- Bill Simmons shared his list of the six greatest players ever
- Simmons stated that none of the players on his list can be displaced
- The list had notable omissions such as Kobe Bryant
There is no doubt that one of the frequent discussions around the NBA is based on player rankings. Many fans and analysts love talking about which players rank where, whether it be in the context of the current NBA or all-time debates.
NBA insider Bill Simmons recently revealed his list of the six greatest NBA players of all-time listing: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Larry Bird, LeBron James, Magic Johnson, Michael Jordan, and Bill Russell. Simmons also noted that these players cannot be displaced by any modern player as of right now.
“We can argue about the order, but we can’t argue about any current guy displacing any of those six — at least not yet. Sorry.”
The six greatest NBA players ever in alphabetical order
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
Larry Bird
LeBron James
Magic Johnson
Michael Jordan
Bill Russell
We can argue about the order, but we can’t argue about any current guy displacing any of those six — at least not yet. Sorry.
— Bill Simmons (@BillSimmons) August 23, 2023
There is no doubt that this is a good list from Bill Simmons, though there are some notable omissions. Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal are examples of players who both have a case to make the top 6, especially given their respective peaks on the court. However, other analysts have excluded the two players from their top 5 lists in the past, with Stephen A. Smith not having Kobe Bryant on his list of the top five players of all time.
At the end of the day, though, each person’s list of all-time greats will be different based on their own unique criteria. Though there will likely be some overlap between lists, there will be a lot of differences as well.
Michael Jordan Once Suggested That There Is No GOAT
Similar to how people have different all-time rankings, people also have different GOATs depending on who they watch. It is hard to have a unilateral GOAT or definitive list of all-time greats. Once, Michael Jordan explained why he can’t be called the GOAT.
“I won six championships, Bill Russell won 11. Does that make me better than him or him better than me? No. We played in different eras. When you try to equate who’s the greatest of all time, it’s an unfair parallel.”
With that being said, the debates about all-time rankings and GOATs are likely to rage on, into the future. Comparing players has become a big part of any team sport. Perhaps one day, there will be a player that shuts up the GOAT debate, but that is unlikely to happen anytime soon.
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