Sports is about more than playing the game.
It's about taking about the game, too.
And the best talking is focused on yesterday vs. today, or sometimes yesterday vs. yesterday. Is LeBron better than Michael? Is Shaq superior to Wilt? Is Curry a better ballhandler than Steve Nash? Could 1950s star Dolph Schayes average 20 points in today's NBA? (I'm answering yes to that last one.)
You get the picture.
This is my annual look at the top players in NBA history. This year, the list has grown to 40.
Every year, I hear from friends _ and enemies _ who wonder why, for instance, Pete Maravich didn't make the cut. (Maravich is one of history's best college players, but he's not a top-75 NBA player.) I hear arguments about Wilt vs. Kareem, or Magic vs. Bird, or Oscar vs. West.
The talking can get heated.
Three years ago, I observed that LeBron wasn't the greatest player of all time. The response from his youthful supporters was often obscene and even more often baffled. The argument for LeBron as No. 1 basically went like this: He's my favorite player, and he's playing right now, and I've never even heard of a lot of these old people.
And yet ...
The LeBron Fun Bunch has a point.
Most of the players on this list are finished. LeBron is not done. He has half-dozen years to continue climbing. He might even pass Jordan. This is starting to look like a possible quest instead of an impossible one.
Still, remember this: Michael Jordan played in six NBA Finals. He won them all.
Basketball is the ideal sport for the best-ever discussion. The game has only lived on the national stage since the early 1950s, which simplifies arguments.
In baseball, you can make a strong case for Babe Ruth as the best-ever, and he began his career in 1914.
That was a long time ago. That leads to all kinds of comparing of eras, which can get messy.
In basketball, the first greatest-ever candidate is Bill Russell, who led his Celtics to 11 titles in 13 seasons. He retired in 1969. Russell is still walking among us. He's not ancient history.
That makes picking a top 40 an easier task. And more fun.
Here's my top 40.
Let the arguments begin.
