How is George Mikan not top 10 if Bill Russell is?

[Akrazotile]

Mikan won 7 'chips as the man. Thats more than MJ.

Bill Russell was basically DeAndre Jordan in the 60s. Mikan was more skilled offensively and probably didnt have stacked teams like Russell did. They both played in an era were there was like 8 teams, and little complete footage to go back and study.

Mikan fits literally the EXACT criteria people use to put Russell in the top 10, even top 5. Vast majority of these people never saw either play.

Is this just sheep gonna sheep or is there some justification for this that I'm missing?

[LoneyROY7]

Just a big white dude dominating smaller white dudes.

[CavaliersFTW]

I think his resume really is potentially top 5.

Wilt - set/holds MDE bar
Russell - set/holds GWE bar

Kareem GOAT tier blend of MDE/GWE
MJ - GOAT tier blend of MDE/GWE
...Mikan? GOAT tier blend of MDE/GWE blend

Mikan won like 7 world championships in a 9 year stretch and was flat out Shaq-like in in-game dominance against his peers. Zero answers for him. So he was physically dominant, and a winner. Top 5 level in the same class of dominance and winning combo as MJ and Kareem and greater than that of Shaq, Duncan, LeBron to this point, etc. He'd have a shit ton more awards had they existed in his era, such as MVP's, he'd no doubt have at many MVP's and FMVP's to go along with those titles.

[DavisIsMyUniBro]

See, I know the weak era is nonsense at times, (against wilt and Russell)

But in the 40s...

[dhsilv]

5 NBA titles and 2 BBA titles (I honestly don't know what the BBA is?)

439 regular season games between BOTH leagues.

I'm not 100% Russell should be top 5, but he at least played over 900 nba games.

[dhsilv]

See, I know the weak era is nonsense at times, (against wilt and Russell)

But in the 40s...

He retired the year before Russell started, it all changed in a year? Actually to be honest at the speed the game was likely changing that might be true, but just had to point that out :)

[Naero]

George Mikan is underrated by modernists, as he pioneered the historical lineage of dominant big-men. Due to interspersing his career with only 9 years of NBA time, however, his longevity did suffer, and many do not even bother to ingest information from the past iterations of the NBA league.

That being said, underratedness shouldn't be hyperbolized to the point of swinging to the other end of the extreme. To lump him together with DeAndre Jordan is to completely underplay all the tangibles he brought to the table.

He wasn't just a defensive legend and anchor of the 11 championship Celtics team; he also won it while also juggling the task of coaching for two of them

[feyki]

Fifth all time ; after Wilt , before Bird .

[AnaheimLakers24]

All those losers form the 60s and before would be asking me for my change on the freeway in this era

russel is a joke

[sdot_thadon]

Man times changes everything, I remember Mikan still getting respect and mention in these type of conversations as a kid. It sucks because his era was basically basketballs stone age, undocumented, not many alive that can tell the stories now. As time passes eventually this may happen to any era not documented enough.

[Thorpesaurous]

This is a fair point and one I've considered myself many times, but the truth is is that as much as people claim the game looks nothing like the game Russell played, the truth is is that if you watch Mikan's game footage, Russell's game footage, and current game footage, Russell's game footage and todays look nearly the same compared to the Mikan stuff. It's just too hard to interpolate. Russell really was the start of modern basketball. And there are other guys who are underrated because they span that stretch, including Bob Cousey and Bob Petitte.

[stalkerforlife]

Because he's white.

We've been black balled.

[Asukal]

You could make a case for him over loser Wilt.

[Pointguard]

Marques Haynes would have to be up for GOAT then. He beat those Mikan's Lakers twice while playing with a team that barely played professional/competitive games. And Haynes was the most influential player ever with his dribble and he was the first international star.

Mikan was blacklisted because he spoke very highly of Wilt in comparison to Russell. Something like Wilt would stuff Russell in the basket every time if they call the game fair. That was something you just didn't do at that time. Russell was anointed. Mikan went from being the greatest player in the sport into anonymity after that statement.

[GimmeThat]

not saying he isn't.

but this has got a lot to do with the fact that NBA players doesn't get a part of the profit from the league revenue as a whole. instead, independent contracts with teams based off of their own performance etc.

imagine the benefit that has with players for just an extended year of stay of playing, not just for their legacy, but financially as well.

but then, they'll always be fighting against the rookies for a spot anyways.


if you told the players that if the league ends not being profitable, they would have their paycheck being deducted as well, I wonder what they would say.