Every argument about the greatest player who ever lived eventually runs out of adjectives and turns to the résumé. So that is where I will start. No “you had to see him,” no era excuses, no highlight reels — just the hardware and the honors, ranked. Championships, MVPs, Finals MVPs, and the year-in, year-out recognition of the All-NBA and All-Defense teams, which reward sustained greatness better than any single dunk ever could.
A few names below played all or part of their careers before the league handed out Finals MVPs or named All-Defense teams; I have marked them with an asterisk so nobody gets shortchanged for being born too early. Here is my ballot, ten to one.
10. Shaquille O’Neal
- Championships: 4
- MVPs: 1 | Finals MVPs: 3
- All Star: 15 | All NBA: 14 (8x 1st | 2x 2nd | 4x 3rd) | All Defense: 3 (3x 2nd)
9. Oscar Robertson*
- Championships: 1
- MVPs: 1 | Finals MVPs: 0
- All Star: 12 | All NBA: 11 (9x 1st | 2x 2nd) | All Defense: 0 (Note: Robertson was only eligible for All Defense for 5 years of his career)
8. Larry Bird
- Championships: 3
- MVPs: 3 | Finals MVPs: 2
- All Star: 12 | All NBA: 10 (9x 1st | 1x 2nd) | All Defense: 3 (3x 2nd)
7. Earvin “Magic” Johnson
- Championships: 5
- MVPs: 3 | Finals MVPs: 3
- All Star: 12 | All NBA: 10 (9x 1st | 1x 2nd) | All Defense: 0
6. Kobe Bryant
- Championships: 5
- MVPs: 1 | Finals MVPs: 2
- All Star: 12 | All NBA: 12 (8x 1st | 2x 2nd | 2x 3rd) | All Defense: 10 (8x 1st | 2x 2nd)
5. Tim Duncan
- Championships: 4
- MVPs: 2 | Finals MVPs: 3
- All Star: 12 | All NBA: 13 (9x 1st | 3x 2nd | 1x 3rd) | All Defense: 13 (8x 1st | 5x 2nd) (Note: Duncan is the all-time leader in All Defense selections)
4. Wilt Chamberlain*
- Championships: 2
- MVPs: 4 | Finals MVPs: 1
- All Star: 13 | All NBA: 9 (7x 1st | 2x 2nd) | All Defense: 2 (2x 1st) (Note: Chamberlain was only eligible for All Defense for 4 years of his career)
3. Bill Russell*
- Championships: 11
- MVPs: 5 | Finals MVPs: N/A
- All Star: 12 | All NBA: 11 (3x 1st | 8x 2nd) | All Defense: 1 (1x 1st) (Note: Russell was only eligible for All Defense for 1 year during his career)
2. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
- Championships: 6
- MVPs: 6 | Finals MVPs: 2
- All Star: 19 | All NBA: 15 (10x 1st | 5x 2nd) | All Defense: 11 (5x 1st | 6x 2nd) (Note: Jabbar is the all-time leader in MVPs and All NBA selections)
1. Michael Jordan
- Championships: 6
- MVPs: 5 | Finals MVPs: 6
- All Star: 14 | All NBA: 11 (10x 1st | 1x 2nd) | All Defense: 9 (9x 1st) (Note: Jordan is the all-time leader in PPG, 1st All NBA selections, and 1st All Defense selections.)
The Ballot at a Glance
| Rank | Player | Titles | MVP | Finals MVP | All-Star | All-NBA | All-Defense |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Michael Jordan | 6 | 5 | 6 | 14 | 11 | 9 |
| 2 | Kareem Abdul-Jabbar | 6 | 6 | 2 | 19 | 15 | 11 |
| 3 | Bill Russell* | 11 | 5 | N/A | 12 | 11 | 1 |
| 4 | Wilt Chamberlain* | 2 | 4 | 1 | 13 | 9 | 2 |
| 5 | Tim Duncan | 4 | 2 | 3 | 12 | 13 | 13 |
| 6 | Kobe Bryant | 5 | 1 | 2 | 12 | 12 | 10 |
| 7 | Earvin “Magic” Johnson | 5 | 3 | 3 | 12 | 10 | 0 |
| 8 | Larry Bird | 3 | 3 | 2 | 12 | 10 | 3 |
| 9 | Oscar Robertson* | 1 | 1 | 0 | 12 | 11 | 0 |
| 10 | Shaquille O’Neal | 4 | 1 | 3 | 15 | 14 | 3 |
* Denotes that the player played all or part of his career before Finals MVP and All Defense selections were awarded.
