Over the course of NBA history, fans have witnessed some really breathtaking players flaunt their talent in the league. Regardless of the era, there have been a few players who have been a notch above the rest of the players in the NBA.
Despite the league being around for three-quarters of a century, there are a handful of players who are ranked above the rest. As a result, the debate of the top 5 or top 10 players of all time is always an interesting one.
Every person has a different outlook of the league and hence has a different top 5 list. But even among thousands of lists, there are two or three players who remain constant on them.
For most, the three most common players on the list are Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, and LeBron James. Keeping that thought in mind, let’s take a look at veteran NBA analyst Stephen A. Smith’s top 5 greatest players of all time.
Stephen A. Smith Snubs Kobe Bryant From His Top 5 List
NBA analyst Stephen A. Smith is one of those select few whose opinions are valued by a lot of fans. He recently appeared on a podcast where he shared a lot of things, and one of them was his top 5 players of all time. Surprisingly, the analyst didn’t include Kobe.
(Starts at 58:50):
“Okay, top 5 players all time. Michael Jordan number one. LeBron James number two. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar number three. Guys, I don’t wanna leave out Bill Russell. 11-time champion, what he had to go through in Boston to be on the court to win back-to-back championships as a player-coach, in Boston the mental matters. … Even though Wilt was dominant, I can’t give it to Wilt when the man that he was going up against primarily got nine more titles than you. I just can’t do that. So I gotta put Bill Russell up in there at four.
Damn, I think about Kobe, I think about Magic Johnson. Steph Curry’s up in there too. I’m gonna go with Earvin Magic Johnson.”
Since the passing of Bill Russell, the Celtics legend has been getting a lot of appreciation from NBA fans and analysts alike.
So it’s great to see Stephen A. include Russell’s name on his list. He finished his list by putting Magic Johnson’s name over the likes of Kobe Bryant and Stephen Curry. While it’s a debatable choice, it’s his list at the end of the day.
