Basketball is one of the most popular sports in the world and has produced a plethora of amazing players during its history.

However, people have very different opinions on who the best basketball players of all time are. In this article, we are going to (try) to rank the best players in history.

We could debate endlessly about who deserved to be included on this list and who didn’t, but we’ve tried to be as objective as possible in our selection. We looked at a number of factors, including individual achievements, team success, longevity, and overall impact on the game.

However, it has some of my opinions as well, I couldn’t just separate it.

And so, without further ado, here are our picks for the best basketball players of all time.

Personally, I believe it is insulting to not rank Kobe Bryant among the greatest five players of all time.

 After Kobe retired, Magic and Shaq declared him the greatest Laker of all time.

That ought to tell you something, right? We can discuss how Kobe changed the game and basketball culture, but that shouldn’t even be a metric.

We observe the many achievements, such as NBA MVP, 5-time champion, 2-time Finals MVP, 18-time All-Star, 9-time selection to the All-Defensive First Team, current fourth-leading scorer, etc.

People still attempt to discredit him despite all of his accomplishments by using sophisticated statistics like usage rate and efficiency.

If not for that, Kobe should be here just for his work ethic and amazing commitment to any goal.

This kind of behavior is not just inspiring, but can (and should be) repeated in many areas of life.

It would be impossible to rank Magic Johnson higher than one when discussing the greatest point guards in NBA history.

He ranks fourth overall on this list, and for good cause. Magic completely revolutionized basketball when he arrived from Michigan State in the NBA in 1979.

Consider how amazing it is that Magic started Game 6 of the NBA Finals at center during his rookie season and scored 42 points.

 He participated in the game at all five positions and helped the Lakers win their first championship in over ten years.

Magic, who at his size dramatically altered how the basketball world viewed guards, was just getting started.

He was a triple-double waiting to happen, a sublime passer, a famous winner, and an immediate highlight.

 The NBA might not be where it is now without Johnson and his legendary rivalry with Bird and the Celtics.

Even though Kareem scored a staggering 38,387 points during his playing career, I find it impossible to ignore the reality that the two greatest point guards of all time, Oscar Robertson and Magic Johnson, passed to him frequently.

 His career totals were further exaggerated by the almost 20 years he spent playing in the NBA.

 The sky hook, one of the most beautiful shots the game has ever seen, was developed by him, and he was an incredible force that controlled the sport for two decades.

He was really amusing in Airplane! too. His cool factor is unquestionably the highest of anyone on this list because he battled Bruce Lee in Game of Death.

Simply said, LeBron James does things that are inhumanely impossible. He moves as fluidly as the most agile guards in basketball despite being larger than a sizable part of NFL players.

In addition, he not only dealt with the immense pressure that came with being named “The Chosen One” by Sports Illustrated as a teenager, but he has also surpassed the high standards that were set for him.

 Even while prior players were outstanding, they never had to handle the constant pressures of 21st-century media, which James does with ease.

People who criticized him for not winning titles in his early career failed to mention that, at the age of just 22, he nearly single-handedly led the Cleveland Cavaliers, an underdog team, to the 2007 NBA Finals.

How much justification do you require in this case? Naturally, Michael Jordan is ranked first.

 This athlete was one of the oldest players to average 20 points per game and score 40 or more points in a game.

He won three straight games before leaving to play baseball, returning to win three straight games again.

The GOAT, without a doubt.

However, I’ll still point out that despite making six appearances in the Finals, he never took the court for a Game 7 and won the 1988 Defensive Player of the Year title in addition to his five MVP awards, six Finals MVP awards, and selection to the NBA’s 75th-anniversary team.

He excelled as a player on both sides of the court and, like Bill Russell before him, knew exactly what to do to contribute to his team’s success on a daily basis.