The debate about who the greatest NBA player of all time continues to rage, it’s something that fans and the media seemingly can never stop discussing. However, best is just one of the questions in this regard, with another one being which player was the most influential the most during their career. While there is some overlap between the GOAT debate and this one, there are some interesting changes and choices to be made for sure.
We had our rankings for who the 15 most influential players in the history of the NBA are, but now HoopsHype has conducted a poll with 52 former and current NBA players on the topic. Considering that these players have drawn inspiration from these legends and gone on to make it at the highest level themselves, it’s interesting to see who they have picked.
Unsurprisingly, the man that leads the GOAT debate is also considered the most influential, with Michael Jordan earning 73.58% of the maximum scoring amount possible. LeBron James is 2nd, which also makes sense, the King has almost less than half of MJ’s score though, sitting at 37.69% of the maximum amount possible.
Kobe Bryant is usually considered 3rd in these situations, but in this particular poll, he’s edged out by The Answer, Allen Iverson. AI changed the culture around the NBA outside of being one of the greatest to ever do it, so this isn’t an unreasonable take. Iverson’s behavior and the way he carried himself have allowed all the players since to unashamedly be themselves.
It’s close though, with the Mamba barely getting 1 percent less in the score than Iverson. Kobe’s impact was as huge as anyone’s because he had young players yelling his name while shooting shots. Regardless, this is an interesting debate between Kobe and AI. The rest of the list includes Magic Johnson, Steph Curry, Shaquille O’Neal, Larry Bird, Bill Russell, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
