I’ve long held the opinion that the Greatest Of All Time in the NBA is….no one. It’s like comparing apples and bowling balls when you start trying to argue one player from a particular era against others from other eras.

The rules have changed so drastically over the years that the game played in the 1960s isn’t even the same basic game played in the 80s or today. For one thing, Bill Russell won 11 titles, but he didn’t play with a shot clock or a 3-point shot.

Bird, Magic, and Jordan played mostly in an era where you could choke slam someone and *maybe* get thrown out of a game, but more likely not. These days, you pick up fouls if you blink too hard at someone.

The way the game is played has changed. Russell, Chamberlain, and Jabbar played mostly in an era where you just stuffed the ball inside and let the big men carry the load. There was no incentive to shoot very many shots from outside the paint, as it would have been two points either way.

These days? Anyone with a pulse is jacking up three-pointers regardless of size or position.

So how do you really single anyone out, point to their stats, and crown them the best of all time? You can’t measure it by championships, because this is a team sport. Charles Barkley was a much more talented all-around player than Robert Horry, but Horry has seven rings to Barkley’s zero.

All-around dominance? Athleticism? Again, all contextual based on their competition and the rules they played with.

I’ve decided the best way to go about this is to take each era and crown who I think was the best player at that time.