The 1979-80 NBA season marks the beginning of the modern era of basketball. Magic Johnson and Larry Bird entered the league, the three-point line was introduced, and the NBA started to transform into the game we recognize today.
The two biggest factors are a player’s peak and their ability to sustain greatness over time. Longevity matters as well. For example, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s recent peak is better than any single season John Stockton had, but Stockton’s ability to remain an elite player for nearly two decades while staying healthy and productive gives him the advantage in evaluating an entire career.
Playoff performance carries more weight than regular-season success, but availability matters too. That combination hurts a player like Kawhi Leonard, whose postseason peak is among the greatest ever but whose inability to stay healthy has limited his overall career value.
Everything counts when evaluating a career. Leadership, impact on winning, consistency, and even how a player affected his teammates.
Greatest NBA Careers
- LeBron James
All-Time leader in career points, 4th in assists, 23rd in rebounds, and 6th in steals. He led teams to the NBA Finals ten times in a 14-year span. Yes, he played most of his career in a weaker Eastern Conference and has a 4-6 record in the NBA Finals. But context matters. Many of his Cleveland teams lacked elite supporting talent and were overmatched in several of those Finals losses. He shouldn’t be criticized for losing to the Spurs in 2007 after carrying the Cavs to the Finals at just 22 years old. In the 2015 Finals, Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving were hurt, but LeBron still averaged 36 points, 13 rebounds, and 9 assists while single handedly making the series competitive. In 2017 and 2018, he ran into one of the greatest teams ever assembled in the Curry-Durant Warriors and delivered historically great individual performances despite falling short.
The 2011 Finals is the biggest blemish of his career. Miami should have beaten Dallas but the main reason they didn’t is because of James’ poor play.
What separates LeBron is that his peak is surpassed only by the player ranked second on this list, but he sustained that level longer than anyone in NBA history. He received MVP votes in 2004 and 2025!
- Michael Jordan
Early 90s Jordan was the best player of all time, but his 15 seasons don’t surpass LeBron’s 23, especially when comparing what James has accomplished from ages 35-41 to what Jordan did during that same age range, which consisted of only his two seasons in Washington at 38 and 39 years old.
Jordan finished top-3 in MVP voting ten times and won it five. Most importantly he won six finals MVP’s.
- Tim Duncan
Duncan won 71% of the games he played during his career, including both the regular season and playoffs. Magic Johnson is the only player with a better percentage. Duncan made an All Defensive team an NBA record 15 times. He made the playoffs in each of his 19-seasons and won five championships. The Big Fundamental was a great teammate and incredibly durable.
4. Magic Johnson
Similar to Duncan, Magic was fortunate to come into the NBA with a team already led by a future hall of famer. David Robinson for Duncan and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for Magic. But like Duncan he impacted winning in historic ways.
- 5× NBA Champion
- 3× MVP
- 10× All-NBA selection
- The ultimate floor general who consistently elevated his teammates
5. Larry Bird
Bird finished in the top-four of MVP voting in each of his first nine seasons, winning the award three times. He was a three-time NBA champion and, along with Magic Johnson, defined the NBA of the 1980s. Had Bird not injured his back shoveling rock to build a new driveway for his mom in French Lick, Indiana, he likely would have had a longer career and a stronger finish to his playing days. He maintained an elite peak and consistently performed at a high level in playoff battles throughout his career.
6. Shaquille O’Neal
Shaq was the most physically dominant force the NBA has ever seen. A four-time NBA champion and three-time Finals MVP, he powered one of the greatest playoff peaks in league history during the Lakers’ three-peat from 2000–2002, averaging 30 points and 14 rebounds in those postseason runs while routinely forcing teams to completely change their defensive schemes just to survive.
He received MVP votes in each of his first 13 seasons, but won the award only once, with missed regular season games throughout his career impacting his regular-season case compared to other all-time greats.
- Kobe Bryant
A five-time NBA champion, and Kobe was the best player on two of those title teams. His case is built on one of the greatest combinations of longevity and sustained excellence in NBA history. Over 20 seasons, he earned 15 All-NBA selections and 12 All-Defensive selections.
Bryant entered the league while Michael Jordan was still the game’s dominant player. As Jordan retired, Shaquille O’Neal and Tim Duncan rose to the top, and by the time they declined, LeBron James had taken over as the NBA’s best player. Because of that, you can argue Kobe was never clearly the league’s best player, even though he won the 2008 MVP and spent several seasons firmly in that conversation.
- Steph Curry
Before Curry, teams valued the three-point shot. After Curry, the entire NBA was built around it.
He’s a four-time NBA champion, a two-time MVP, and the only unanimous MVP in league history. He led the Warriors to a 73-win season in 2016 and then followed it up by winning two championships with Kevin Durant before winning another championship in 2022 as the clear leader of Golden State.
He is the greatest shooter ever, an incredible teammate, and the centerpiece of one of the NBA’s greatest dynasties.
- Hakeem Olajuwon
Hakeem “The Dream” did it on both ends. He’s the all-time leader in blocks and his offensive arsenal was as complete as any center in NBA history. Olajuwon’s peak was incredible. From 1993-1995, Hakeem won MVP, two Defensive Player of the Year awards, two championships, and two Finals MVP awards. During that stretch, he outplayed some of the greatest centers ever in Patrick Ewing, David Robinson, and Shaquille O’Neal.
The 1994 season might be the best example of his greatness. Hakeem became the first player in NBA history to win MVP, Defensive Player of the Year, and Finals MVP in the same season. He carried Houston to a championship without another superstar teammate, defeating a loaded Knicks team in the Finals.
10. Kevin Durant
Durant’s two championships came after joining the team that just set the NBA record for most wins in a regular season. Joining a 73 win team is a big part of his legacy. But it is also fair to acknowledge that those Warriors teams became one of the greatest teams in NBA history, and Durant was the best player on both championship teams, winning Finals MVP both times. Durant doesn’t stand out as an elite leader or great teammate, but he will go down as one of the greatest scorers in NBA history.
11. Nikola Jokic
Jokic has already put together one of the greatest peaks in NBA history. The Joker is unlike any superstar we have ever seen. A 7-foot center who controls the game like a point guard.
He is a three-time MVP, and his 2023 playoff run was one of the most dominant postseason performances ever, as he averaged 30 points, 13.5 rebounds, and 9.5 assists while leading Denver to its first championship in franchise history.
Jokic is arguably the greatest passing big man ever, one of the most efficient offensive players in NBA history, and the entire Denver offense revolves around his ability to read the game. At 31-years old, Jokic has plenty of time to add to his resume and pass a few of the players ahead of him.
12. Giannis Antetokounmpo
The Greek Freak is one of the most physically dominant players the NBA has ever seen on both ends of the floor. In 2021, Antetokounmpo did what every other player ahead of him on this list did, led his team to a championship. In the NBA Finals that year, he averaged 35.2 points, 13.2 rebounds, and 5.0 assists, capped off by a 50-point performance in the championship-clinching game. Giannis is a two-time MVP and a Defensive Player of the Year. Like Jokic, Antetokounmpo is 31 years old and looking to return to health and being considered a top-3 player in the league after being traded to Miami.
13. Dirk Nowitzki
Over a 21-year career, Nowitzki became one of the greatest scorers in NBA history while redefining what was possible for big men in the modern game. A 7-footer with elite shooting ability, Dirk transformed the power forward position and paved the way for the modern stretch big.
Dirk played winning basketball throughout his career and developed into a clutch player, highlighted by leading his Mavs to the 2011 championship. Taking out Kobe Bryant, Kevin Durant, LeBron James, and Dwayne Wade along the way. Dirk won an MVP award and is 7th on the NBA’s all-time scoring list.
- Karl Malone
Malone is one of the greatest regular-season machines in NBA history and built one of the most durable careers the league has ever seen. He finished with:
- 2× MVP
- 14× All-NBA selections
- 36,928 career points (3rd all-time)
Malone never won a championship and had some difficult moments in the three NBA Finals he played in, but his overall career impact is undeniable. He spent 19 seasons in the league and never finished with a losing record in any of them.
- Kevin Garnett
The 2004 MVP was one of the best players in basketball for more than a decade, earning 9 All-NBA selections and 12 All-Defensive selections. After carrying Minnesota for years, Garnett finally won a championship and Defensive Player of the Year award with the Boston Celtics in 2008.
KG was a ferocious competitor who made hard work non-negotiable for himself and his teammates. Garnett was never the most reliable late-game scorer, but his ability to guard every position, rebound, and bring unmatched intensity every night made him one of the most complete players in NBA history.
- David Robinson
The Admiral entered the NBA late after serving two years in the Navy, but he immediately changed the trajectory of the Spurs franchise. San Antonio won just 21 games the year before Robinson arrived and jumped to 56 wins during his rookie season.
Robinson was a two-way force throughout his prime, earning 8 All-Defensive selections, winning Defensive Player of the Year in 1992, and making 10 All-NBA teams during one of the greatest eras for centers in NBA history. He was also named the 1995 MVP after leading the league in scoring.
By the time Tim Duncan arrived, Robinson was past his prime, but he was the second-best player on the Spurs’ 1999 championship team and was still a key starter on their 2003 title team.
- Dwyane Wade
Before winning two championships alongside LeBron James, Wade led the 2006 Heat to a title with one of the greatest finals performances of all time. Wade hit one big shot after another while averaging 35-points, 8-rebounds, and 4-assists during the six game series win against Dallas.
During his six-year peak, Flash was one of the five best players in the league before a knee problem slowed him down. As a three-time NBA champion known for his dynamic offensive game, Wade was also an excellent defender who earned three All-Defensive selections. Beyond his talent, Wade was respected for his leadership, competitiveness, and willingness to embrace whatever role his team needed.
- Charles Barkley
The “Round Mound of Rebound” is best known for his 1993 MVP season, when he led the Suns to the NBA Finals. But it was during his eight seasons in Philadelphia that Barkley established himself as one of the NBA’s most unique superstars. At just 6-foot-6, he dominated the glass, could grab a rebound and lead the fast break himself, and somehow shot an incredible 58% from the field as a 76er.
After Moses Malone, Maurice Cheeks, and Julius Erving left Philadelphia, Barkley became the franchise’s leader. Despite putting up massive numbers, he never had the supporting cast needed to turn the 76ers into a true championship contender. His best chance at a title came with Phoenix in 1993, but like several players on this list, Barkley’s championship dream was spoiled by Michael Jordan and the Bulls.
- Kawhi Leonard
The Claw was the best player on a championship team in 2019, leading the Toronto Raptors to their first title in franchise history. That championship run was helped by injuries to Kevin Durant and Klay Thompson on the Warriors, but Kawhi’s case has always been about how dramatically he impacts winning when he is on the court. Leonard owns one of the most impressive winning profiles in NBA history, ranking among the all-time leaders in both regular-season and playoff winning percentage.
Beginning in his seventh NBA season, injuries have limited his availability in both the regular season and playoffs. But Kawhi’s peak accomplishments are undeniable. He’s a two-time Finals MVP, and two-time Defensive Player of the Year.
- John Stockton
This final spot came down to four point guards: John Stockton, Jason Kidd, Isiah Thomas, and Chris Paul. All four have legitimate cases, but when looking at the totality of a career, Stockton gets the edge.
Stockton is the NBA’s all-time leader in both assists and steals, earned 11 All-NBA selections, and was one of the most durable players in league history. He missed just 20 games over 19 seasons, made the playoffs every year, and never missed a postseason game.