1. Michael Jordan

The absolute greatest player ever to play the game, Michael Jordan was transcendent of the sport and became bigger than the game itself. Jordan may not have been able to play all five positions like Magic but he commanded the game from the shooting guard position for his entire career. He won multiple championships and would have on more if he hadn’t left the league for a time.

Even years after he had retired he was and is the most recognizable basketball player in the world, and that’s well into the Kobe Bryant era. The things LeBron could get hurt tomorrow and just go down as what might have been, the credit has to be paid to those that accomplished things already. At the end of LeBron’s career it will likely be a different list of the top 5 players but fr now we have to go with the guys who have already proven their worth.

Michael Jordan cemented his status in my mind when he went to the Washington Wizards at the end of his career. He single handedly turned that team around and made me realize something about him, something special.

For some players it’s all about the right fit, they can’t just play anywhere. I’m not sure that Kobe could have gone anywhere and had the same success. I’m certain however, that Michael Jordan could have played for the Clippers and had the same success he had in Chicago, it’s just the kind of player he is. It’s for that reason amongst others that Jordan is the greatest player of all time.