Other than Michael Jordan, who is the best NBA player since 1990?

True, but you don't see him on TV every night hawking shoes, soft drinks or fast food the way previous guys with five rings might have. LeBron and Dwight Howard get the big endorsement deals in this generation of players, despite being not nearly as accomplished on the court.

 

Bryant or Duncan, take your pick. Olajuwon is certainly a contender.
PS: Shawn Bradley story. Went to cover a UMass-St. Joe's game at St. Joe's teeny gym one time. Seated midway up the risers/bleachers was Bradley. I certainly felt for the people with the seats in the next row up directly behind him. They stood up, and still couldn't see.

 

Yep. Kobe would be approaching Jordan strata had it not been for the whole rape allegation thing.

 

Pippen doesn't crack the top 10 and maybe not the top 20.

 

Name 20 players better than Pippen in the last 20 years.

 

What's your metric for 'best?'

If it's championship rings, you're sunk.

 

Off the top of my bald head. I'm sure I'm forgetting somebody.

1. Kobe
2. Duncan
3. Shaq-Fu
4. Olajuwon
5. Malone
6. James
7. Garnett
8. Robinson
9. Barkley
10. Ewing
11. Iverson
12. Kidd
13. Wade
14. Stockton
15. Nash
16. Nowitzki
17. Pierce
18. Pippen
19. Payton
20. Miller

 

If I had to build a team around one guy, it would have to be either Shaq or Duncan. They both got it done from the beginning of their career to now.
And sure, Shaq isn't as good as he was in his prime, but he still warrants a double-team and the hack-a-Shaq strategy.
And sure, Kobe is great and all, but he wouldn't have even made the finals without Shaq early in his career or Gasol and Odom later in his career.

 

Yeah, I couldn't do it unless I included guys who were still playing in the early 1990s (Mullin, Thomas, Worthy, Dumars), but peaked in the 80s. I put him 18th.

 

If Shaq had retired about 3-4 years ago, I think he would definitely be No. 1.

 

He happened to start his career with a legendary franchise that can pretty much lure any free agent it wants or maneuver to trade for anyone it wants (see Chamberlain, Kareem, Gasol, among dozens). We all pretty much know how many titles Kobe would have had he played his entire career with Charlotte/New Orleans.

James started his career with a laughingstock franchise that can never lure a free agent superstar or be a place a superstar would want to be traded to.

The above is so obvious it's laughable.

Kobe "managed to stay" with an elite franchise that everyone else in the league would love to join. Awfullly big of him.

 

Karl Malone is way too high, but my distatse for his game is documneted on this site.

Nash and Wade are way too low.