Who's the 3rd GOAT behind Jordan and LeBron?

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Who's the 3rd GOAT behind Jordan and LeBron?

Is it Magic? Kareem? Wilt? Duncan? Shaq? Kobe?
Who?
 
MJ
Magic
Wilt
Kareem
Bird
Shaq
Duncan
Lebron
Hakeem
Big O

Honorable mention: Russell
 
LeBron is still behind Kareem...
 
LeBron is still behind Kareem...
There are arguments either way. People love to throw Kareem's titles out there, even though he won half of them late in his career when he was the #2 or even #3 (he was arguably a #2 on his third title winning team as well, which would make 4 of his 6 as a non-#1). Kareem managed to miss the playoffs twice in his prime, in a terrible era of the NBA in the mid-70's. Don't get me wrong, Jabbar is an all-time phenom, but at this point, I think Lebron is right there with him. Not sure what keeps Kareem ahead of him except the longevity to become all-time scoring leader. You can bring up the extra MVP, but Bern has more FMVP.
 
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Larry Bird. He overcame the handicap of white men not being able to jump.
 
LeGOAT
MJ
Kareem

In this order
 
There are arguments either way. People love to throw Kareem's titles out there, even though he won half of them late in his career when he was the #2 or even #3 (he was arguably a #2 on his third title winning team as well, which would make 4 of his 6 as a non-#1). Kareem managed to miss the playoffs twice in his prime, in a terrible era of the NBA in the mid-70's. Don't get me wrong, Jabbar is an all-time phenom, but at this point, I think Lebron is right there with him. Not sure what keeps Kareem ahead of him except the longevity to become all-time scoring leader. You can bring up the extra MVP, but Bern has more FMVP.

Weak division... LeBron has played in within his career.

Who has he actually had to beat to get to the championships.? Only real threat were the Celtics and he couldn't beat them until he left to Miami to get some help.
 
LeRoids hasn't even cracked the top 10 SFs yet ROFL.

Helps to actually watch the game before making proclamations like the one in the OP.
 
Larry Bird. He overcame the handicap of white men not being able to jump.
You don't need much vert, when you have mutant-level court awareness and passing, handles, 25ft range on your j, and the ability to psych out 99% of your opponents.
 
Weak division... LeBron has played in within his career.

Who has he actually had to beat to get to the championships.? Only real threat were the Celtics and he couldn't beat them until he left to Miami to get some help.
1970's NBA is largely a joke and Kareem got to 2 Finals, and missed the 'yoffs (pre-merger, lol) at ages 27 and 28 in the middle of the decade. But somehow that's more impressive than 7 straight Finals, because Eastern Conference. Lol. Who did Kareem ever beat before he had Magic? The '71 Bullets? The '71 Lakers without Jerry West (injured)? The vaunted '74 Bulls? Seriously. These teams couldn't carry the Toronto Raptor's jocks. And don't tell me he didn't have help. He's got Dandridge the whole time who is considered a top-ten player of the 70's (tells you a little about the competition at the time, lol), plus they added the Big-O (granted in his later years) too.

You can argue about how much credit Kareem gets for the first Lakers title in '80, when Magic replaced him at C for the clincher, but it was clearly Kareem's team all year. Or in '82 when Magic is clearly showing he's the best player on the team.

But if we're taking away credit for Bern's accomplishments because the East is weak, I'm going to tell you Kareem's postseason resume is the most puffed up in the top-10 discussion. He has 1 title as the undisputed best player on his own team and that was largely because Jerry West missed their 'yoff series (Lakers win the title the following year with a healthy West). Despite minimal competition for best player in his era. I mean, seriously? Who is close to him? Bob Lanier? LMAO.
 
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To bad LaBron your #2 is gonna miss out on that ring again this year..

He will have to rinse and repeat with Cleavland again..

Leave Cleavland for a team that he can beat the Warriors with, as he did with the Celtics...
 
So hard to say but my mind thought Magic Johnson.

He could make everyone around him better.
 
To bad LaBron your #2 is gonna miss out on that ring again this year..

He will have to rinse and repeat with Cleavland again..

Leave Cleavland for a team that he can beat the Warriors with, as he did with the Celtics...
I go back and forth on who is #2. Kareem was an absolute beast for over a decade and the clearest best player of any decade (as in, the distance between him and anyone else in the 70's is greater than any other player's over their era). Plus, even in his decline years, he's a great #2/co-#1 on a 5 time championship team (though arguably #3 behind Worthy for the last couple). I don't discount that he was clearly the fucking man for a long time. But I don't accept the 'The East is Weak' argument for somehow making Kareem's accomplishments more impressive than Lebron's. What Lebron has done in his career is also exceptional. He's been the best player for over a decade and lives in the Finals.
 
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I go back and forth on who is #2. Kareem was an absolute beast for over a decade and the clearest best player of any decade (as in, the distance between him and anyone else in the 70's is greater than any other player's over their era). Plus, even in his decline years, he's a great #2/co-#1 on a 5 time championship team (though arguably #3 behind Worthy for the last couple). I don't discount that he was clearly the fucking man for a long time. But I don't accept the 'The East is Weak' argument for somehow making Kareem's accomplishments more impressive than Lebron's. What Lebron has done in his career is also exceptional. He's been the best player for over a decade and lives in the Finals.
If Kareem existed in any other decade since the 50's, the discrepancy between him and the next best player wouldnt be that great. 60's-Russel, 80's-Bird, 90's-Hakeem, 2000's-Lebron, etc.
 
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