NBA’s Greatest 75 Players: Ranking the top 10 peaks in NBA history

Who is the best player in NBA history?

And if you had to pick players based only on their prime and on-court ability at the peak of their powers, rather than on the totality and success of their careers, how different is the all-time list? 

A collection of over 50 NBA beat writers, national media members, and #NBATwitter stars weighed in to answer exactly that. On a scale of 1-100 with 100 being the absolute best, each member of our panel assessed over 250 different players. We then averaged every ballot to determine the final order. 

Our countdown of the top 75 peaks concludes with the best of the best, the 10 players with higher peaks than anyone else.

Who finished higher: Jordan or LeBron? What about Russell, Wilt, Kareem and Shaq? Would you rather have Kobe or KD? 

Check out Part 1 for a complete explanation of our methodology. And if you missed the rest of our countdown, be sure to check out 11-75.

TOP 75 PEAKS:  11-25 | 26-50 | 51-75

Today, we’re finally crossing the finishing line with the 10 greatest primes in NBA history.

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10) Kevin Durant

• Highest MVP finish:  1st (2014)
• First/Second-Team All-NBA selections: 9
• Peak personified:  Durant won back-to-back Finals MVPs against LeBron James, the first of which was punctuated with a clutch three over James

The coldest scorer in the history of the game finishes 10th. Durant finishes two back of Kobe Bryant and two up on Steph Curry, a placement that of course no one will quibble about. However you feel about Durant’s career or the decisions he made within it, it’s very clear that the consensus views his peak among the absolute best ever. Durant’s game is seamless, it’s sharp like skates and from the outside it appears mechanical but not rigid. Durant makes the stupendously sophisticated look utterly simple with an unrivaled ability to score off the bounce unmatched by any player in the history of the game. The man is a natural born hooper and if we did this list again in five years, I’m not sure he doesn’t climb further. You could legitimately argue the version of Durant we saw last year in the playoffs was the best iteration of his game to date, remarkable given he’s 33 and on the heels of fully recovering from a torn Achilles.

MORE: Five burning questions for KD entering his signature season

9) Bill Russell

• Highest MVP finish:  1st (1958, 1961, 1962, 1963 & 1965)
• First/Second-Team All-NBA selections: 11
• Peak personified:  In a year where Wilt averaged 50 and Big O averaged a triple-double, Russell beat them both out for MVP and won his fifth ring

Russell leading the league’s most unstoppable juggernaut for over a decade lands him ninth on the list. Although he was ultimately far more successful than his contemporary challenger, Wilt Chamberlain, he does finish behind him here with the emphasis once again being placed on player peaks. Russell’s ability to lead a team and contribute whatever was needed to get the job done, transcends the tape and those who got to see him play. His most iconic game might be the 30-point, 38-rebound decimation of Pettit’s Hawks to close the 1961 Finals. A reminder that the Finals MVP is his award and is a testament to him playing his best when it meant the most.

8) Kobe Bryant

• Highest MVP finish:  1st (2008)
• First/Second-Team All-NBA selections: 15
• Peak personified:  First-team All-NBA, First-Team All-Defense and Finals MVP during both back-to-back championship seasons in 2008-09 and 2009-10

Before any controversies, trade requests, internal feuds or flipping of the Gasol brothers, there was, “ Bryant to Shaq! ” Just a young, up and coming Mamba bursting onto the scene, giving the world no choice but to take notice of this rising super tandem and the havoc they were about to unleash on the league. Bryant’s 81 is iconic, his 2008 and 2012 Olympic heroics are unforgettable, and winning two more rings after the O’Neal divorce was delivery of manifest destiny. When was Bryant’s peak? Was it at the end of the three-peat, between the titles or did it come alongside Pau Gasol years later? A storied career for one of, if not the most celebrated personality to ever touch the hardwood.

RANKING EVERY STARTER BY POSITION: PG | SG | SF | PF | C

7) Larry Bird

• Highest MVP finish:  1st (1984, 1985 & 1986)
• First/Second-Team All-NBA selections:  10
• Peak personified:  One of three players in NBA history to win three straight MVPs (Bill Russell and Wilt Chamberlain)

Larry Legend’s combination of shooting, playmaking, and competitive fire made him one of the greatest to ever do it. His highlights hold up 40 years later as the flash and creativity he demonstrated are timeless. The original patron of the 50-40-90 shooting bar, Bird didn’t even win the MVP award in those seasons! Finishing just one behind rival Magic Johnson, the panel of voters was decidedly split on the two. Bird finished with an average score of 95.5, to Magic’’s 95.6.

6) Magic Johnson

• Highest MVP finish:  1st (1987, 1989 & 1990)
• First/Second-Team All-NBA selections:  10
• Peak personified:  42 points, 15 rebounds and seven assists while replacing an injured Kareem Abdul-Jabbar at center as a rookie to clinch the NBA title in 1980 

Even though his finest moment may have come playing center, Magic maintains his position as the greatest point guard of all-time. Though his peak came later, his Game 6 vs. Philadelphia in 1980 still has an argument for the greatest Finals game of all-time. The 1987 Lakers won 65 games and defeated Bird’s Celtics in the rubber match bout. Johnson was the best player in the series averaging just over 26 points, 8 rebounds, and 13 assists in the Finals. To date, only LeBron James can boast a similar or greater skill set at Magic’s size, an anomaly that the rest of the league could not solve. Unlike Bryant, Magic never won without his superstar running mate but he was able to secure three of the five ever elusive Finals MVP awards during their run together.

5) Shaquille O’Neal

• Highest MVP finish:  1st (2000)
• First/Second-Team All-NBA selections:   14
• Peak personified:  After securing the 2000 MVP, Shaq was an absolute tyrant in the 2000 Finals, averaging 38 PPG, to go along with nearly 17 rebounds per contest

Every player in the top 10 was unstoppable at their peak but the league didn’t even really have resistance bands for early ‘00s O’Neal.  Following the 1999-00 season in which he won MVP, Finals MPV and an NBA title, O’Neal was robbed of a second MVP award and retaliated by smoking the Philadelphia 76ers, who had both the reigning MVP (Allen Iverson) and Defensive Player of the Year (Dikembe Mutombo) on the roster. O’Neal and his Orlando Magic were also the only team to send Michael Jordan’s Bulls home during the double-threepeat era. Jordan’s shortened season aside, you could argue the faster, leaner O’Neal had an almost equally devastating peak to the later Lakers iteration.

MORE: Is Giannis the new Shaq?

4) Wilt Chamberlain

• Highest MVP finish:  1st (1960, 1966, 1967 & 1968)
• First/Second-Team All-NBA selections: 10 NBA
• Peak personified:  50.4 PPG for an entire season remains a record as does his 100 in a single game. Neither is in any real danger of being surpassed.

Though at times a questionable teammate, an insane competitor obsessed with all the numbers and all the records, it was a given that Chamberlain would finish very high on the list. It’s well documented that Chamberlain could prioritize his own numbers over winning but it’s easy to see why when there was nothing that he couldn’t do on the court. When he got called selfish, he allegedly just decided to lead the league in assists. Although his team came up short against Russell’s Celtics often, he nearly doubled his rival in points and shot a much higher percentage from the field. Although ballots throughout the project varied greatly, over two thirds of the ballots scored Chamberlain’s peak as a perfect 100 out of 100, in fact, only Jordan received more nods at the century mark.

3) Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

• Highest MVP finish:  1st (1971, 1972, 1974, 1976, 1977 & 1980)
• First/Second-Team All-NBA selections:  15
• Peak personified:  Nobody has won more MVPs or scored more points than Abdul-Jabbar

Coming in at number three is Cap. One of the league’s most eloquent speakers and captivating thinkers was also perhaps it’s most dominant player. Every year, in line with mock draft etiquette, fans will claim that the next college phenom is going to be the best player ever, the next Bryant, Nowitzki, or James but that was likely true of young Lew Alcindor from the moment he stepped on the court. He was All-NBA in his first season; the MVP, Finals MVP, and a champion in his second. He won MVP awards nine years apart and won three more titles in his late thirties. Not unlike many of the top 20, his exact peak is hard to locate because he was exceptional for so many years. 

2) LeBron James

• Highest MVP finish:  1st (2009, 2010, 2012 & 2013)
• First/Second-Team All-NBA selections:  12
• Peak personified:  Played in eight straight NBA Finals

As mentioned in the initial part of this project, LeBron’s peak is debatable. That said, the most iconic moment of his career is not. After falling down 3-1 against the Warriors, James and the Cavaliers seemed hooped. The most staunch James fans were understandably pessimistic and then, with his back against the wall, it just appeared like he hit another level. He went for 41-points in back-to-back games and averaged an inexplicable line of 36 PPG, 12 RPG, 10 APG, 3 SPG, and 3 BPG in the three straight games facing elimination to complete the comeback. He smashed the most iconic block in the history of the sport, Kyrie Irving nailed the shot and the story of the season got a last minute rewrite. You could argue 2018 saw him at another level of offensive poise or that 2008 James  was a far superior athlete, or even that 2013 split the distance but he will never play a more memorable trio of games than he did in those 2016 Finals.

MORE: Is AD better than D-Wade? Ranking the best LeBron teammates

1) Michael Jordan

• Highest MVP finish:  1st (1988, 1991, 1992, 1996, & 1998)
• First/Second-Team All-NBA selections: 11
• Signature accomplishment: 6-0 all-time record in NBA Finals with 6 Finals MVPs

If you are curious, His Airness edged out the King by 0.8 for the top spot. Only eight voters didn’t give Jordan the maximum rating of 100. The Last Dance aired just in time! Sarcasm aside, the track record is unassailable. You don’t have to be bordering on insane levels of competitive drive to win an NBA championship but Jordan’s style was certainly successful. The man won 10 scoring titles and five MVP awards spanning three very different stages of his career. Many would argue his peak came before the title runs when the Detroit Pistons were sending him home every year, others would argue that his more refined play style during the first three-peat was his apex. In 1996, fresh off getting slapped by O’Neal, Penny Hardaway and the Magic, the Bulls reloaded and came back with a vengeance, winning 72-games and their fourth overall title. My money was on that run. He was rested and unnecessarily but all the same extra motivated. 

Thanks again to the awesome collaborators who took time to pitch in for this project! Make sure to give them a follow as we head into the NBA’s historic 75th season!

Thanks again to the awesome collaborators who took time to pitch in for this project!

Contributors:  Micah Adams,  Quenton Albertie,  Andy Bailey,  Rod Beard,  Ryan Blackburn,  Shawn Coleman,  Ben Collins,  Kevin Cottrell,  Adria Crawford,  Evan Dammarell,  Spencer Davies,  Jabari Davis,  Shamit Dua,   Travonne Edwards,  Farbod Esnaashari  ,  Beau Estes  ,  David Gardner  ,  Andy Glockner  ,  Dan Greenberg  ,  Lauren Gunn  ,  Nicolas Henkel  ,  Chase Hughes  ,  Josiah Johnson  ,  Jason Jones  ,  Dragonfly Jonez  ,  Trey Kerby  ,  Alex Kramers  ,  Dieter Kurtenbach  ,  Mitch Lawrence  ,  Josh Lloyd  ,  Jason Maples  ,  Danny Marang  ,  Oliver Maroney  ,  Kelly Melvina  ,  Janelle Moore  ,  Matt Moore  ,  Law Murray  ,  Krishna Narsu  ,  Eric Newman  ,  Ashley Nicole Moss  ,  Zak Noble  ,  Gina Paradiso  ,  Jeff Pearlman  ,  Andrew Potter  ,  Sam Quinn  ,  Eustacchio Raulli  ,  Billy Reinhardt  ,  Andrew Sharp  ,  Keith Smith  ,  Allana Tachauer  ,  Justin Termine  ,  Brad Townsend  ,  Roosh Williams  ,  Ti Windisch  ,  Ant Wright  ,  Trill Withers  , and  Su York .