TOP 12 NBA PLAYERS OF ALL-TIME 

I love how he brings up Tom Brady multiple times in this video 🤣

Don’t forget about Shaq’s 1 career 3-pointer

"Not all rings are equal" this can not be overstated.

“people use platforms that didn’t even exist the last time he wasn’t an elite player to say he’s overrated” is an such an insane line and i didn’t even think of it that way until you said it, lebron is crazy lmao

I love how this guys channel looks like a meme at first glance, but going deeper I've found some of the better analysis on RU-vid. Respect

Wilt was a freak on and off the court 😂😂😂

I respect your list, and how you included Hakeem, KD and Curry but I believe that Tim Duncan is a top 5 all time because of the how he kept the spurs in playoff contention for his whole career, his finals mvp as a somophore and how he basically made Greg Poppovich great

Finally a list that includes Hakeem. Dude was amazing on both ends. Would be my starting center on an all time team.

Hakeem is easily the most respectable placement on this list people don’t understand how great he was

Tom Brady motivated LeBron James to play basketball and win championships

his list 12-Tim Duncan 0:23 11-Kobe Bryant 1:30 10-Wilt Chamberlin 3:24 9-Shaquille Oneal 5:18 8-Larry Bird 7:18 7-Stephen Curry 10:10 6-Kevin Durant 12:12 5-Magic Johnson 14:04 4-Hakeem Olajuwon 16:18 3-Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 18:28 2-Michael Jordan 21:24 1-Lebron James 25:35

I love how he focuses on players' flaws. These lists always only talk about their strengths so they seem arbitrary along the margins.

Fun fact. Hakeem has a 13-10 record against MJ

Big respect for putting Hakeem at #4. He was simply amazing.

Thinking Basketball's video on Lebron at 37 explains a lot of his continued success. I think, just like MJ, Bron came into the league at the right time. Only one year in the "Deadball Era" and the game gets increasingly easier offensively. For MJ, it's right at the time the media was looking for an athlete in a team sport to build a story around, and MJ's flair was the best selling point. Timing is everything!

The thing is MJ's finals opponents were considered weak (for his standards) apart from maybe Phoenix or the Supersonics. But the road to getting each of those finals might've been tougher matchups overall. Also the Jazz were healthy coming into the finals in 1997 and 1998 against MJ with the flu and the year after Scottie being injured, so I wouldn't say the Bulls had 'easy' finals matchups to start with.

Honestly I believe MJ had the greatest peak of all time and LeBron have the greatest longevity of all-time

I appreciate his point about bigs not being able to initiate the offense. It's what makes players like Durant, Giannnis, and Joker so valuable. They keep the size advantage and the ability to shoot over anyone while still having the ball in there hands to start the offense.

I love the Hakeem pick at #4! The man is criminally underrated. 👍

This aged well for steph

Saw Duncan at 12 and knew I was in for a wild ride…

I like lebron more than MJ but MJ has the most interesting stat i’ve seen. Jxmyhighroller made a vid on this but there was a crazy stat someone noticed about MJ. He went 9 straight years without losing 3 games in a row. Beside his own teammates no other player has come close. Goes to show how much this man despised losing,

I appreciate how you add real context to your evaluation of players. All the good, and all the bad. Respect.

The unwavering commitment to Tom Brady slander is what keeps bringing me back to this channel

This dude has genuinely got really good reasons for all his placements.

I love that even with the number 3 player ever, you still had a shitload of criticism. Very enjoyable video.

It’s wild how so many people online have Kobe as their 1-3 pick when there’s no real objective metric for having him that high

The analysis is great… I have a few small differences and one big one, but the breakdown you give is legit. I love your videos.

Magic Johnson is writing a book to raise awareness about how to avoid HIV. Chapter 1? “Don’t Have Sex with Me.” - Norm Macdonald

This is probably the strongest case for Hakeem being top five I've ever seen and I'm someone who also has him there

Steph led golden state to another ring and was the best player during the finals. His spot on this list is solidified

I was gonna argue Wilt's ranking but you bring up good points about the pace of play and him playing worse in the playoffs, those are valid criticisms, I just hate when people knock him cause of his competition, like he should be penalized for being a physical and athletic freak. It's not his fault that there were no other guys walking the Earth at that time that had his combination of size, strength and athleticism. Extreme example but lets say there was some 8ft freak that came into the league today and put up Wilt like stats for 15 years. Should we downplay it or penalize him just cause he is physically more dominant than everybody else? I don't think so.

Tim Duncan needs to be higher. He did it on both sides of the ball and was a phenomenal leader. 5 rings 3FMVP 2 MVP ROY 15X AS 15X All NBA 15X All Defense. Not a chance in hell this guy is outside the top 10. Averaged 15-9 in the 2014 playoffs at 37! years old and won the championship. He has a winning percentage of 72% over his entire career!! Made the playoffs every single year. Arguably one of the best careers ever, while doing it in the modern NBA. You state he would be higher if he had a more "dominate peak" which you only talked about his scoring and there is a lot more to basketball than that.

Putting Tim Duncan number 12 is blasphemious

I also have Hakeem in my top 5 so when I saw the #4 i was so excited to see someone else views him factually like I do.

Great list. A few things I would change: Tim Duncan is at least one behind or above Curry. Both had great team success and are considered great teammates. Curry is a better offensive player but Duncan is one of the best defenders ever. I would completely remove Durant. His career would be similar to Karl Malone's if he never joined the Warriors. He is extremely talented but it's proven that he cannot lead a team to a championship without another Top 10 All-Timer on his team. I think Bill Russell should be on the list. Yes, he played on a stacked team, but he was clearly the best player. 11 championships in 13 years is unbelievable, and if they gave out DPOY then he would have at least 10, which is insane. Yes, there were only like 8 teams, but it can be argued Russell was a more dominant player than Wilt. Honorable Mention: Jerry West. He had the worst streak of luck in NBA championship history besides maybe LeBron. He put up insane stats and stepped up in the playoffs, and until Wilt joined the Lakers, he had no great big man in a league and style that required a great one. There was also no 3 point line, and he still averaged 30+ in the Finals while being 6'4 and WHITE. His game would translate to any era, and he is probably the only player from that era that could have had a better career if he came along later.

I agree with almost everything on this list and I think MJ vs LeBron at this point is just based on opinion and what stats you think are most important. I also like how you had KD and Curry in the top 10 because whether people want to admit it or not, this era is so much harder than the 60s,70s,80s and people tend to overrate old players just because they are old players.

I don’t agree with some of it, but I’m not nearly as knowledgable as you or anybody else so I can’t defend myself outside the realm of personal preference. Anyways, you’re lists make me think, make me wonder, and sometimes, convince me. Awesome vid! Lol, still snuck in a Brady insult. Love it.

This is still my favorite Barry analysis video. I’d even argue it’s his best critical one also

I’d like to see what your list would look like now after about a year has gone by and with Curry winning another ring

Good list. Did wilt a little dirty though. It’s impossible to say how he’d do today, but I like to believe he would be a top 2-3 player. Winning finals MVP his final season too.

Duncan slander: all around on offense, one of the best defenders ever, won 70% of his games, never missed the playoffs for damn near 20 years. Dude is a winner

This video is crazy to listen to about Steph after his 2022 Finals MVP

great list!!

"Bill Russell overrated" time to educate casuals on NBA history: The Celtics the year before Russell arrived (55/56): Lost E. Div. Semis. Red was coach, and they had Cousy + Sharman + McCauley + Risen. The Celtics the 1st year Russell arrived (56/57): They lose McCauley, Defensive rating improves by 7.7, and they win the finals. The Celtics had never won a title or made a finals prior to this. The Celtics the 2nd year with Russell (57/58): Make the finals, Russell gets hurt in game 3 of the finals, and the Celtics lose the finals. RIsen's last year. Sam Jones first year. (58 to 66) The Celtics 8 peat. Throughout this time Sharman leaves and they keep winning. Havlicek yet to arrive for some of these titles, and Cousy gone for some of them and they still kept winning. Red retires as coach in 66. The Celtics 11th year with Russell (66/67): They Lost E. Div. Finals. This marks the only playoff series in Russell's NBA career that his team lost with him healthy for the full series. The Celtics win the title Russell’s last 2 years and Red was no longer the coach. The first year after Russell retires. (68/69): Their defensive rating gets worse by 9.8 and they miss the playoffs. *Took the Celtics 5 years after Russell to make and win another finals. Celtics with Russell titles won without notable pieces: Without Jones: 1 title Without Sharman: 7 titles Without Cousy: 5 titles Without Risen: 9 titles Without Havlicek: 6 titles Without Heinsohn: 3 titles Without coach Red: 2 titles (Russell was actually the coach for these while being a player) The Celtics were not champions before Russell, were as soon as he arrived, and fell off immediately after Russell left. This was also with a lot of notables coming and going. Jones and Red were the only most of career major pieces with Russell and the Russell lead Celtics still managed titles without them in the small windows without them. None of these notables won a title or made a finals in Boston without Russell being with them. The Celtics employed more of an equal opportunity offense without having 1 player taking a massive amount of shots or having high PPG. Regardless if offensive talents came or left they kept racking up rings with Russell anchoring the defense and facilitating the fast break, being a secondary coach to Red on the floor, and then for the last 2 rings being the actual coach. Russell's FG% was actually a little over average relative to his era, and he is arguably the greatest defender ever and greatest leader ever + being a MT. Rushmore rebounder. He was just not a dominant scorer over his career, but him being that would not have made his team better, and he actually lead his team in the finals 3 times in scoring when they needed it.

My top ten is 1. MJ 2. Bron 3. Kareem 4. Magic 5. Larry 6. Wilt 7. Kobe 8. Timmy 9. Shaq 10. Hakeem 11. Steph 12. KD Basically the ppl he mentioned re arranged

Great videos

Great take at the end

Houston chose Hakeem and no one blames the organization. That's how good he was.

How is Duncan #12 by all of these criteria? He is arguably the top of longevity (2nd most all NBA teams + most all defensive teams ever. 15 each for a combined 30 which is the highest All NBA + All Def combo ever). His competition level was great: Shaq, KG, Dirk, Kobe, LeBron, KD. Playoff performance try being the Spurs best player for 4 championship runs (99. 03, 05. 07). His 03 playoff run was one of the biggest carry jobs of all time. Peak is the only area where I could see the case for not top 10. The rest he is easily top 10. Also, lol at Curry being above Bird.

Barry u should make u a follow up or an update to this vid considering your opinion on Hakeem has changed idk I think it be interesting we’re u rank him now and to see how your list would b different and would give you some EZ content, other than great vid

I like this guy's style...instant subscribe lol 👌🏿

I genuinely don’t understand why you don’t get more views/subs

Something that’s a major pet peeve of mine when it comes to all time ranking discussions is how people will discredit the 60s and 70s to undermine wilt, bill and Kareem but won’t acknowledge just how watered down the 90s were with talent especially in comparison to the 2000s onward. I get it, the media, the NBA and the fans loved and adored MJ be genuinely speaking it is impossible to have an actual objective discussion about the man with anyone who likes him.

Great video overall

It's funny you don't mention how lebron joined 3 different super teams to win his rings

Good video, man. I appreciate the research you did to come to these conclusions.

I don't know much of anything about basketball as I've only very casually followed it for a few years but your reasoning was extremely sound.

Your point about KD is understandable. But just being an extremely talented scorer doesn't mean you should be put above someone like Duncan or Kobe, who as you explained had their struggles etc but achieved much more than KD. In fact, it proves that talent isn't everything. Others, though being less talented, had far more grit and determination to win.

The Duncan, curry, & Durant placements are pretty insane to me but this is still a great detailed video.

Duncan's peak productivity is lowered by his team being the slowest paced in the league. Per possession, he's actually right there with a lot of the other all-time great bigs. He's also better than Kobe and should be above Shaq, KD, Curry, and probably Hakeem. I always argue for Hakeem being in the top 10, which isn't the most popular opinion in itself, but top 4 is just too high. How he's above Magic is just insane. Sorry, but actually accomplishing things matters more than not being the reason you didn't accomplish something. Offensively Magic had a better career FG% as a PG than Hakeem did as a C and it's not because all he did was get lay ups and dunks. People talk like Magic was Ben Simmons or something. He was a career 85% FT shooter who in his last 3 seasons started shooting 3's more regularly and shot them respectfully for the time. Everyone is so quick to insist Mike would have developed a 3 in the modern game, but seem to think that Magic wouldn't have despite the fact he was actually a very good shooter (albeit with an awful looking form). Don't even get me started on the advanced stats you love to throw out there when they're in your favor. Magic buries Hakeem in those. And if you can't even find a spot for Bill Russell and have Tim Duncan outside the top-10 I just don't want to hear about defense from you. Steph and KD are way too high.

You should get on undisputed to convince skip bayless

The LBJ 🍆 🚴🏾 never stops lol

Love how he explains his choices in depth.

Nice list. Huge Hakeem fan so its nice to see him this high on the list

I mostly agree with this list, I only disagree about these, Tim Duncan, Wilt and Possibky Kobe. Here are my reasons Tim Duncan: He should be higher according to ur criteria. Longevity: Check. Playoff Performance: Check. Team Success: Check. Peak: Check-ish. Wilt: I don’t think he should be listed on any list because of the unknown. We make so much assumptions about him... He played in a very old era which there wasn’t many social medias and some stats weren’t recorded. So it’s hard to rank him. Kobe: I think he can be number 11. The stats doesn’t favor Kobe at all. He didn’t have a long career because of his Achilles injury. I might argue he should be higher than Shaq. Also, not related but this is my take on “ifs” in ranking players. What if’s should be off the conversation because it’s all about bias and it would be extremely hard to rank. Like if ur a Jordan fan you would probably say what IF he didn’t retire for baseball look at how many rings he would have and they would also say what IF he got the modern medicine and treatment as today. And if you’re a Lebron fan you would be like What IF the warriors didn’t exist? What if Lebron got the teammates Jordan had? See this is the problem, if ur a Jordan fan you would only bring up what if’s about Jordan and if ur a Lebron fan you would only bring up what IFS about Lebron to make the argument whose better.

finally list of best player base on actual stats...love this channel...

MJ fans in the comments hurt by truth and facts 😂

People aren’t gonna like the Kobe ranking

Man, my list is close to yours, if only some differences, but your explanation is so good that I think I am going to change my all time list :v

Kinda sad Dr. J didn't make the list, and I was hoping so when he had mentioned the ABA stealing the NBA's talent, which is true, but it's fine. Though the 3x Champion, 4x MVP (3 of them being in a row), 2x Finals MVP, 3x Scoring Champion, as well as one of the best wing defenders of all-time. Not to mention how good he was in the playoffs as well as the Finals. He definitely does deserve some recognition.

Hakeem was definitely the best center ever. If Shaq had cared to be in shape or learn to hit a free throw, I'd consider him. But The Dream was just so much of a complete player.

Curry at 7 and KD at 6 🤣 I CAN’T are you sure you watch basketball?

I honestly think the number one spot is a toss between Lebron and Jordan, just a matter of preference. Prime Seasons The two are so close( REALLY CLOSE) during their best years (age23-29 seasons) advanced stats wise. Lebron(30.1 PER, .283 WS/48) vs MJ (30.4 PER , .285 WS/48) The difference is so minimal I’d say it’s a tie. Playoff Success Although LeBrons 10 finals appearances is crazy, I think MJs 6-0 finals record gives him the edge in terms of playoff success. Regular Season Accolades This can be a little bit misleading, as I think accolades involves narrative and luck factor, rather than just pure on the court contributions of a player. It’s close, but I’d still take Jordan in this one because he has one more MVP and a DPOY. (I do believe LeBron should have won at least one more MVP and a DPOY in 2013) Longevity LeBron definitely gets an edge in this department.

The reason MJ never faced a team like the Warriors was because he WAS that crazy super team that couldn’t be stopped.

He didn’t meet any dynasties in the finals because his team WAS the dynasty

I do not agree with the entire list but he has very solid reasons for all his picks. Great content.👍

Tim ducan at 12 are u serious the man has 5 rings 2 mvps a defensive god he didn’t want to score 30 points a game he wanted to win and Kobe at 11 come on bruh

Barry, do you plan to redo this video with a new list of all-time best NBA players? I'm asking because you said in a more recent video that Shaq is better than Hakeem

Oy Barry, you're gonna have to update this list, lol

Duncan and Kobe outside of the top 10..... bro you're crazy

Sometimes I feel as though you contradict yourself with some points when it came to different players. However, I really respect this list, Mr. McCockiner.

Man your ratings are ice cold, I think they're pretty fair tho. I'm glad you didnt sleep too much on larry legend

1. Michael Jordan 6 FMVP + 5 MVP 🏆 2. Lebron James 4 FMVP + 4 MVP 🏆 3. Kareem Abdul Jabbar 2 FMVP + 6 MVP 🏆 4. Magic Johnson 3 FMVP + 3 MVP 🏆 5. Larry Bird 2 FMVP + 3 MVP 🏆 6. Wilt Chamberlain FMVP + 4 MVP 🏆 7. Bill Russell 5 MVP 🏆 8. Tim Duncan 3 FMVP + 2 MVP 🏆 9. Shaquille O'Neal 3 FMVP + MVP 🏆 10. Kobe Bryant 2 FMVP + MVP 🏆 10. Hakeem Olajuwon 2 FMVP + MVP 🏆

4:21 Look at Wilt casually blocking "the most unstoppable shot of all time.

You’re an inspiration

You can't just focus on Bird's scoring in the playoffs. Bird, like Magic, was more than content to defend, facilitate and rebound. Bird was also hobbled in 1988 playoffs with the back injury. Not making excuses, but those Pistons and 76ers teams were terrific defensive teams and the Showtime Lakers are probably the greatest team(s) of all time.

I like your list for the most apart and even with spots I disagree with I understand your context, all except for Curry and kd highness and Timmy and Kobe’s lowness. I feel like what you said Curry and kd blemishes are things Kobe and Timmy make. And as talents I agree with thier ranking I feel like their accolades are not on pare and help that they have is far better to not put him in this top 10.

I would of add that KD's real obstacles in his Championship runs were the two conference finals he made with Golden State. As he faced an unhealthy San Antonio and Houston

Disagree with a few of these including your #1 but respect your honesty and your analysis of the sport

In my honest opinion id give the edge to MJ mainly because the skill of an era doesn't matter, skill should be equivalent to the development of a sport, you wouldn't see someone dropping 12 3s in 1970-80 because the 3pt shot didn't even exist till 1979. MJ had the ability to dominate whatever era he was in, now while MJ might have had a better team than 2003-2010 and 2015-2018 bron he still had the mental toughness to try again when he was down. If you took a d3 college ball player and threw them into the early NBA they would drop 60 easy but MJ is the only player that you can say if you dropped him in this current NBA he could drop 40 easy. Also in his prime MJ had a way consistent motor than bron in his prime. But I still believe that 2016 was the greatest finals performance by any superstar ever.

now that Steph won we need an update video Barry

While I don’t completely agree with the list, This was a great video! 👍

Lmao, never watched a football game but I'm still a proud Tom Brady despiser thanks to you

this was a wild one

One of the best lists I’ve seen

I think you underestimate defense too much. The guys at the bottom were all-time great defenders who were also great offensively and the guys on top were all-time great scorers who weren't good defensively (with a few exceptions). Also you talk about LeBrons competition being what puts him over MJ...for most of his career he was in a laughably horrible Eastern conference where half the playoff teams wouldn't have been playoff teams in the west. I do respect this video though and I agree with some placements as well. And respect for putting KD and Steph on here

Mostly agree, but 1) Stockton and Malone are both the all-time leaders in career VORP and win shares at their positions. Malone is #2 in scoring and Stockton leads 2 of the 5 major categories by a country mile. Why aren't either top 12? 2) That makes Jordan's finals opponents pretty freakin good, though his team was stacked. Without Rodman, Jazz win easily. 3) Why consider team success AND fault players for being on stacked teams? Few non-stacked teams ever win.

I never comment and I think MJ is the GOAT but damn dude great stuff. Best all time great list and commentary I’ve ever heard. I also like Tom Brady but it’s hard to argue such great points had me rethinking the whole MJ/Lebron debate.

gotta remember mjs numbers are inflated heavily cause he played weaker comp than nowadays