We all know who the consensus top 10 are (no order):
Kobe, Mike, Magic, Larry, Wilt, Shaq, Jim, Jabbar, Lebron, and Bill. Maybe some trolls have Kobe out of the top 10 and switch him with someone else (that's fine just tell us who you are replacing Kobe with). But who are the next 10 players? Everyone has their own list and their own criteria.
11. Moses Malone. 3X MVP. 13 time All-Star. Led Multiple teams to the Finals and won one in 83 along with a Finals MVP where he abuse Kareem. 31 points and 15 rebounds per game in his prime. He was arguably the greatest offensive rebounder of all time and he made your team a contender
12. Hakeem: MVP, All time Blocks leader. 2 time DPOY. Led league in rebounds. 2 time champion and Finals MVP. 12X Allstar and 12x All-NBA. He was arguably the most skilled big man of all time. It took the Rockets nearly 20 years to even sniff any post season success once he left.
13. Dr. J: He joined the NBA late but he was by far the best player of the 70s after Kareem. He had a flawless game, he scored easy, had every move in the book, he could create and defend. Dr. J was a mismatch against anyone he faced. He is a 3x ABA MVP and a NBA MVP. He won 2 ABA les and 1 NBA le. He was an 5x ABA All Star and 11x NBA All Star. Had he played in the NBA from the get go he would've had far more NBA success. The dude was a straight baller and maybe the most underrated of all time
14. Charles Barkley. I know he doesn't have a ring, but Charles was a beast. He's an 11x All Star. MVP, led the Suns to their first finals since the triple OT loss to Boston. 11x All NBA. He led the league in rebounding. Charles was a match up nightmare. He was too fast and athletic for big men and too strong and imposing for guards. He has 11 straight years of 20+ points per game and 10+ rebounds per game. To put that in perspective, here's a list of all PFs to pull that off: Charles Barkley.
15: Oscar Robertson. The original Mr. Triple Double. He did everything for his teams. He was a one man show for most of his career. He was never surrounded by help while he was in his prime. He was too strong for guards to defend him, to quick for bigs to defend him. He was a NBA champion. MVP. 12x All Star. 11x All NBA. He led the NBA in assists 6 times. He didn't have the team success as his numbers indicate he should have but that's more on management than him.
16. Jerry West. The logo himself. The white boy could play. He made it to the Finals like 9xs. He won an NBA championship. Finals MVP. He's a 14x All Star. 12x All NBA. He could defend with the best of them. He was one of the greatest shooters to ever play and was nicknamed Mr. Clutch (even though he lost so many Finals
) He averaged 30, 7, and 6 in his prime.
17. Steph Curry. I know the jokes. I know he is seen as overrated. But he led the Warriors to a le with Draymond Green as his 3rd best player. The dude revolutionized the game except he's the only one who can win that way. His defense sucks, but I don't care about Point Guard defense. The best Point Guard defender of all-time isn't even in the Top 50 of all time great defenders. Steph shoots amazing, he moves off the ball. He never complains about touches and is a willing passer. He has made over 400 3s in a season multiple times. He is a 2x MVP. 3x Champion. He made it to 5 straight Finals. He's a 6x All star and 6x All NBA. He's led the league in steals and is part of the 50-40-90 club. I expect the Warriors to be players in the future. When it's all said and done he will lead the NBA in most 3s ever made.
18. Dirk Oneringsky. He's a 14x All Star. MVP. Finals MVP. 12x All NBA. I was caught between him and Karl Malone. They are totally two different types of players but I feel like Dirk was a slightly better player. He's part of the 50-40-90 club. He's the best shooting 7 footer of all time. He led the Mavs to their best success of all time. Twice they went to the Finals and it took the refs to make him lose the 1st ring. He lost to the 8th seed and became the first team ever to do that in a 7 game series, but Malone also lost in the 1st round something like 9 times so that wasn't enough for me to put Dirk behind him. Dirk is one of 4 NBA players to win a ring as a lead dog without another All Star. Rick Barry, Hakeem, and Timmy are the other 3. He beat the Heat who were beyond the favorites that year. He had the game icer in Miami where he took Bosh to school while sick. He knocked out Kobe, Durant, and Lebron to win that ring. Dirks story is one of greatness
19. Karl Malone. Utah was horrible before Malone. They were known as a sucky franchise going nowhere. Malone was drafted and he put in the work. Sure he is a child rapist. Sure he banged Vanessa Bryant. Sure he gave no help to his son of the 12 year old he impregnated, but he was so good at basketball that we forget all that. He was a 14x All Star. 14x All NBA. He is a 2x MVP. He led the Jazz tot he Finals twice. He is second all time in scoring. He was 31 and 11 in his prime. He has 17 straight years of scoring 20+ points per game. He lost to Jordan twice and choked in 97-98 but the Mailman did deliver the Jazz tot heir best success in franchise history.
20. Kevin Durant. I know. How is Durant below Curry? How is he behind these other all time greats? He is a 2x Champion. He has 2 Finals MVP. He led the league in scoring 4 times. He is a 10x All Star and 9x All NBA. But Durant lost a lot of points with me by running away from his responsibilities. I get it. He wanted a ring. He didn't want to be made fun of anymore for being ringless. But he led the Thunder to the Finals. He was up 3-1 against the Warriors before he blew it. Kevin Durant was on his way to being an all time great, he didn't need to join the Warriors. Durant IS great. I count his les. But I'm not a les or bust person. I'm not a Finals MVP or bust person either. Weird to say it but there's some grace in being a Malone or a Ewing. They gave it their all night in and night out and they didn't doubt themselves. Barkley went on live television and said "God wanted him to win a championship." Durant never had that kind of swagger or that kind of leadership. You never felt like you were bulletproof because you had Durant. The Warriors needed Durant during last year. No doubt. But you do wonder how they would've fared if they kept their "Big 3" and got better role players around them. I think they would've done the same. The best thing you can say about Durant is that he is a cheat code that broke the NBA. At the same time I feel like it's the worst thing you can say about him.