My Top 10 NBA Players of All Time: 6-10

Iowa City, IA (PSF)-A few weeks back, I gave the world my top 10 NBA players of all time, starting from one through five.

It is now time that I gave my rankings from six through 10, and I felt this part of the rankings was more challenging than doing the top five.

There definitely will be some players left off the list that will stir up some controversy, but that’s what these rankings are all about!

Now let’s get to the rankings!

6. Shaquille O’Neal

Accomplishments: 23.7 points (per game), 10.9 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 2.3 blocks, 15-time All-Star, 1992-93 Rookie of the Year, 1999-20 MVP, three-time Finals MVP, four-time NBA Champion, Hall of Fame Class of 2016

Shaquille O’Neal is widely known around the NBA and outside the NBA as the most dominant player and athlete. There was a point in O’Neal’s career where no one could stop him.

There’s a specific game against the Clippers that Kareem Abdul-Jabbar attended, and Shaq was playing poorly, and the Lakers were losing, but then he saw Abdul-Jabbar. After he saw Abdul-Jabbar, He wanted the ball every single possession, and he ended the game with 61.

Shaq averaged 28.8 points, 13.1 rebounds, and 2.1 blocks in the NBA Finals.

7. Magic Johnson

Accomplishments: 19.5 points, 11.2 assists, 7.2 rebounds, 11-time All-Star, three-time MVP, three-time Finals MVP, five-time NBA Champion, Hall of Fame Class of 2002

Earvin Magic Johnson is still (and might remain) the only player in NBA history to win Finals MVP as a rookie. In that series, Magic played center in Game Six for the injured Abdul-Jabbar and finished with 42 points, 15 rebounds, and seven assists. Magic probably would’ve played much longer and could be higher on the list if health issues didn’t get in the way.

8. Kevin Durant

Accomplishments: 27.3 points, 7.1 rebounds, 4.3 assists, 12-time All-Star, 2007-08 Rookie of the Year, 2013-14 MVP, two-time Finals MVP, two-time NBA Champion

Easy Money Sniper, KD Trey Five, Slim Reaper. Kevin Durant might have some of the best nicknames in the NBA, if not sports, but that’s not why he’s on this list.

Durant is still the youngest scoring champ in NBA history, with four scoring titles to his resume. There isn’t an NBA player that has the same skillset as Durant. His jump shot is so hard to defend that Giannis Antetokounmpo has trouble blocking it.

Durant’s biggest criticism was going to Golden State after the Warriors won 73 games the previous season. The best rebuttal for that would be that he was the best player on the Warriors during his tenure, winning two Finals MVPs. I see Durant climbing these rankings as his career continues.

9. Tim Duncan

Accomplishments: 19 points, 10.8 rebounds, three assists, 2.2 blocks, 15-time All-Star, 1997-98 Rookie of the Year, two-time MVP, three-time Finals MVP, five-time NBA Champion, Hall of Fame Class of 2020

The Big Fundamental was never a fun player to up against because his trash talk was elite with little words he said. Duncan is one of the greatest big men and arguably the greatest power forward ever. He wasn’t as athletic as the other big men, but till the end of his career, he made a major impact on both ends of the floor, including in his last NBA Finals win in 2014. Duncan also made it hard to hate the man with how he approached the sport.

10. Hakeem Olajuwon

Accomplishments: 21.8 points, 11.1 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 3.1 blocks, 12-time All-Star, two-time Defensive Player of the Year, 1993-94 MVP, two-time Finals MVP, two-time NBA Champion, Hall of Fame Class of 2008

If it wasn’t for Michael Jordan retiring for the first time and transitioning to baseball, Hakeem would most likely not have won a title with the Rockets, but that doesn’t take away his greatness. Olajuwon was the best center in the 1990s and is the only player in NBA history with an MVP, DPOY, and Finals MVP in the same season. You could easily argue for him being the best center of all time over Shaq and Abdul-Jabbar.