The NBA has seen some of the most gifted athletes the sporting world has ever produced. Given the task to craft the perfect NBA player on a recent episode of “First Take”, Gilbert Arenas, Tracy McGrady, and Chris Webber shared their answers.
The parameters for creating the perfect players featured the aspects of scoring, passing, defense, game IQ, and athleticism. With this in mind, Arenas responded with:
“Scoring – Kobe Bryant. Passing – Magic Johnson. Defense – Scottie Pippen. Game IQ – LeBron James. Athleticism – Michael Jordan.”
Although Arenas wanted to mention LeBron James for athleticism as well, the rules of the game prevented him from doing so. Regardless, the presented player is truly formidable.
Arenas was followed by McGrady, who also presented an interesting answer.
“Scoring – Michael Jordan. Passing – Jason Kidd. Defense – Metta World Peace. Game IQ – Kobe Bryant. Athleticism – LeBron James.”
McGrady’s player build features some similarities to Arenas’, with Bryant and Jordan effectively playing off of each other. But McGrady’s nod to Jason Kidd and Metta World Peace is an interesting take, considering how often they are overlooked.
After McGrady, Chris Webber decided to offer his take, a vastly different one in every sense. He said:
“Scoring – Kevin Durant. Passing – Nikola Jokic. Defense – Draymond Green. Game IQ – Tyrese Haliburton. Athleticism – Anthony Edwards.”
By the looks of it, Webber may have referred to players in the modern era as the standard for creating their perfect player. Regardless, his choices are intriguing as well.
https://www.instagram.com/p/reel:DLS0IHVufRV
When looking at some of the common trends, primarily seen in Arenas’ and McGrady’s takes, the mention of Bryant, James, and Jordan remains consistent, although in different parameters.
Jordan dominated in his era. With 10x scoring titles to his name, the Bulls legend was undoubtedly one of the greatest to ever do it, setting the template for many players, including Bryant.
Bryant was considered one of the deadliest offensive players in the game. Having been a student of the sport, Bryant developed crafty ways to create scoring opportunities.
Although James isn’t mentioned in the scoring department, he often gets the nod by a lot of players, primarily due to his milestone achievement of scoring the most points in NBA history.
The mention of players from bygone eras makes for a difficult comparison, mainly due to the pace of the modern game and the changing approach to both offense and defense. In this regard, Webber’s answer may have more merit.
Young players like Haliburton and Edwards still have a lot to prove. Others, such as Durant, Green, and Jokic, have already established their place alongside the greats.
Each year, new and talented young players join the ranks of the league. With only untapped potential driving them forward, it is the fiery crucible of competition that determines who is worthy of being considered among the greatest.
