Welcome back to the "Greatest Ever" series as we continue with the rankings of the most dominant players in the NBA History. Some players were that good and were tough to stopped.
They relied on their fantastic skill sets, physicality and high basketball IQ to establish themselves as a presence. For some of these stars special rules, defenses were made just in order to slow their production down.
This picture features three of the most dominant players of all time, in Wilt Chamberlain, Kareem Abdul Jabbar and Shaquille O'Neal. It is a beautiful picture which says it all.
10.Julius Erving
A wizard with the ball who could be argued as the top player to step on a hardwood, Julius Erving was one of the most dominant players in the NBA History.
The Doctor was arguably the finest high flyer to play the game. He possessed nice athleticism, had high vertical jump, soft touch and used those long arms to finish around the rim. He got the line very well and had decent shot.
Erving was a great all-around player, who was terrific off-ball and solid on ball defender. In his prime (which was in the ABA), he was a dominant force on the court. That can be illustrated best by the fact that he averaged 37.7 points and 14.2 rebounds in a six game Finals series that he won against David Thompson led Nuggets.
He was the face of professional basketball in the 70's. He dominated for a long period out there.
9.Bill Russell
The first player who earned a status of a superstar for his dominance on the defensive side of the court, Bill Russell was one of the most dominant players in the NBA History. He simply changed the game for that.
Russell was one of the most physically gifted players of all time. He was additionally the most smartest basketball player of any time. He used his advantages to excel on defense like no one arguably ever has.
He was a well known presence on the boards, as he grabbed 22.5 rebounds in the regular season. However he pulled down 24.9 missed shots in the playoffs, and additionally he holds the top rebound average in the Finals History as well in the post season.
Blocks weren't official stat, but he'd have ranked really high in it. His defense was the key to eleven titles and he managed to slow the phenomenal Wilt too. He was also the most intimating defender to lace them.
His dominance on this side might not have been matched by any other player. Oh yeah, and he's widely regarded as the greatest player to ever step on a hardwood.
8.Hakeem Olajuwon
An intimating player on defense who was just as scary on offense, Hakeem Olajuwon was one of the game's most dominant players of all time. He was one of the most physically imposing players of all time.
He had athleticism, speed and strength for his position. On top of that, he was a very versatile big man who had no problems on switches with smaller players. He was effective presence in his own paint as a presence on the boards and blocks.
However, he excelled on the offensive side as well. He possessed a variety of quick moves and ball fakes which are known today as the "Dream Shake". He used them to dominate his great competition in a way like few have.
He led the Houston Rockets to two championships in one of the finest post season runs ever. Oh, and he outclassed Patrick Ewing and David Robinson in that route. He even outplayed Shaq (who admitted it despite the close difference in stats) and cemented his legacy.
His dominance was well respected by his opponents and he was feared on both sides of the court. He's the all time leader in blocks, ranks top 10 in points and top 12 in rebounds. He's also known to elevate his stats in the post season and finals too.
7.Oscar Robertson
A talented point guard who is regarded as the most complete basketball player of all time, Oscar Robertson was one of the most dominant players in the NBA History. If anyone's close to being a perfect player, it's Oscar.
He was a skilled floor general who excelled in every area of the game, was a strong and athletic for his position. He was more complete than anyone who ever stepped on the hardwood, as the numbers can back that up.
He's the only player so far to average a triple double, as he did it for five years with averages of 30.6 points, 10.4 rebounds and 10.6 assists. He was a dominant force, because he could do it all and impacted on the floor on both sides.
Those numbers prove that Oscar was one of the most dominant players of all time, who invented a lot of moves that are used today like the fade away shot and so on. He was a very intelligent person who knew how to damage teams with his skills. He was arguably the most productive offensive force of all time, illustrated by his six assist and one scoring title(s).
6.George Mikan
The game's first superstar from the center's position who really deserved to be called 'big man', George Mikan was one of the most dominant players of all time.
As you know, basketball is a sport for big people. However, that wasn't the case 60 years ago, at least that's what it was thought. It all changed with the arrival of Mr Basketball.
He changed the game with his prolific rebounding, shot blocking and scoring. He was capable to get his looks over the smaller defenders which caused the leagues in he played to create new rules to stop his dominance.
Some notable changes were widening the foul line, defensive goaltending and introducing the shot clock. He set the stage for the next generation of taller and powerful players to dominate.
5.Elgin Baylor
The first high flyer who dominated thanks to his physicality and turned basketball from horizontal to a vertical game, Elgin Baylor is one of the most dominant players of all time.
Baylor was the first physically imposing player on the wing and the very first who could finish at the rim in dozens of ways. He had the greatest variety of shots ever. He found ways to score in variety of ways.
His physical advantages, soft touch and outstanding skill set made him a dominating force in the league. To illustrate you that, i'll point out the fact that he torched a Russell led Celtics (which were top defensive team) with average of 40 points in a Finals series!
That's amazing accomplishment. He could be even regarded as the best player in the league's history. He was that good and capable player. He additionally grabbed 19.8 shots in a season which is an amazing accomplishment. He ranks top 15 in both scoring and rebounding!
4.Michael Jordan
A superb shooting guard who was a force in the league for so many years, Michael Jordan is one of the most dominant players in the history of the NBA. He was a skilled player who found ways to produce in all areas and possibly had the most complete game of them all.
He was one of the physically gifted wing men to play the game. He had a big vertical jump, was fast, athletic and strong. He maximized his overall abilities by being the ultimate competitor who always willed his team and team mates into wins.
He was a dominant force in the league, as he won ten scoring crowns in his career and always elevated himself above the rest in the post season and finals. Very few were better (if not none) when the match was on the line.
There was a specially created defense to contain him. The Pistons used it first and it was called the Jordan rules. All of the teams used this to slow him down, but somewhat he never gave up from winning and at the end he won six championships.
He's the playoffs and finals all time leader in scoring, which can be backed up by the fact that he once torched the Suns with 41.0 points to win a title. That's called dominance!
3.Kareem Abdul Jabbar
A superior big man who was an excellent force in the league for nearly two decades, Kareem Abdul Jabbar is one of the most dominant players of all time. He relied on intelligence, skills, soft touch and his physical advantages to be a great player.
He was one of the physically most imposing players to play the game. He was quite an athlete for sure. Kareem mastered the sky hook (the best signature move), which is a tough but very effective shot that he got over variety of defenses. Only few people have come close to slow down it, most notably in Chamberlain and Thurmond.
Still, he wasn't all sky hook though. He had an outstanding offensive arsenal , as you can see from the video. He was a remarkable shot blocker, presence on the glass and post defender as well.
In his peak, he was able to get his sky hook over double teams and find the bottom the net with easy. He averaged 30.2 points and 15.6 rebounds in his first six years. In his prime he did get 34.6 points, 17.7 boards, 4.1 assists and 3.5 blocks while carrying the weak Lakers rosters in the playoffs. That's dominance.
Let's not forget that he's the NBA's All Time leading scorer too. He additionally was a spectacular player in the Finals, as he got excellent numbers and dominated his competition for a long time!
2.Shaquille O'Neal
Arguably the physically most imposing player to play the game, Shaquille O'Neal was one of the most dominant players of all time. He relied on his physical advantages with nice skill set to be a force in the league in a way few have been.
He used his physicality to dominate his opponents underneath the basket, he was a great presence on the glass, terrific shot blocker and defensive presence who seemed to put everything aside when coming in the post season and finals. He elevated himself above the rest when it mattered most.
To illustrate you his dominance, i will point out his stats from his three peat where he absolutely destroyed his competition. He averaged 38 points, 17 rebounds and three blocks en route to a title plus Finals MVP. He didn't stop there tough.
Shaq poured in 33.0 and 36.3 points while pulling down 12.3 and 15.8 boards with nearly four assists on close to 60% from the field in the other two successful trips. He dominated in the league for nearly 15 years and made his presence known to his opponents.
The Hack a Shaq was created for him in order teams to sent him to the line where he had reputation as a pour free throw line. Let's not forget that he ranks first in offensive and defensive boards, third in total boards and second in points in the history of the playoffs. Not bad, isn't it?
1.Wilt Chamberlain
A superb athlete who was one of the physically most imposing players to ever step on a hardwood, Wilt Chamberlain was arguably the most dominant player in the NBA History. Just how good he was? Oscar Robertson summed it best with one quote "The Books Don't Lie".
Wilt holds more than 60 records out of the 72 official NBA records, which is by far tops anyone else. He was arguably the most athletic and strongest player of all time. The Big Dipper was a powerful force for his entire career. However, he was also a very skilled player.
He could find the bottom the net in variety of ways, was arguably the finest rebounder of any time and arguably the best defender of all time. He was as dominant as Shaq on offense and as good as Russell on defense.
Chamberlain had his shares against the best defender in the league's history (Bill Russell), as he once averaged 40 points and 30 rebounds for ten games. In the 1967 playoffs, he totally outmatched his opponent and officially recorded a quadruple double! His arch rival went to congratulate him for that effort!
Just how dominant was he? He averaged 50 points and 27 rebounds in one season, which can be argued as one of the greatest ever. He ranks first in rebounding in both total and average in the regular season, who was a terrific player in the post season and finals unlike some say.
Honorable Mention
Magic Johnson, LeBron James, Moses Malone and few others!
--Darko Mihajlovski
