NBA All-time Player Tiers: The 20 greatest players ever, ranked
By Cal Durrett
Tier 3) Superstar level
17) Kevin Garnett
16) Dirk Nowitzki
15) Karl Malone
14) David Robinson
13) Moses Malone
12) Hakeem Olajuwon
NBA legend Kevin Garnett's career spanned three decades, and he was an elite two-way player for most of that time. He spent his first 11 years in Minnesota, carrying a struggling franchise as a do-it-all superstar that could score, rebound, pass, and defend. After he was traded to the Boston Celtics, he finally won a championship and cemented himself as the second-best power forward ever.
Former NBA star Dirk Nowitzki was a game-changing player. In 21 seasons with the Dallas Mavericks—the most a player has ever played with one team—Nowitzki emerged as a superstar, helping turnaround a struggling franchise. At one point, he led them to the playoffs for 11 straight seasons and, of course, led them to a championship.
NBA legend Karl Malone was known as half of the greatest pick-and-roll partnership in NBA history alongside John Stockton. The duo played together for 18 seasons and turned the Jazz into perennial contenders, even leading them to back-to-back NBA finals.
Malone was consistently productive during those years, averaging 25 points and 10.1 rebounds over his career, including one season with the Los Angeles Lakers. He didn't ultimately win a championship, but his longevity and production allowed him to rack up 36,000 plus points—the most ever for a power forward—ensuring him a seat in the top 20 greatest players ever.
Hall of Famer David Robinson has a case for being the most underrated player in league history. At his peak, Robinson was a force. In just his third season, he averaged a stellar 23.2 points, 12.2 rebounds, 4.5 blocks, and 2.3 steals and that wasn't even his MVP season.
Nor was the year in which he averaged 29.8 points, dropped 71 points in a game and won the scoring title; instead, he won it in 1994-95 while averaging 27.6 points and 10.8 rebounds. Robinson was later paired with fellow Hall of Famer Tim Duncan and won two championships.
Despite his dominance in the NBA during the 1970s and 1980s, Hall of Fame big man Moses Malone remains largely absent from many all-time lists. Malone became a superstar with the Houston Rockets, averaging 24 points and 15 rebounds per game over his six years there.
He won three league MVPs and a championship with the Philadelphia 76ers, along with a Final MVP. If we were to factor in his days with the ABA as well as in the NBA, Malone tallied nearly 30,000 points and almost 18,000 rebounds, showing just how much of a beast he was.
A number of Hall of Famers were denied from winning a championship during the 1990s thanks to Michael Jordan, but Hakeem Olajuwon wasn't. He led the Houston Rockets to back-to-back championships in the mid-90s, including as a sixth seed in 1994-95.
Olajuwon elevated his already terrific game in the playoffs and has two championships to show for it. With nearly 27,000 points and more than 3,800 blocks—the NBA record—he was a dominant two-way star.