The one thing with all-time lists is that they are always going to be controversial. While there are some players that are universally recognized for being top-tier, the exact order often angers groups of fans who believe that certain players should be ranked over others.
A recent list by ESPN that tried to rank the top-75 players of all-time featured Oscar Robertson as the 9th best player of all time, an opinion that many fans ended up disagreeing on. A lot of them expressed their disagreement underneath a tweet that features the best all-time players for the 7-16 spots.
Many pointed out that point guard Stephen Curry has achieved more than Oscar Robertson during his career but was ranked 15th. Some, however, stated that a lot of people haven’t watched Oscar Robertson play and defended ESPN for putting him at 9th. Others criticized the list in general, noting the low positions of Kobe Bryant, Shaquille O’Neal, and Hakeem Olajuwon.
https://twitter.com/Warriors_Guru/status/1530530112659070976
Most people don’t think that Oscar Robertson is the 9th best player of all time. That is partly due to him being from an older era, but also due to the fact that he only won 1 championship during his career. Every single player that is below him in this screenshot has won multiple championships during their time in the league. It is understandable why people were upset at Oscar Robertson being ranked extremely highly.
With that being said, Oscar Robertson was a fantastic player and is one of the two players that have managed to average a triple-double during the entire season. At one point, Robertson led the league in total triple-doubles in a career. There is no doubt that he was one of the best players of his era.
There is no doubt that this list had some very intriguing placements, with fans across the board suggesting that certain players were underrated while others were overrated. Most lists will receive criticisms, however, but perhaps we’ll see a list come out in the future that most agree on.
