Nuvendil said:
Number of titles means little when circumstances can get in the way of that. I would say Wilt Chamberlin and Kareem Abdul Jabbar have powerful arguments for #1 despite having fewer and Bill Russell has no argument for #1 despite having 11 titles. And Lebron James's individual prowess and the way he can elevate his team are undeniable. Take your blinders off. |
Wilt would be GOAT if he won more titles, unfortunately for him he didn't.
Russell is a product of a stacked team, he never had to shoulder the offensive responsibility other guys in the top 10 did.
LeBron is great, but has flaws, he would be no one's choice to have the ball in his hands in a do-or-die clutch situation with-your-life-on-the-line over a Michael Jordan. No chance.
Jordan has the individual success married with an ample number of championships and is probably the greatest clutch player in the history of the game on top of being one of the most complete (incredible offensive player who also turned himself into a great defensive player). He basically combines what Wilt had (the individual stuff) with what Russell had (the team wins) into the best balance of both.
The guy who actually could've dethroned Jordan IMO is Shaq. Shaq had the most unbelievable physical tools and dominance ... he was just lazy and didn't apply himself enough nor did he maximize himself on the defensive end. Plus he could be childish, the way he handled his relationship with Kobe was dumb, he was the older one he should've known better.
