First, I'd like to issue a warning to Spurs fans, as this revelation may be triggering, but here goes nothing. HoopsHype released their yearly ranking of the greatest players of all time, and they placed Tim Duncan in 10th place. The controversial picks in front of him are Wilt Chamberlain (6), Larry Bird (7), Kobe Bryant (8), and Shaquille O'Neal (9)... yeah, I know.
HoopsHype has been releasing this list for the past five years, and every season, they add a player to the group. It started with 75 players, and we've now reached 79. Going back through the previous iterations revealed that they placed Timmy D in that same spot each year thus far.
There has actually been little change to the top ten besides their elevation of LeBron James over Michael Jordan (which is also incorrect). I'm tired of seeing this list with their ridiculous reasoning for putting guys over The Big Fundamental, so it's time to make the undeniable case for Duncan over Wilt, Bird, Kobe, and O'Neal. We'll go through them one by one.
Tim Duncan should be much closer to the top
Wilt Chamberlain
There is an explanation under each player's name, and almost every one of these players has at least a line or two in theirs that grinds my gears. For Wilt, it's when they acknowledge how crazy his numbers are due to the competition he played against, but then state, "When you dominate at the level Chamberlain did, who cares who he did it against?" I do. Actually, everyone does when it suits them.
One of the biggest arguments that LeBron James fans make for their case of Michael Jordan is that Jordan didn't face the same level of competition James did in the Finals. Young fans have often criticized the older generation for the same reason, accusing the league of being worse back then, talent-wise.
So, no, I'm not going to ignore the fact that when Chamberlain made his name, there were only between 8-14 teams in the league. He only won two championships under those circumstances, and a part of that is because, as they acknowledge, he struggled in the playoffs. That man is not number six all-time. He's definitely not over Tim Duncan, and I won't hear anymore about it.
Larry Bird
Larry Legend was exactly that, but he played on one of the greatest teams of all time. Bird's Celtics, along with Magic's Lakers, were the original super team in the NBA back when super teams were just getting started. He certainly belongs in the top ten, but his career was cut short due to his back issues, so he only played 13 seasons.
That's the part that rubs me the wrong way in his excerpt. You understand that he didn't accomplish as much because he wasn't around long enough, but he's somehow above Tim Duncan, who has more accolades based on what? Aura? Please stop it.
Kobe Bryant
Kobe Bryant (RIP) was a force on the court, but his mystique has elevated his stardom more than his production. People loved the laser focus that Bean displayed at all times. His callous nature was actually endearing to fans who saw his resemblance in his game to Michael Jordan. MJ was also famously brash to his teammates, so it just felt par for the course to most.
When you're looking for the next great thing and you see someone who reminds you of the last one, it's easy to get caught up, but let's actually examine Kobe's career, and we'll do it quickly. As HoopsHype admits, Bryant was Shaq's sidekick when he first entered the league. He maintained that role for years. Duncan was never anyone's sidekick.
After the Big Aristotle left LA, the Lakers struggled. They lost a bunch of games, and Kobe was so frustrated, he threatened to leave. They got Pau Gasol after that and won two more championships, but at the end of Kobe's career, he and the Lakers were a shell of themselves. Again, they lost a lot and weren't relevant. Tim Duncan's Spurs were never not relevant. So, let's stop the lies about who was greater.
Shaquille O'Neal
This one may be the easiest one of them all. As dominant as Shaq was in his prime, he still had to fight Duncan. Timmy D won championships when Shaq and Kobe were Shaq and Kobe. After he left the Lakers, the Big Diesel started to go downhill as he wasn't as focused on maintaining his elite level as much as being a movie star, rap star, etc. HoopsHype, again, admitted this but still put him over Duncan.
O'Neal became a journeyman at the end of his career, bouncing around, after LA, from Miami to Phoenix and Cleveland, before finishing his time in the league in Boston. He was not good in his later years. Duncan was good for longer, won more championships, was a better defender, maintained his spot as the leader, and never bounced around from team to team. There's no way he's over Timmy.
Tim Duncan
When Tim Duncan was drafted, David Robinson was 32, so he wasn't a spring chicken. Tim was the Rookie of the Year, then won a championship in his second year. He never had a season below 50 wins except for when the season was only 50 games long, and he still maintained the same winning percentage.
He made the playoffs every year and led the team to five championships in three different decades with different teammates and styles. He won in a post-up centric offense as the focal point, a pick-and-roll offense as the focal point, and he was the dominant man in the middle when the game spread out to a more perimeter-focused style.
His accolades are just as long, if not longer, than everyone else I mentioned above him, and he did more winning for a longer span. He was still giving out crazy buckets past the age of 35 and made the All-Defensive Second Team at 38 years old. It's ridiculous not to have him at least six on this list.