by Bill Neal, For New Pittsburgh Courier
:10 — I’ve been waiting for the NFL to get out of the way so we can talk some hoops. You may or may not know and for sure you don’t care… but I am a Hall-of-Fame football player (see, you don’t care)… Having said that it is truly where my heart lies. The so-called man’s game with the force and dynamics of tractor-trailer trucks colliding every 60 seconds. But mannnn, when you want to talk about finesse, grace, creativity, beauty and power combined you just can’t beat basketball!!! — The following is just a few of the reasons why. By the way I was a basketball coach for 30 years… but you don’t care, do you? I knew it.
:09 — To begin can we please put to rest the notion that you know who the greatest players of all-time are. You think you know but you don’t. But I do! And here’s your greatest Top 15 ever… Period… End of story. And in order of greatness: #1. – Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. #2 – Wilt Chamberlain. #3 – Michael Jordan. #4 – Kobe Bryant. #5 – Oscar Robertson. #6 – Magic Johnson. #7 – Julius “Dr. J” Erving. #8 – Jerry West. #9 – Bill Russell. #10 – LeBron James. #11 – Larry Bird. #12 – Connie Hawkins. #13 – “Pistol” Pete Maravich. #14 – Steph Curry. #15 – Scottie Pippen. Coaches – Phil Jackson & Red Auerbach.
You got a problem with this list, text or call me at 412-628-4856. But trust me, I beat you like a wooden drum with this team all day and all night! – Now shut up about it… or not.
:08 — So you got a problem with Connie Hawkins, think I am showing favoritism? Kareem said Connie’s the greatest he’s ever seen. He is in fact the first man to take the game airborne!
:07 — Here’s the answer to your Maravich question. Still holds the NCAA scoring record – 3,667 points after 50 years. Did not play as a freshman, no three’s and a dozen other records still untouched. Also Dr. J said he’s the most complete player he’s ever seen.
:06 — I know you want Steph Curry in the top 10. But trust me when I tell you he’s not going to light it up against the Bad Boys in Detroit or against swarming Showtime in L.A.
:05 — To the point why my list consists of mostly old school guys for these three reasons – #1. Cause I am old #2. Cause back in the day they beat you up if you posed a threat. And #3. Just to tick you off and keep the conversation going… Ha, ha, ha!
:04 — Don’t get me wrong, I’m not a LeBron hater but the nine guys ahead of him all played on teams they grew, not on teams they brought together with other superstars. I am just sayin’! And for goodness sake, can you take your 6’8” – 260 pound self inside and get a rebound sometime. And please – TAKE THE LAST SHOT!
:03 — Of course, I love the game today but it’s just not the same game and you know it. You can’t hold, grab or threaten people like the old days. And the game has become a shooting fest. Give me Isiah Thomas, Allen Iverson or Nate “Tiny” Archibald… and I would have given them to you – But where on this list?
:02 — To prove some of my points you only need to have watched last week’s All-Star Game across the board to see how far we haven’t come. I can get Myron Brown and Morrie Cox to win that slam dunk contest right now and my guess is they haven’t dunked in 10 years.
:01 — In closing, take this home with ya – Here’s why Kareem is the G.O.A.T. – never lost a high school game, three straight H.S. State Championships, three straight NCAA Championships at UCLA, six NBA Championships with the Bucks and Lakers, two more as asst. coach with the Lakers, all-time leading NBA scorer with 38,387 points, 19-time All-Star, six-time NBA MVP, two-time Finals MVP and All-NBA First-Team 10 times just to mention a few of the 100-plus awards. And, oh by the way, if you need a reason why Wilt is #2 – he’s only the most dominant human being in the history of the game, the only man to score 100 points in a single game, average 50.4 points a game for an entire season, 27.2 rebounds a game for a season and 38 pages of records to go along with it!!!
:00 — GAME OVER.
About Post Author
