We interviewed 10 people on who they thought were the top 5 NBA players to every play the game. The most votes received for a player at each spot will be our consensus top 5.

Consensus Top 5

1.Michael Jordan    8/10 votes

2.Magic Johnson    4/10 votes

3.Wilt Chamberlain    3/10 votes

4.Larry Bird    3/10 votes

5.LeBron James    1/10….. 2/10 2nd place votes*

* 6 people received 5th place votes. Bird and Magic are already on the list, Lebron tied with Kobe, Russel, and Olajuwon with one 5th place vote. We picked Lebron because he had more higher votes than the other three.

Our Top 5

1.Michael Jordan- The most dominant player of the best years of basketball(80’s and 90’s). Never went to a game 7 in the NBA Finals, won 6 rings in the 90’s and could of easily had 9 rings if he never retired. He would of definitely been the All-Time NBA scoring leader if he never retired to play baseball.

2.Magic Johnson- The best all around player to step on the court ever. He helped lead a dynasty in the 80’s against Larry Bird’s Celtics and was one of the best passing point guard of all time. He could guard any position on the court and even played center one game.

3.Hakeem Olajuwon- The best center of all time in my opinion. He dropped 2 quadruple doubles in his career and was one of the best center defensively. His offensive game was better than any big man at the time and no one could stop him in the post.

4.Larry Bird-  Led a dynasty in the 80’s alongside Kevin McHale and Robert Parrish. One of the best rebounding and passing small forwards of all time. He averaged 10 rebounds and 7 assists per game in his career. A lights out shooter that no one could cover and was amazing offensively. His handles and paint game was great for a small forward.

5.WiltChamberlain- When you average 50 points in a season and score 100 points in a game, you have to be in the top 5. He was the most dominant center of his time alongside Bill Russell and if he played in the same era as Jordan, Hakeem, Magic, and Bird and put those numbers up, he may have been the best center and player of all time. The level of competition in the NBA when Jordan, Magic, etc, played was much higher than when Wilt played ball(Even though he played against a number of Hall of Fame centers).