The 100 Greatest Basketball Players of All-Time

Every ranking update ever (Last basketball update: 6/15/26 Next scheduled basketball update: July ’27)

If you disagree with the placement of an athlete whose prime occurred before 1975, please read The ChatGPT Cautionary Tale before commenting.

Historically undervalued: 🔵

Rank	Player			Position	Years
1	LeBron James		Why?	Pick one	2003-active
2	Michael Jordan			SG	1984-2003
3	Kareem Abdul-Jabbar			C	1969-1989
4	Shaquille O’Neal	🔵	Why?	C	1992-2011
5	Tim Duncan			PF	1997-2016
6	Steph Curry			PG	2009-active
7	Magic Johnson			PG	1979-1996
8	Kevin Durant			SF	2007-active
9	Kobe Bryant		Why?	SG	1996-2016
10	Nikola Jokic			C	2015-active
11	Larry Bird			SF	1979-1992
12	Karl Malone			PF	1985-2004
13	Giannis Antetokounmpo			PF	2013-active
14	Hakeem Olajuwon			C	1984-2002
15	David Robinson	🔵	Why?	C	1989-2003
16	Wilt Chamberlain		Why?	C	1959-1973
17	Kevin Garnett			PF	1995-2016
18	Dirk Nowitzki			PF	1998-2019
19	James Harden	🔵	Why?	SG	2009-active
20	Moses Malone			C	1974-1995
21	Kawhi Leonard			SF	2011-active
22	Bill Russell		Why?	C	1956-1969
23	Shai Gilgeous-Alexander			PG	2018-active
24	Charles Barkley			PF	1984-2000
25	Jerry West			SG	1960-1974
26	Julius Erving			SF	1971-1987
27	Dwyane Wade			SG	2003-2019
28	Chris Paul			PG	2005-2025
29	Oscar Robertson			PG	1960-1974
30	Rick Barry			SF	1965-1980
31	John Stockton			PG	1984-2003
32	Anthony Davis			PF	2012-active
33	Russell Westbrook			PG	2008-active
34	Steve Nash			PG	1996-2014
35	George Gervin			SG	1972-1986
36	Joel Embiid			C	2016-active
37	Luka Doncic			PG	2018-active
38	Isiah Thomas			PG	1981-1994
39	Dwight Howard			C	2004-2022
40	Patrick Ewing			C	1985-2002
41	Gary Payton			PG	1990-2007
42	Scottie Pippen			SF	1987-2004
43	Jayson Tatum			SF	2017-active
44	Adrian Dantley	🔵	Why?	SF	1976-1991
45	Jimmy Butler			SF	2011-active
46	Tony Parker	🔵	Why?	PG	2001-2019
47	Jason Kidd			PG	1994-2013
48	Pau Gasol	🔵	Why?	C	2001-2019
49	Dominique Wilkins			SF	1982-1999
50	Damian Lillard			PG	2012-active
51	Clyde Drexler			SG	1983-1998
52	Walt Frazier			PG	1967-1980
53	John Havlicek			SF	1962-1978
54	Paul Pierce			SF	1998-2017
55	Ray Allen			SG	1996-2014
56	Allen Iverson			SG	1996-2010
57	Tracy McGrady			SG	1997-2012
58	Jalen Brunson			PG	2018-active
59	Reggie Miller			SG	1987-2005
60	Donovan Mitchell			SG	2017-active
61	Karl-Anthony Towns			C	2015-active
62	Kyrie Irving			PG	2011-active
63	Manu Ginobili	🔵		SG	2002-2018
64	Bob McAdoo			C	1972-1986
65	Willis Reed			C	1964-1974
66	Dave Cowens			C	1970-1983
67	Jaylen Brown			SG	2016-active
68	Chauncey Billups			PG	1997-2014
69	Chris Webber			PF	1993-2008
70	Rudy Gobert			C	2013-active
71	Dikembe Mutombo			C	1991-2009
72	Alonzo Mourning			C	1992-2008
73	Kevin McHale			PF	1980-1993
74	James Worthy			SF	1982-1994
75	Alex English			SF	1976-1991
76	Bernard King			SF	1977-1993
77	Carmelo Anthony			SF	2003-2022
78	Devin Booker			SG	2015-active
79	Paul George			SF	2010-active
80	Domantas Sabonis			C	2016-active
81	Larry Nance	🔵	Why?	PF	1981-1994
82	Dennis Rodman			PF	1986-2000
83	Elgin Baylor			SF	1958-1972
84	Ben Wallace			C	1996-2012
85	Anthony Edwards			SG	2020-active
86	Elvin Hayes			PF	1968-1984
87	George Mikan		Why?	C	1948-1956
88	Bob Pettit			PF	1954-1965
89	Joe Dumars			SG	1985-1999
90	Wes Unseld			PF	1968-1981
91	Artis Gilmore			C	1971-1988
92	LaMarcus Aldridge			PF	2006-2021
93	Amar’e Stoudemire			PF	2002-2016
94	Chris Bosh			C	2003-2016
95	Bob Cousy			PG	1950-1963
96	Vince Carter			SG	1998-2020
97	Chris Mullin			SF	1985-2001
98	Dennis Johnson			PG	1976-1990
99	Bam Adebayo			C	2017-active
100	Draymond Green			PF	2012-active

The rest of the best basketball players of all time.

The Greatest Hockey Players of All-Time

The Overflow

Tom Barrasso	John Leclair	Henri Richard	G. Boucher
Clint Benedict	Brad Marchand	Jeremy Roenick	Brent Burns
Frank Brimsek	Markus Naslund	Denis Savard	King Clancy
Turk Broda	S. Schriner	Milt Schmidt	Dit Clapper
Grant Fuhr	Daniel Sedin	Henrik Sedin	S. Cleghorn
Charlie Gardiner	B. Shanahan	Darryl Sittler	Bill Gadsby
Herb Gardiner	Steve Shutt	Peter Stastny	Eddie Gerard
Ed Giacomin	Keith Tkachuk	Jonathan Toews	Sergei Gonchar
G. Hainsworth	Sid Abel	Pierre Turgeon	E. Goodfellow
Curtis Joseph	Syl Apps	Norm Ullman	Tim Horton
Harry Lumley	Max Bentley	H. Zetterberg	Phil Housley
Carey Price	Frank Boucher	G. Anderson	Mark Howe
Jonathan Quick	Russell Bowie	Hobey Baker	Ching Johnson
Tiny Thompson	Rod Brind’Amour	Dino Ciccarelli	J. Laperierre
Mike Vernon	Bill Cowley	Charlie Conacher	Kris Letang
D. Andreychuk	Alex Delvecchio	Bill Cook	Larry Murphy
Jamie Benn	Ryan Getzlaf	Y. Cournoyer	Babe Pratt
Doug Bentley	Dale Hawerchuk	Jack Darragh	B.Quackenbush
Johnny Bucyk	Dick Irvin	Babe Dye	Borje Salming
Bun Cook	Dave Keon	Theo Fleury	Serge Savard
Cy Denneny	Pat Lafontaine	Mike Gartner	Earl Seibert
Bob Gainey	Jacques Lemaire	Marian Hossa	Jack Stewart
Clark Gillies	Mike Modano	Jere Lehtinen	PK Subban
Michel Goulet	J. Nieuwendyk	Claude Lemieux	Shea Weber
Busher Jackson	Frank Nighbor	Joe Mullen	Sergei Zubov
Aurel Joliat	Adam Oates	Corey Perry
Ilya Kovalchuk	G. Perreault	Mark Recchi
Paul Kariya	Jean Ratelle	Rob Blake

*Does not include active players

The 100 Greatest Hockey Players of All-Time

Every ranking update ever (Last hockey update: 6/15/26 Next hockey update: July ’27)

The making of the list.

The Rules

If you disagree with the placement of an athlete whose prime occurred before 1975, please read The ChatGPT Cautionary Tale before commenting.

Historically undervalued: 🔵

Rank	Player			Position	Years
1	Wayne Gretzky			C	1978-1999
2	Alexander Ovechkin		Why?	LW	2005-active
3	Mario Lemieux		Why?	C	1984-2006
4	Sidney Crosby			C	2005-active
5	Connor McDavid			C	2015-active
6	Gordie Howe			RW	1946-1980
7	Bobby Orr			D	1966-1979
8	Patrick Roy			G	1984-2003
9	Jaromir Jagr			RW	1990-2018
10	Mark Messier	🔵	Why?	C	1978-2004
11	Martin Brodeur	🔵	Why?	G	1991-2015
12	Nicklas Lidstrom			D	1991-2012
13	Ray Bourque			D	1979-2001
14	Dominik Hasek			G	1990-2008
15	Nikita Kucherov			RW	2013-active
16	Bobby Hull			LW	1957-1980
17	Phil Esposito			C	1963-1981
18	Jean Beliveau			C	1950-1971
19	Maurice Richard			RW	1942-1960
20	Guy Lafleur			RW	1971-1991
21	Nathan MacKinnon			C	2013-active
22	Doug Harvey			D	1947-1969
23	Jacques Plante			G	1952-1975
24	Ken Dryden			G	1970-1979
25	Glen Hall			G	1952-1971
26	Stan Mikita			C	1958-1980
27	Bobby Clarke			C	1969-1984
28	Andrei Vasilevskiy			G	2014-active
29	Evgeni Malkin			C	2006-active
30	Eddie Shore			D	1926-1940
31	Joe Sakic			C	1988-2009
32	Patrick Kane			RW	2007-active
33	Steve Yzerman			C	1983-2006
34	Bryan Trottier			C	1975-1994
35	Brett Hull			RW	1986-2006
36	Mike Bossy			RW	1977-1987
37	Leon Draisaitl			C	2014-active
38	Paul Coffey			D	1980-2001
39	Chris Chelios			D	1983-2010
40	Denis Potvin			D	1973-1988
41	Cale Makar			D	2019-active
42	Connor Hellebuyck			G	2015-active
43	Howie Morenz			C	1923-1937
44	Terry Sawchuk			G	1949-1970
45	Al MacInnis			D	1981-2004
46	Larry Robinson			D	1972-1992
47	Jari Kurri	🔵		RW	1978-1998
48	Erik Karlsson			D	2009-active
49	Red Kelly			D/C	1947-1967
50	Pierre Pilote			D	1955-1969
51	Sergei Fedorov			C	1990-2009
52	Peter Forsberg			C	1994-2011
53	Patrice Bergeron	🔵		C	2003-2023
54	Auston Matthews			C	2016-active
55	Chris Pronger			D	1993-2012
56	Brian Leetch			D	1987-2006
57	Cyclone Taylor			R	1905-1923
58	Newsy Lalonde			C	1917-1927
59	Joe Malone			LW	1917-1924
60	Teemu Selanne			RW	1992-2014
61	Scott Stevens	🔵		D	1982-2004
62	Jarome Iginla	🔵		RW	1996-2017
63	Steve Stamkos			C	2008-active
64	Ed Belfour			G	1988-2007
65	Ted Lindsay			LW	1944-1965
66	Marcel Dionne			C	1971-1989
67	Scott Niedermayer			D	1991-2010
68	Zdeno Chara			D	1997-2022
69	Duncan Keith	🔵		D	2005-2022
70	Sergei Bobrovsky			G	2010-active
71	Anze Kopitar	🔵		C	2006-2026
72	Brad Park			D	1968-1985
73	Bernie Geoffrion			RW	1950-1968
74	Bernie Parent			G	1965-1979
75	Bill Durnan			G	1943-1950
76	Joe Thornton			C	1997-2022
77	Doug Gilmour	🔵		C	1983-2003
78	Ted Kennedy			C	1942-1957
79	Drew Doughty			D	2008-active
80	Tony Esposito			G	1968-1984
81	Frank Mahovlich			LW	1956-1978
82	Nels Stewart			C	1925-1940
83	Elmer Lach			C	1940-1954
84	Victor Hedman			D	2009-acitve
85	Henrik Lundqvist			G	2005-2020
86	Pavel Datsyuk			C	2001-2016
87	Martin St. Louis			RW	1998-2015
88	Eric Lindros			C	1992-2007
89	David Pastrnak			RW	2014-active
90	Ron Francis			C	1981-2004
91	Billy Smith			G	1971-1989
92	Roman Josi			D	2011-active
93	Luc Robitaille			LW	1986-2003
94	Roberto Luongo			G	1999-2019
95	Tim Thomas			G	2002-2014
96	Rod Langway			D	1977-1993
97	Dickie Moore			LW	1951-1968
98	Pavel Bure			RW	1991-2003
99	Andy Bathgate			RW	1952-1975
100	Johnny Bower			G	1953-1970

The rest of the best hockey players of all time.