NBA All-time Player Tiers: The 20 greatest players ever, ranked
By Cal Durrett
Tier 2) Hall of Fame level
11) Larry Bird
10) Steph Curry
9) Kobe Bryant
8) Tim Duncan
7) Shaquille O'Neal
6) Bill Russell
5) Magic Johnson
NBA icon Larry Bird is one of the most important players in league history. He led the Celtics to the NBA Finals five teams, won three championships, two Final MVPs, and three league MVPs. His dominance as a scorer, averaging 24.3 points, was only one facet of his game, with him also averaging 10 rebounds and 6.3 assists. He is also considered one of the better shooters in NBA history, despite threes not being commonly used during his era. All told, Bird is one of the 11 best players of all time.
Golden State Warriors legend Steph Curry is still going strong at the age of 36 after helping lead Team USA to the Gold Medal. His elite shooting has allowed him to age gracefully, including nearly scoring 2,000 points in the 2023-24 season in his mid-30s, proving that he isn't slowing down.
Three more seasons at that scoring clip and Curry could become the first point guard to reach 30,000 career points. Even without reaching that milestone, he still has four championships, two league MVPs, a Finals MVP, and the record for most career threes to show for his legendary career.
Los Angeles Lakers icon Kobe Bryant is one of the most popular players in NBA history and also one of the most decorated too. Kobe won five championships, two NBA Finals MVPs, a league MVP, and made 18 all-star teams and 15 all-NBA teams, proving he is an all-timer.
It shouldn't be understated that San Antonio Spurs legend Tim Duncan made the playoffs every year of his career. He also won at least 50 games (or the equivalent of 50 games) all 19 of his seasons in the NBA.
His understated dominance made him arguably the best player in the league in the early 2000s, especially during his iconic 2003 playoff run in which he dragged a mediocre Spurs roster past the three-peat Shaq and Kobe Lakers. He then demolished the New Jersey Nets for the second of five championships. His elite play in the post was rivaled by his stellar rim protection, making him a terrific player on both ends.
Shaquille O'Neal was generally viewed as being the most dominant player ever, even though that is incredibly subjective. Even so, Shaq led the Orlando Magic to the NBA Finals in just his third season; he later led the Los Angeles Lakers to a 3-peat and another Finals appearance. If that weren't enough, he helped deliver the Miami Heat their first championship ever. Four championships, three Finals MVPs, and more than 27,000 points prove that he was a force during his career.
11-time NBA champion Bill Russell is the winningest player in league history and the backbone of the dominant Boston Celtics of the 1950s and 1960s. His elite defensive play and stellar rebounding terrorized the NBA. Had it not been for him, the Wilt Chamberlain would likely have had a similar championship haul, proving his impact on winning.
Former Los Angeles Lakers superstar Magic Johnson is still widely seen as the greatest point guard ever and has the highest career assists average to prove it. Magic's incredible court vision resulted in the Showtime Lakers, which went to nine NBA Finals in 10 years and won five championships. Magic would win Finals MVP three times, along with three league MVPs in just 13 seasons, making him one of the most successful players ever.