French basketball player Victor Wembanyama has been getting a ton of attention around the NBA lately and even drawn interest from some of the league’s megastars.
Recently, a photo went viral of Rudy Gobert, one of the tallest players in the league, comparing his height to Wembanyama’s by standing next to him.
The recognition Wembanyama is receiving is well-deserved. He’s a 7’3″ forward/center who nearly comes with a complete package. He can knock down three-pointers, work the low post, and defend the basket.
His play can easily be compared to greats such as Dirk Nowitzki and Kevin Garnett, even though the latter wasn’t known for hitting three-pointers.
However, the only thing that draws concerns is the high risk of injuries. Weighing at only 209 pounds, he is 18-38 pounds lighter than the average NBA power forward/center.
The 2022-2023 season will be quite interesting as teams could be tempted to tank or trade away superstar-level players just to be able to acquire Wembanyama. But it will still be fairly difficult considering Oklahoma City Thunder has the better chance of acquiring him.
The Golden State Warriors were founded in 1946 and recently, they have been the franchise that everyone seems to love watch. But a lot has transpired before they became what they are now. They also had a ton of great athletes play for them.
Here’s my personal Golden State Warriors Mt. Rushmore:
He also changed the way the game of basketball is played today. He forced teams to utilize the three-point shot a lot more often and change their defenses to spread out to the three-point line. The Warriors also built a dynasty around him, particularly through the draft.
Curry’s resume is fulfilling and continues to expand. He is an eight-time All-Star (2014-2019, 2021, 2022) who made the All-NBA First Team four times (2015, 2016, 2019, 2021), All-NBA Second Team three times (2014, 2017, 2022) the All-NBA Third Team in 2018 and the NBA All-Rookie First Team in 2010. In 2016, he joined the rare 50-90-40 club. He also won back-to back league MVPs (2015, 2016) while leading the league in scoring twice (2016, 2021) and steals in 2016.
We all know he’s a four-time NBA champion (2015, 2017, 2018, 2022) but he just recently won a much-needed Finals MVP trophy that he can put into his collection of accolades.
As of right now, Curry is averaging 24 points, four rebounds, six assists, one steal, and 0.2 blocks. He is the Warriors’ all-time leader in points (20,064), assists (5,388), steals (1,367), and obviously three-pointers made (3,117).
FUN FACT: Curry has attempted 93 half-court heaves in his career and connected on four (that’s impressive!)
He is arguably one of the greatest players of all-time and was responsible for some rules changes in the league (including widening the lane from 12 to 16 feet to keep big men farther away from the hoop and installing offensive goaltending).
Before we get into the accolades Chamberlain collected in his career, let’s examine two records that will most likely never be broken.
The first will be the prominent 100-point game against the New York Knicks on March 2, 1962. Granted, he earned 28 of those points from the charity stripe but he still connected on 36 field goals. The only player to ever come close to that feat was the late Kobe Bryant when he dropped 81 points against the Toronto Raptors on January 22, 2006.
The other record will be the 55-rebound game against the Boston Celtics on November 24, 1960.
While playing for the Warriors, Chamberlain was named Rookie of the Year in 1960 and went on to become a six-time All-Star (1960-1965) who made the All-NBA First Team four times (1960-1962, 1964) and the All-NBA Second Team in 1963. He also won league MVP in 1960 while leading the NBA in scoring five times (1960-1965) and rebounding four times (1960-1963).
During his time with the Warriors, he averaged 41 points a game, as well as 25 rebounds and three assists. He is currently their second all-time leader in points (17,783) and rebounds (10,768).
FUN FACT: Chamberlain won both Rookie of the Year and MVP in 1960, an accomplishment only matched by Wes Unseld in the 1968-1969 season.
I personally feel Mullin gets overlooked at times. According to Jim O’Brien, he can be likened to Larry Bird due to his lack of speed but having a great three-point shot and the natural ability to put his defender off guard.
Mullin spent his first 12 years in the league with the Warriors before suiting up for the Indiana Pacers and ending his career with the former. While performing for the Warriors, he was a five-time All-Star (1989-1993) who made the All-NBA First Team in 1992 and the All-NBA Third Team in 1990. He also made the All-NBA Second Team twice (1989, 1991).
He averaged 20 points, four rebounds, three assist, one steal, and 0.6 blocks. He is the Warriors’ fifth all-time leader in points (16,235), sixth all-time leader in assists (3,146), second all-time leader in steals (1,360), ninth all-time leader in blocks (488) and fifth all-time leader in three-pointers made (590).
Barry spent eight of his 14-year career with the Warriors. He was widely known for his unorthodox free-throw technique.
While playing with the Warriors, he was named Rookie of the Year in 1966 while going on to become an eight-time All-Star (1966, 1967, 1973-1978) who made the All-NBA First Team five times (1966, 1967, 1974-1976) and the All-NBA Second Team (1973). He even led the league in scoring in 1967 and steals in 1975.
Barry also led them to the 1975 NBA championship while being named NBA Finals MVP.
During his time with the Warriors, he averaged 25 points, seven rebounds, five assists, two steals, and 0.5 blocks. He is currently their third all-time leader in points (16,447), eighth all-time leader in rebounds (4,655), fifth all-time leader in assists (3,247), and fourth all-time leader in steals (929).
FUN FACT: Barry had 14 games of when he recorded 50 or more points with the Warriors.
The Cleveland Cavaliers were founded in 1970 and since then, they haven’t had very much success. They made the playoffs 22 times out of their 53 years in the league and only won one championship. They have been fortunate enough to have a decent amount of great athletes play for them.
Here’s my personal Cleveland Cavaliers Mt. Rushmore:
This is a pretty obvious one. Not only is James the greatest Cavaliers player of all-time but he is arguably one of the the greatest athletes of all-time. As soon as James was drafted in 2003, he took off, assembling a bunch of “youngest to” records that he still holds to this day.
Just like Michael Jordan, his resume speaks for him. During his 11 years with the Cavaliers, James was a ten-time All-Star (2005-2010, 2015-2018) who made the All-NBA First Team eight times (2006, 2008-2010, 2015-2018), the All-NBA Second Team two times (2005, 2007), and the NBA All-Defensive First Team two times (2009, 2010). Of course, he won Rookie of the Year in 2003 and then went to win two back-to-back MVPs (2009, 2010). He even led the league in scoring in 2008.
What really latched the “Greatest Cavalier of All-Time” argument is the 2016 NBA championship. He delivered the Cavaliers their very first championship, along with bringing an end to Cleveland’s 52-year championship drought. He did all of that while going up against one of the greatest NBA teams ever, the 73-9 Golden State Warriors. He won the Finals MVP in that series.
While playing for the Cavaliers, James averaged 27 points, seven rebounds, seven assists, one steal, and 0.8 blocks. He is currently their all-time leader in points (23,119), rebounds (6,190), assists (6,228), steals (1,376), and three-pointers made (1,251). He is their fourth all-time leader in blocks (695).
FUN FACT: Even though James is a pass-first player, he became the youngest player to score 20,000 points in a season (2004-2005).
Irving had to be on the list for the sheer fact that he played a tremendous role in helping James capture that championships. For those who have been living under a rock, Irving connected on a three-pointer over Stephen Curry to seal the Game 7 victory. He didn’t have a ton of accolades during his time in Cleveland but that shot alone puts up in the top four.
While playing for the Cavaliers, he was a four-time All-Star (2013-2015, 2017) who made the All-NBA Third Team in 2015. He even won Rookie of the Year in 2012.
During his six years with the franchise, Irving averaged 21 points, three rebounds, five assists, one steal, and 0.3 blocks. He is their eighth all-time leader in points (8,232), sixth all-time leader in assists (2,114), ninth all-time leader in steals (504) and fourth all-time leader in three-pointers made (723).
FUN FACT: Irving and James are the only Cavaliers to win Rookie of the Year.
Ilgauskas played 12 years with the Cavaliers before spending his last year in the league with the Miami Heat. During his time with the Cavaliers, he was a two-time All-Star (2003, 2005) who made the NBA All-Rookie First Team when he came into the league in 1998.
While playing with the Cavaliers, Ilgauskas averaged 13 points, seven rebounds, one assist, 0.5 steals, and one block. He is currently their all-time leader in blocks (1,269), second all-time leader in points (10,616) and second all-time leader in rebounds (5,904).
FUN FACT: Ilgauskas overcame numerous difficult injuries during his time in Cleveland.
Daugherty played his entire eight-year career with the Cavaliers. What really stands out is that he was responsible for leading the Cavaliers to the Eastern Conference Finals (1992) for the very first time in franchise history. During his time in a Cavaliers uniform, he was a five-time All-Star (1988, 1989, 1991-1993) who made the NBA All-Rookie First Team in 1987 and the All-NBA Third Team in 1992.
He averaged 19 points with the franchise, as well as nine rebounds, three assists, 0.8 steals, and 0.7 blocks. He is the Cavaliers’ third all-time in points (10,389), fourth all-time leader in rebounds (5,227), seventh all-time leader in assists (2,028), and ninth all-time leader in blocks (397)
FUN FACT: Daugherty scored 10,000 points in just 548 games.
The Chicago Bulls were founded on January 16, 1966 and since then, they have made the playoffs 36 times and won six championships. They have had a ton of great athletes play for them.
This is a pretty obvious one. Jordan is widely regarded as arguably the greatest player of all-time. He is also responsible for popularizing the NBA around the whole world.
His accolades and achievements speak for themselves. Everyone knows he’s a six-time champion and Finals MVP. We also know that he’s 6-0 in the Finals. But he’s also a 12-time All-Star (1985-1993, 1996-1998) who made the All-NBA First Team ten times (1987-1993, 1996-1998) and the NBA All-Defensive First Team nine times (1988-1993, 1996-1998). He made the All-NBA Second Team in 1985 while being named Rookie of the Year, as well.
Jordan also led the league in scoring ten times (1987-1993, 1996-1998) and leading in steals three times (1988, 1990, 1993). He also won the Defensive Player of the Year award in 1988.
While playing for the Bulls, he averaged 31 points, six rebounds, five assists, two steals, and 0.9 blocks. He is currently their all-time leader in points (29,277), rebounds (5,836), assists (5,102), and steals (2,306). He is their second all-time leader in blocks (828) and three-pointers made (555).
A lot of people may think of Pippen as Jordan’s “sidekick” but he was much more than that. He is considered one of the greatest small forwards and defenders of all-time.
He spent 12 of his 17 years in the league with the Bulls. While playing for them, he was a six-time champion (1991-1993, 1996-1998) who made the All-Star team seven times (1990, 1992-1997). He also made the All-NBA First Team three times (1994-1996), All-NBA Second Team two times (1992, 1997), and All-NBA Third Team two times (1993, 1998).
Along with that, he made the NBA All-Defensive First Team seven times (1992-1998) and NBA All-Defensive Second Team in 1991. He even led the league in steals during 1995.
During his time in a Bulls uniform, he averaged 17 points, six rebounds, five assists, two steals, and 0.9 blocks. He is the Bulls’ second all-time leader in points (15,123), third all-time leader in rebounds (5,726), two all-time leader in assists (4,494), second all-time leader in steals (1,792), fourth all-time leader in blocks (774), and fourth all-time leader in three-pointers made (664).
When people think about the Bulls, they think of Jordan. But we can’t forget about Gilmore, the guy who helped introduce the Bulls to the NBA. He even led them to their first playoff appearance in the franchise’s history before Jordan arrived.
While playing with the Bulls (7 of his 17 years in the league), he was a four-time All-Star (1978, 1979, 1981, 1982) who made the NBA All-Defensive Second Team in 1978. He averaged 19 points, 11 rebounds, two assists, 0.6 steals, and two blocks. He is currently their all-time leader in blocks (1,029), seventh all-time leader in points (9,288) and sixth all-time leader in rebounds (5,342).
Of course Rose had to be on the list. When he was drafted in 2008, he was the symbol of new hope for the Bulls post-Jordan. He somewhat lived up to the expectations as he led the Bulls to five playoff appearances (four straight).
Unfortunately, his career was derailed by constant injuries. But before that, he was considered to be one of the most athletic point guards in NBA history.
During his seven years with the Bulls, he was a three-time All-Star (2010-2012) who made the All-NBA First Team in 2011. He even won Rookie of the Year in 2009 and Most Valuable Player in 2011.
While playing with the Bulls, Rose averaged 19 points, three rebounds, six assists, 0.8 steals, and 0.4 blocks. He is currently the Bulls’ tenth all-time leader in points (8,001) and five all-time leader in assists (2,516).
FUN FACT: Rose became the first Bulls draftee since Jordan to score ten or more points in his first ten games.
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