It was only a couple of weeks ago that I finished my countdown of the top 100 NBA players of all time, but since then another season has ended, and I've spent some time adding in the new set of statistics to determine new spots in the rankings for current players. Here is how that list looks now, with previous ranking in parentheses. Current players are in bold.
1. (1) Michael Jordan
2. (2) Wilt Chamberlain
3. (3) Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
4. (5) Kobe Bryant
5. (4) Karl Malone
6. (6) Shaquille O'Neal
7. (7) Magic Johnson
8. (8) Larry Bird
9. (12) LeBron James
10. (9) Tim Duncan
11. (10) Jerry West
12. (11) Hakeem Olajuwon
13. (13) Elgin Baylor
14. (19) Kevin Garnett
15. (17) Dirk Nowitzki
16. (14) Bill Russell
17. (15) Clyde Drexler
18. (16) Oscar Robertson
19. (18) Scottie Pippen
20. (20) Charles Barkley
21. (27) Dwyane Wade
22. (21) Bob Pettit
23. (22) David Robinson
24. (23) George Mikan
25. (24) John Havlicek
26. (25) Julius Erving
27. (26) Moses Malone
28. (33) Paul Pierce
29. (28) Elvin Hayes
30. (29) Jason Kidd
31. (30) Patrick Ewing
32. (31) Rick Barry
33. (32) Allen Iverson
34. (34) George Gervin
35. (35) Gary Payton
36. (36) Bob Cousy
37. (40) Pau Gasol
38. (37) James Worthy
39. (38) Vince Carter
40. (39) Walt Frazier
41. (41) Alex English
42. (68) Kevin Durant
43. (42) Ray Allen
44. (43) Isiah Thomas
45. (44) Dolph Schayes
46. (45) Dennis Johnson
47. (46) Kevin McHale
48. (47) Dave Cowens
49. (48) Dominique Wilkins
50. (49) Reggie Miller
51. (50) Shawn Marion
52. (51) Chris Webber
53. (52) Bob McAdoo
54. (53) Tracy McGrady
55. (54) Steve Nash
56. (55) Richard Hamilton
57. (56) Dwight Howard
58. (57) Gus Williams
59. (84) Rajon Rondo
60. (58) Amare Stoudemire
61. (NR) Russell Westbrook
62. (59) Adrian Dantley
63. (60) John Stockton
64. (61) Robert Parish
65. (62) Shawn Kemp
66. (63) Chauncey Billups
67. (66) Carmelo Anthony
68. (64) Sam Jones
69. (65) Michael Finley
70. (87) Tony Parker
71. (67) Sidney Moncrief
72. (69) Elton Brand
73. (70) Kevin Johnson
74. (71) Latrell Sprewell
75. (72) Horace Grant
76. (73) Anfernee Hardaway
77. (74) Antoine Walker
78. (75) Grant Hill
79. (86) Chris Bosh
80. (76) Hal Greer
81. (77) Jo Jo White
82. (78) Walt Bellamy
83. (79) Joe Fulks
84. (80) Bob Lanier
85. (81) Mark Aguirre
86. (82) Chris Mullin
87. (83) Neil Johnston
88. (91) Carlos Boozer
89. (NR) Chris Paul
90. (85) Max Zaslofsky
91. (88) Jerry Lucas
92. (89) Manu Ginobili
93. (90) Bill Sharman
94. (92) Tom Chambers
95. (93) Terry Porter
96. (94) Fat Lever
97. (95) Jeff Hornacek
98. (NR) Joe Johnson
99. (96) Walter Davis
100. (97) Bob Dandridge
Dropped Out
(98) Jerome Kersey
(99) Lamar Odom
(100) Cliff Hagan
Of the 30 active players among the top 100, 15 moved upward in the overall rankings at the conclusion of the season, and three of them entered the top 100 for the first time. Several who are still in their prime years still found themselves dropping this season, like Manu Ginobili, Amare Stoudemire, Carmelo Anthony, and Dwight Howard, while others are still active but peaked long ago and won't be moving up again, such as Tracy McGrady, Vince Carter, and Grant Hill.
LeBron James cemented his status as one of the top 10 players of all time at age 27 by winning his first NBA Championship, with the regular season and Finals MVP awards to go along with it. Another good year should vault him to #6, while another great year like this one could get him to #5, or even #4 if something happens to Kobe Bryant.
Kevin Durant made one of the biggest jumps with his third straight season leading the league in scoring, and getting his team to the NBA Finals for the first time helped his cause even more. Very few players have led the league in scoring 3 straight seasons, the others being Bob McAdoo, Michael Jordan, Wilt Chamberlain, George Mikan, Neil Johnston, and George Gervin. Of those, only Jordan and Wilt ever went for more than 3 in a row, which the 23-year-old will be trying to accomplish next season.
Rajon Rondo also moved up big following his amazing playoff performance, in which he recorded four triple-doubles, which gives him 10 for his career in the playoffs, tying him for third all time at age 25. He recorded one of them in game 7 of the second round, which allowed him to join Larry Bird as the only Celtics to post a triple-double in a game 7, then he did it again in the Eastern Conference Finals. He's still ranked behind his "Big 3" teammates on the all-time list, but by the time he retires he may be the greatest of the four.
Russell Westbrook debuted at #61 after being one of the top players all season long, then helping to lead the Thunder to the NBA Finals for the first time since 1996, when they were still the Seattle Supersonics. With him and fellow 23-year-old Kevin Durant, Oklahoma City has a great foundation laid for a decade of dominance.
Tony Parker established himself as San Antonio's star this year, leading them to the league's best record and 10 straight wins to open the playoffs before his team collapsed against the much younger Thunder. Parker still has several good seasons in front of him, and could end up inside the top 25 if he can keep the Spurs near the top of the league for the remainder of his prime years.
Chris Paul had yet another strong season, and this time he matched his longest playoff run by reaching the second round of the playoffs with his new team, the Los Angeles Clippers. He also led the league in steals for the fourth time, and was among the top 4 in assists for the sixth straight season. All he needs is a deep playoff run to make a real move up the rankings.
It took 11 seasons, 7 playing at an All-Star level, for Joe Johnson to make his way into the top 100, but he still hasn't seen a win in the second round of the playoffs, which is the main thing holding him back from becoming a top-50 caliber player. Maybe his trade to Brooklyn will give him the supporting cast he needs to take the next step, although it could decrease his numbers enough that it won't be all that helpful.
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