Seattle SuperSonics legend Shawn Kemp picked Bill Russell as the greatest basketball player of all time while talking to Matt Barnes and Stephen Jackson on the ‘All The Smoke’ podcast. He explained how influential Russell was as a do-it-all big man.
“The best to ever play the game is not going to be the leading scorer. He’ll be the one in the middle doing a lot of different things because he’s going to help people out. Bill Russell was the first one blocking shots and keeping the ball in play. Sh*t, we were blocking shots and throwing them up 17 rows in the stands. He was actually blocking shots and they were getting f***ing layups off of them.”
Kemp further explained why he views Russell so highly given the cumulative accomplishments he can boast from his career.
“As I look through the years of basketball, I think Wilt Chamberlain was a beast. But sh*t, Wilt Chamberlain was wearing his ass out. So let’s keep it real, if you talking about the all-around best player in the game, how many championships they won, and how long they did it for, he’s gotta be up there.”
(Starts at 45:54)
Bill Russell was a phenomenal player. Even though most of his career was played before advanced stat tracking, we know he averaged 15.1 points, 22.5 rebounds, and 4.3 assists through official records.
Blocks weren’t a tracked stat back then, but Russell would arguably be among the all-time leaders if it were. Unofficial block tallies estimate Russell averaged nearly 8 blocks per game.
Russell will seemingly reign supreme as the man with the most championships in NBA history, winning 11 during his career with the Boston Celtics. His ring count makes him a candidate for GOAT, but it’s hard to place the crown on him given how much the game has evolved over generations.
Shawn Kemp Compares LeBron To Magic, Kobe To Jordan
Kemp delved deeper into some of the possible candidates of the GOAT debate, dismissing LeBron James‘ name as a contender for the greatest player of all time. Kemp says LeBron is more comparable to Magic Johnson than Michael Jordan. He added that Kobe Bryant was more like Jordan than LeBron.
“I think LeBron is right up there. I don’t think he’s the best, but I don’t think he has to be the best. I don’t think LeBron should be compared to Michael Jordan either, I think he should be compared to Magic Johnson. Whoever started that sh*t up got it totally wrong. LeBron is not no damn Michael Jordan. Kobe is more like Michael Jordan, and LeBron is like Magic Johnson.”
Stylistically, Kemp is spot-on, as LeBron was a scoring evolution of the archetype Magic Johnson was as a 6’9″ point guard in forward’s body. Kobe Bryant mimicked almost every aspect of Jordan’s game and was a natural successor to the style of basketball Jordan left behind, down to winning five titles running Phil Jackson’s triangle offense.
When it comes to accomplishments, it’s hard to say LeBron and Jordan are incomparable. Both hold their share of records which will never be broken. Jordan’s 6-0 record in the Finals and behemoth statistics will likely live on, but so will LeBron’s absolute domination of the all-time statistical leaderboards through an unprecedented 22-year prime.
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