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The Inner Circle
The players with a genuine claim to the top of the all-time list once Jordan and LeBron are set aside. Each case is made on its own terms — peak, longevity, era, and postseason résumé.
Accolades Compared
| Player | Years active | Titles | MVP | Finals MVP | All-Star | All-NBA (1/2/3) | All-Def (1/2) | Career pts | Scoring titles | PER | WS/48 | VORP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kareem Abdul-Jabbar | 1969–1989 | 6 | 6 | 2 | 19 | 10/5/0 | 5/6 | 38,387 · #2 | 2 | 24.6 | .228 | 85.7 |
| Bill Russell | 1956–1969 | 11 | 5 | 0 | 12 | 3/8/0 | 1/0 | 14,522 · #180 | 0 | 18.9 | .193 | — |
| Magic Johnson | 1979–1996 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 12 | 9/1/0 | 0/0 | 17,707 · #91 | 0 | 24.1 | .225 | 80.0 |
| Larry Bird | 1979–1992 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 12 | 9/1/0 | 0/3 | 21,791 · #40 | 0 | 23.5 | .203 | 77.2 |
| Tim Duncan | 1997–2016 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 15 | 10/3/2 | 8/7 | 26,496 · #20 | 0 | 24.2 | .209 | 91.1 |
| Kobe Bryant | 1996–2016 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 18 | 11/2/2 | 9/3 | 33,643 · #4 | 2 | 22.9 | .170 | 80.1 |
| Stephen Curry | 2009–present | 4 | 2 | 1 | 12 | 4/5/2 | 0/0 | 26,528 · #19 | 2 | 23.4 | .195 | 77.2 |
| Shaquille O'Neal | 1992–2011 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 15 | 8/2/4 | 0/3 | 28,596 · #10 | 2 | 26.4 | .208 | 75.5 |
| Wilt Chamberlain | 1959–1973 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 13 | 7/3/0 | 2/0 | 31,419 · #8 | 7 | 26.2 | .248 | — |
| Hakeem Olajuwon | 1984–2002 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 12 | 6/3/3 | 5/4 | 26,946 · #15 | 0 | 23.6 | .177 | 74.2 |
The Cases
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
Case to be written
Bill Russell
Case to be written
Magic Johnson
Case to be written
Larry Bird
Case to be written
Tim Duncan
Case to be written
Kobe Bryant
Case to be written
Stephen Curry
Case to be written
Shaquille O'Neal
Case to be written
Wilt Chamberlain
Case to be written
Hakeem Olajuwon
Case to be written