all together for continuity purposes.

You'll see throughout my list I have a lot of value for role players who excelled in the greatest moments and on the biggest stages. Guys who understood their limitations and still maximized their abilities to become very good and in some cases elite players.

I respect your opinion of Zo over the Fro, but Wallace being such an unlikely cornerstone of a champion defies explanation and makes what he did in his career seem like a greater accomplishment then what Mourning did.

As for Diekembe or Zo, I had too. Dikemebe was so exceptional on defense and a more integral part of more good teams as a center then Zo.

I wanted to rank them side by side for a while, thought it's be fitting since they played three years together at Georgetown.

There is no doubt Alonzo is more skilled a complete player then Mutombo or Ben and of course Marques Johnson was a more dynamic player then Bobby Jones, but the later mentioned guys were all elite at what they did for long periods of time while the former had shorter primes and never really were elite at what they did for very long.

I would take Marques over Bobby Jones for all reason you listed Jones was a very good role player but never an elite player like Marques was I still cant see For over Zo he only played a an elite level for his 4 years with the Piston for his years with the Bullets and cavs he wasnt even an avg C he at best was a slightly below avg C. Zo was always one of the top C at a time when the league was so deep with C he made the Hornets a playoff team and the Heat. Cant see Fro doing this

[iounas]

Hurry up with this list, I want to see where you rank DJ Mbenga

[L.Kizzle]

Hurry up with this list, I want to see where you rank DJ Mbenga

DJ was great, around the mid 60's, ooops DJ Mbenga, around the mid 1200s

[G.O.A.T]

I love to see a top 50 goof and goons in NBA history list.

Or a top 50 useless 7 footers list.

[triangleoffense]

how do you have ben wallace as a greater player than zo? alonzo mourning seriously

[G.O.A.T]

how do you have ben wallace as a greater player than zo? alonzo mourning seriously

As I mentioned earlier, Ben has more defensive player of the year awrads, all-defensive team selections, all-NBA selections, rebounding titles and a much better post-season resume. Mourning is clearly the complete and talented player, but Wallace had the better career IMO.

It's certainly debatable.

[G.O.A.T]

[FONT="Palatino Linotype"]The evolution of the two guard is a microcosm of the evolution of basketball, the players have gotten, bigger, stronger, more skilled and flashier as the years have gone on. They are perhaps the most electrifying showman in the game, combining the grace and athleticism of the small forward with the ball handling and perimeter shooting of the point guard. The next four players are four the games greatest showman, they did it in a variety of ways and in a variety of eras and on different stages. Their contributions to game can't bee seen by evaluating their games and their careers only, what these men have done for the dunk, the tall guard, the three point shot and creative ball handling and scoring respectively can be seen in the games of most of today's best young players. [/FONT]



[FONT="Book Antiqua"]#76 David Thompson[/FONT]
Team(s): Denver Nuggets, Seattle Supersonics
Years Played: 1975-1984
Career Numbers: 22.7 ppg 4.1 rpg 3.3 apg

One of the original high-flyers, the Skywalker David Thompson was one of the five greatest college basketball players ever and followed it up with a great ABA\NBA career that included 2 first team all-NBA selections and five NBA all-star games. Relentless attacking the rim and a ferocious finisher, Thompson would end five seasons as a top five scorer in his league. In his lone ABA season Thompson was rookie of the year, an all-ABA selection and an all-star MVP. He is the only player in the history of the sport to win the MVP of the All-Star game in both leagues further demonstrating his greatness as an entertainer not just an athlete. Over ten combined seasons Thompson averaged nearly 23 points per game, his vertical creative got him credited for inventing the alley-oop a play that is one of today’s games most exciting. Never part of a great team, Thompson reached the ABA finals in 1976 and the Western conference finals in 1978, both times with Denver.



[FONT="Book Antiqua"]#75 Tracy McGrady[/FONT]
Team(s): Toronto Raptors, Orlando Magic, Houston Rockets
Years Played: 1997-
Career Numbers: 22.1 ppg 6.1 rpg 4.7 apg

The most notable member of the third class of highschoolers to come through the NBA in the 1990’s. On talent and individual accomplishment alone McGrady is building a top 50 resume, but the fact that even now 12 years into his career he’s still yet to see round two really holds him back. His peak numbers of 32-7-6 are almost unprecedented and his back-to-back scoring titles are no small accomplishment either. Six times he’s finished in the top 10 in scoring and has almost always been his team’s primary ball handler. For a number of years he was considered a top 5-10 player and has seven all-NBA selections to his name, two first team (’02 & ’03) and was an all-star for seven straight years between 2001 and 2007. While his teams’ lack of postseason successes is a fair argument against him, saying he does not come up big in the playoffs is not true; his averages of 29-7-6 are fantastic. Few players in basketball history have combined size, athleticism and skill like Tracy McGrady, he makes the game look effortless, at least November through March. With his health deteriorating and his athleticism waning, McGrady may soon have to adjust to life as a role player or at least third option player; if he’s able to do so for a championship contending team he could still make good on that top 50 promise before all is said and done.



[FONT="Book Antiqua"]#74 Reggie Miller[/FONT]
Team(s): Indiana Pacers
Years Played: 1987-2005
Career Numbers: 18.2 ppg 3.0 rpg 3.0 apg

Reggie Miller is this high on the list for more then one reason. Nobody has made as many dramatic, legendary plays on the big stage then Reggie Miller and nobody could have done it with the sweet style he did and that is what distinguishes his career more then anything else but... In addition to what everyone always talks about with Reggie, his flair for the dramatic and greatness in the clutch, he has been the most durable shooting guard the league has ever seen. Miller was a supremely conditioned athlete; he never stopped working and there is little doubt that phenomenal shape he kept himself in allowed him to be a step faster in the 48th minute and beyond. Miller played 18 seasons, 14 at a very high level and was still an above average player in his later thirties. His durability and longevity has allowed him to become the NBA’s all-time leader in three point field goals made in both the regular and post seasons. Five times he led the league in free throw percentage; his 89% career ranks ninth all-time. He ranks top 20 all-time in points, minutes, games, field goals and free throws made. For all his amazing games and memorable shots, his eight points in 11 seconds to shock the Knicks is still the most amazing to me and something we may never see again.


[FONT="Book Antiqua"]#73 Earl Monroe[/FONT]
Team(s): Baltimore Bullets, New York Knicks
Years Played: 1967-1980
Career Numbers: 18.8 ppg 3.0 rpg 3.9 apg

Black Jesus; The Pearl was the greatest one on one player ever and the most creative player still to ever play the game. Only chronic knee issues and a lack of athleticism kept him from going down as one of the all-time greats and keep him in the bottom third of this list. The 1968 rookie of the year, in his first four seasons with the Bullets he averaged 24 points and 5 assists and developed a reputation for being a dominant one on one scorer. Well on his way if not already established as a star he was traded to the Knicks and began to struggle with knee injuries. When he joined the Knicks in 1971 he proved doubters wrong by playing through the pain, meshing with the established 1970 championship core and helping lead the team back to the top in 1973. Monroe’s athleticism may have limited his body, but his imagination had no end, he brought the spin move, the between the legs dribble, the double pump, the reverse lay-up the spinning lay-up and a host of other moves into the NBA, he invented the windmill, though he couldn’t dunk, he just needed to elude taller defenders.

[L.Kizzle]

[QUOTE=G.O.A.T][FONT="Palatino Linotype"]The evolution of the two guard is a microcosm of the evolution of basketball, the players have gotten, bigger, stronger, more skilled and flashier as the years have gone on. They are perhaps the most electrifying showman in the game, combining the grace and athleticism of the small forward with the ball handling and perimeter shooting of the point guard. The next four players are four the games greatest showman, they did it in a variety of ways and in a variety of eras and on different stages. Their contributions to game can't bee seen by evaluating their games and their careers only, what these men have done for the dunk, the tall guard, the three point shot and creative ball handling and scoring respectively can be seen in the games of most of today's best young players. [/FONT]



[FONT="Book Antiqua"]#76 David Thompson[/FONT]
Team(s): Denver Nuggets, Seattle Supersonics
Years Played: 1975-1984
Career Numbers: 22.7 ppg 4.1 rpg 3.3 apg

One of the original high-flyers, the Skywalker David Thompson was one of the five greatest college basketball players ever and followed it up with a great ABA\NBA career that included 2 first team all-NBA selections and five NBA all-star games. Relentless attacking the rim and a ferocious finisher, Thompson would end five seasons as a top five scorer in his league. In his lone ABA season Thompson was rookie of the year, an all-ABA selection and an all-star MVP. He is the only player in the history of the sport to win the MVP of the All-Star game in both leagues further demonstrating his greatness as an entertainer not just an athlete. Over ten combined seasons Thompson averaged nearly 23 points per game, his vertical creative got him credited for inventing the alley-oop a play that is one of today