Whenever somebody ranks something, arguments will ensue. When you rank people connected to Philadelphia, then you’re just asking for trouble.
ESPN has been ranking the top 74 NBA players of all time. On Tuesday, players 40-11 dropped. The list includes three HOFers that were Sixers.
Allen Iverson comes in at No. 29 while Charles Barkley landed at 23, Moses Malone checks in at 18 and Julius Erving at 15.
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The most controversial ranking will likely be Iverson. In this case, ESPN chose to put players that are still active in the rankings. So the fact that Giannis Antetokounmpo is ahead of A.I. at 27 may raise an eyebrow or two.
The Greek Freak has already captured an MVP award and may be on his way to another. He also could win Defensive Player of the Year. If he gets both, he’d be the first to do so since Hakeem Olajuwon in 1993-94.
What’s tricky is looking at the entire body of work. Antetokounmpo has produced three truly special seasons in a row and is still ascending. But Iverson played 14 NBA seasons and was named an All-Star 11 times. How do you weigh what we already know against what we’re pretty sure is going to happen? Also, if cultural impact is a factor, Iverson should be higher.
Iverson is ahead of Isiah Thomas and Steve Nash. Thomas won a Finals MVP and was a two-time NBA champ to go along with 12 All-Star appearances and five All-NBA selections. Nash took home two MVP awards and was a seven-time All-NBA selection. Not saying Iverson doesn’t belong ahead of them, but just to put in context that he was given plenty of respect.
NBA
Barkley, Malone and Dr. J seem like they’re in solid spots. Barkley comes in one spot ahead of David Robinson. Malone is sandwiched between Dirk Nowitzki (19) and Karl Malone (17). You could make the argument that Moses and Karl should be flipflopped — Moses won three MVPs and an NBA title while Malone won two and couldn’t get over the hump.
As for Erving, they actually have him one spot above “The Logo,” Jerry West. The assumption here is the nod goes to Erving for the way he transcended the game.
The overall takeaway should be to see how rich the Sixers’ history is. Wilt Chamberlain will undoubtedly show up in the top 10. That means five of the 29 greatest NBA players of all time were Sixers. Not too shabby.
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