Basketball; NBA All Time Team
The National Basketball Association has been in existence since the mid-1940s. The original superstar was George Mikan, very tall white fellow who attended the same Chicago high school as yours truly. Quigley –a fun fact! Professional basketball has undergone radical changes in the past 75 years. From small arenas in sleepy Eastern and Midwestern cities to modern sold out venues operated by 30 franchises- all valued in the billions. It was the first team sport to afford black athletes the opportunity to play, to star, to lead and ultimately to coach. It has been an international success with over 100 players from over 42 countries playing in the league since 2013. There are 800 million viewers in China alone and the 1992 Dream Team at the Barcelona Olympic Games remains the most famous sports team in the history of the planet. It is a story of amazing growth powered by expertly market superstars, several dominating dynasties and outstanding leadership, particularly Commissioners David Stern and Adam Silver. The NBA is a global brand and the status of the league is an easy conversation starter when conversing with locals in cities as diverse as Dublin, Amsterdam, Rome, Berlin or Singapore.
The road to success has not always been smooth. Attendance and player compensation was low in the 1950s. Television contracts and ratings were hard to come by. As the league began to feature more black players, there was white backlash. Jim Crow was still alive and well in the south and the league was slow to break through with franchises in that region. For years, it was a regional rather than national phenomenon. Drug abuse and attendant bad behavior by star players significantly damaged the sports’ standing and profile in the 1970s. Serious questions arose then about the long-term viability of the league. The crisis was averted with the arrival of Magic Johnson and Larry Bird in 1980- two charismatic and incredibly talented players who drove two great teams- the Lakers and the Celtics to several titanic championship series battles. TV ratings soared, arenas were regularly at capacity, investment money flowed into the ownership level, intelligent and focused expansion followed and confirmed the national scope of the game. Michael Jordan arrived and closed the deal; the first true (with earnest apologies to Muhammad Ali) global superstar. LeBron James and a host of new superstars was the icing on the cake. Today the sport has never been healthier- with a strong balance sheet and a international footprint.
Still, the NBA is not for everyone. You frequently here snide remarks about the players loafing or going through the motions and nothing really happening in games until the fourth quarter. You also hear rumblings that the regular season is boring and predictable and that quality basketball is reserved for the playoffs. There are frequent comments about a lack of commitment to defense, an absence of team cohesion, immature players who never learned the fundamentals at the college level and too many one dimensional three point shooters. NBA athletes are now the best paid athletes in the world if you calculate by annual salary per player and there is a constant drum beat that player effort is not commensurate with their compensation. The salaries are unfathomable to the common sports fan and the players “union" rarely gets much public support during collective-bargaining negotiations with the owners- a rather greedy and narcissistic group in their own right. The NBA has billionaires everywhere and there is not much sympathy for the owners or the players. Attending a game with the family is an ultra expensive proposition. Polls show that the number of white sports fans following the NBA has actually dropped about 20% in the last 10 years. However, that league’s popularity has been buttressed by growing support in attendance and TV viewership from blacks, Latinos and Asians. The bottom line is the numbers are up. Even the owners can't screw it up. David Halberstam, a great writer and journalist wrote a wonderful book -The Breaks of the Game which chronicled an NBA season. He remarked that he had covered dictators, tyrants, thugs and gangsters of all types during his journalistic career but the worst collection of people he had ever seen in action and in person was “An NBA Owner’s Annual Meeting.” Wow!
Some of the critiques are at least partially valid. However I remain an avid fan. The reasons are simple. I love team sports, talented players committing their individual skills to collective excellence. A well coached basketball team is beautiful to watch and the NBA has always been blessed by dynasties at the championship level. The Celtics and Lakers have each won 17 championships (over multiple eras), the Warriors have 7 rings, the Bulls 6 and the Spurs 5. All of those teams have been a joy, different and unique in their strengths and style of play, but all defined by terrific coaching and true team basketball. They all had at least two world-class superstars driving the bus but complementary players who understood their roles always contributed to the championship form. The other attraction is that NBA players are simply the “best“ athletes on the planet. The unique combination of speed, strength, explosiveness, balance, the ability to elevate and change direction is not matched by footballers, soccer players, baseball stars or hockey players. The athleticism is simply off the charts and everyone should take the opportunity to attend a game in person and witness the best doing what they were born to do at a skill level which is unmatched.
As my audience will begin to learn, I have certain analytical idiosyncrasies. I have a very linear mind. I love data. I love ”lists.” My college and law school years were highlighted by pub and bar chatter with my buddies, (usually all male unfortunately), passionately discussing - “the 10 best shortstops of all time,” “the five best movies of all time,” "the seven best NFL quarterbacks of all time“ and our "all time NHL starting squads". I was, and remain insatiable when it came to list of the greats.
Therefore, my initial sports entry for 2024 will be my first “list” to qualify for this blog. I announce the ”Best” NBA players of all time. I have selected 30 players and six coaches, organized them by position and created a First Team to Sixth Team hierarchy. I look forward to your comments and criticism, although it is very unlikely that I will change my opinion. I am rather locked in on this topic.
First Team
Coach: Phil Jackson
Center: Kareem Abdul Jabbar Power Forward: Tim Duncan
Small Forward: Larry Bird
Shooting Guard: Michael Jordan
Point Guard: Magic Johnson
Second Team
Coach: Red Auerbach
Center: Bill Russel
Power Forward: Karl Malone
Small Forward: Elgin Baylor
Shooting Guard: Kobe Bryant
Point Guard: Lebron James
Third Team
Coach: Greg Popovich
Center: Wilt Chamberlain
Power Forward: Moses Malone
Small Forward: Julius Erving
Shooting Guard: Jerry West
Point Guard: Oscar Robertson
Fourth Team
Coach: Pat Riley
Center: Hakeem Olajuwon
Power Forward: Charles Barkley
Small Forward: Scottie Pippen
Shooting Guard: Stef Curry
Point Guard: Isiah Thomas
Fifth Team
Coach: Steve Kerr
Center: Shaquille O'Neal
Power Forward: Kevin Garnett
Small Forward: Kevin Durant
Shooting Guard: Dwayne Wade
Point Guard: John Stockton
Sixth Team
Coach: Lenny Wilkens
Center: Patrick Ewing
Power Forward: Dirk Nowitzki
Small Forward: Rick Barry
Shooting Guard: John Havlicek
Point Guard: Steve Nash
Apologies to Giannis, Jokic and Luka Doncic- not enough tenure in league; Also to Bob Petit and Bob Cousy- I never saw them play and that is one of my fundamental requirements. Finally regrets to David Robinson, George Gervin, Allan Iverson, Bill Walton and Walt Frazier- I had to stop somewhere.
