The best basketball players of all time invented new ways to play the game and forever changed the history of this exciting sport. The task of creating a list of the greatest players of all time is a challenging for anyone to handle and the order in which the greatest players are often listed is usually debated amongst fans, but the following paragraphs will talk about a few of the best players to ever play the game of basketball and why these individuals are considered to be the best.
One of the greatest players to ever play the game is undoubtedly Michael Jordan. Some fans may argue that LeBron James is a better player because he has broken numerous records very early in his career. Although this argument is strong, LeBron James' career is still rather underdeveloped and the world can only imagine the amazing feats this young and talented player will accomplish in the future.
While Michael Jordan was an amazing all around player, it is possible that his greatness is overshadowed by the astonishing abilities of the current basketball great, Kobe Bryant. Kobe seems to bring everything to the table and he is truly unmatched on the courts today. While Kobe is undoubtedly the best active player in the NBA, some may question the claim that he is the greatest player of all time.
Many fans who remember the keen abilities of Wilt Chamberlain make the claim that Chamberlain was the greatest player to ever play the game. These fans will present Chamberlain's amazing scoring records, including a game where he scored 100 points in a single game, as a testament to his greatness.
Some fans often make the claim that other areas of the sport are more important than offense, such as defense. If defense is the basis on which you identify the greatest player to ever play the game of basketball, it is likely that you would name Bill Russell as the best player ever. His amazing defensive skills led the Celtics to 11 championships. Bill Russell also won 5 MVP awards and he was an all star player a total of 12 times.
There are truly many factors that must be considered before a person can join the ranks of the best basketball players of all time, but if the record of a player comes anywhere near the records of the stars who were listed in the previous paragraphs, it is likely that they deserve recognition for their accomplishments. While the process of identifying the greatest stars in history can easily turn into a heated debate amongst fans, it is likely that almost everyone can agree that the individuals listed in this article are truly basketball legends.
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Find out about the history of basketball and the man who invented it, Canadian James Naismith . Or if you like football go ahead and learn about the history of American football and how the National Football League has evolved over time. The history of basketball and football should be interesting to any sports fan.