Rock solid list I would make one change. Oscar drops to 11 (Westbrook just averaged triple double). Every one under him moves up and Lebron takes 10 (he has changed the game and been around for a long time winning championship where ever he goes).
He is definitely an all time great; but there are only 10 spots. I would put Bird, Duncan and Shaq and Lebron ahead of him. That takes nothing away from Oscar’s greatness. —> just bumps him out of top 10.
I don’t understand any list that has Kobe in the top 10 and Lebron out of the top 5. That’s just not possible.
People that dont have Hakeem on their All Time Top 10 lest, have not watched him play or followed his career. He was a freak of nature that had no weakness in his game on either end of the court, was mentally tough, played even better in playoffs, and never got outplayed at his position by anyone, despite going against some of the all time greats. The two most complete players to ever play this game are Jordan and Hakeem. Flawless 94x50 Feet.
Lets not even mention his stats on steals. Dude is #2 all time on my list and easily the best Big of all time.
If Hakeem had been 11th I'd be okay with the list tbh. But I really can't fathom Oscar above Hakeem. My tiers are Tier 1 Jordan LeBron Kareem Russell Tier 2 Magic Tier 3 Hakeem Bird Shaq Kobe Duncan Wilt Tier 4 Dr J Oscar Moses Karl Curry Tier 5 West Durant Nowitzki Garnett Barkley Robinson
Most likely convinced by his dad. I really dont care much about what others say because.... The two best and flawless players I have watched play (Jordan and Hakeem) respect and admire each other for their greatness. Each knew what a freak of nature the other was on both ends of the court. NBA was spared that the two didnt pair up (they almost did), because if they had, Bill Russel's ring count would have been in danger. Imagine trying to stop Hakeem + Jordan on offense and then trying to score on the two on the other end.
OP, the correct title should be Hakeem Olajuwon is top 10 in the NBA....there is no woulda coulda, shoulda about it. Hakeem and the rockets in the early 90s would have beaten the bulls with MJ. No doubt in my mind. Greatest travesty for me is that it never happened.
I would not place Duncan, Shaq or Lebron ahead of the Big O. Oscar was Magic before Magic. Best PG who ever played IMO. His first 5 years in league he averaged a triple double.
Is there a single thing Oscar Robertson is better than Lebron at? We can recognize the Big O as being an all time great without getting silly.
As far as I'm concerned, the Top 8 are set with four ball handlers: Jordan Magic LBJ Bird And 4 centers: Olajuwon Kareem Russell Wilt The 9th and 10th spots are tough. You have the brute force of Shaq and the epic consistency of Duncan, the all-around game of Oscar and the combo of basketball accomplishments and cultural significance of Dr. J. The latter is the hardest to weigh, but Dr. J was The Man when I was a kid. He made pro basketball want to be watched by a generation and when Magic and Bird joined the NBA, that just took it to another level. In the ABA, Dr. J was mythical because we heard about his game, but rarely got a chance to see it. When he came to the NBA, it was nirvana. So, based on my little kid/early teen biases and weighing the good-for-the-game cultural contributions, I'm putting Dr. J at #10. Even though he didn't always guard the other team's best post player and missed some clutch free throws, I have Duncan at #9. Shaq gets dropped because of his style and free throws, as well as being somewhat of a mercenary. He's at #11 and Oscar is at #12.
Oscar was a better scorer, FT shooter and especially better facillitator than Lebron, not even close. Not sure if you have watched him play, but Oscar averaged just under a 30 burger triple double his first 5 years in NBA. He was a freak, think MJ and Magic combined. Like Jordan, Robertson was feared as much as he was respected. He was so dominant. People of his era worshipped him, legends and fans alike. Jerry West: “It took me five or six years (in the NBA) to become an accomplished player. But from the first game Oscar played, he looked like he’d been in the league for 10 years. There was nobody like him.” Celtic Satch Sanders: “Everybody talks about Michael. Michael certainly had a lot of style. But if it’s flat-out ass-kicking, Oscar was a very potent weapon.” https://ballislife.com/oscar-robertson-highlights-the-legend-in-his-prime/
Lebron never had a season with more than 9 rebounds/game. Oscar had 5 such seasons. Lebron never had more than 1 season with 30 pts/game. Oscar averaged 30 or more points SIX times (in first 7 seasons). Lebron never led the NBA in assists and only had 1 season when he averaged just over 9 assists. Oscar led NBA in assists for SIX seasons (Magic led NBA in assists in 4 seasons). Oscar had 9 seasons with at least 9 assists/game. And Oscar was Harden like from FT line. Oscar could also touch the top corner of the shooting square on backboard. Per his peers, his elbow would touch rim on dunks. First NBA player to average 10 assists. First NBA player to lead in both scoring and assists average for season (Tiny Archibald only other to do this). No NBA player averaged a triple double in a season like Oscar did until Russ did it 55 years later. For his career, Robertson had 181 triple-doubles, a record that has never been approached.
Oscar is credited with creating the head fake and the fadeaway. Only thing Lebron has created is a super team everywhere he goes. Know your history.
