The Five Greatest Basketball Player of All-Time

Sounds like you spent a lot of time being wrong

 

Yes. He'd beat the pants off him. Track times don't lie.

 

You're right. Eras defy comparison. Sammy Baugh led the NFL in passing, interceptions, and punting one year in the '40s as a two-way player. Does that make him greater than Tom Brady? How the hell can you tell?

 

Conditions change. You'd have to send Bolt back to the cinder tracks of the '30s to be sure of your point. Could Dustin Johnson beat Ben Hogan? Depends on which eras clubs and ball they'd use.

 

What I mean is, is the raw time relevant? Then Bolt is the best. Or is the better measure how someone compares to the rest of the field in his era?

 

The case for Bolt isn't just his raw times. It's his longevity at the top of a sport with very short elite career arcs.

 

Plus his "mutation-level" performances.

Bolt is kinda like if Bob Beamon followed up Mexico City by jumping 33 feet.

 

This is the same rationale that I use in arguing that Babe Ruth's stats should have an asterisk.

 

All I know is any list of all-time top [INSERT NUMBER HERE] basketball players that doesn't include Wilt is wrong.

 

Why should they?

 

Because he played during an era in which a large percentage of the player pool was barred from playing.

 

So every player whose stats were compiled prior to 1947 should have an asterisk

* Only played against honkeys