#15-11

#15. Jerry West

   Jerry West, also known as "Mr. Clutch" and "The Logo," comes in as the first player of the top-15. West's legacy as a player is one of greatness. His scoring abilities, clutch performances, defensive skills, leadership, passion for winning, and character make him one of the all-time greats in NBA history. West's scoring prowess and clutch performances made him a fan favorite, and he was known for hitting big shots and making clutch plays in important moments, particularly during the playoffs.

   West led the Lakers to 9 finals appearances, and 8 of them he did so as a Legendary player, a feat only matched by LeBron James and nobody else. Jerry West averaged 30.5 points, 5.6 assists and 5.0 rebounds on +4.5 rTS% in all 55 of his Finals games in  his career. Take that in. 55 games with those numbers. He’s the first and only player in history to win a FMVP despite being on the losing team, and he won his own championship in ‘72. If there was any part of West’s legacy that holds him back from seriously breaking into the top-10, it’s his relative lack of winning rings. He lost 4 finals in game 7s, and 3 of them were by 3 points or less. If he was able to end his career as a 3 or 4 time champion, he would be a sure fire lock as a top-10 caliber of player and career legacy, and he would be hotly debated as possibly the greatest Laker of all-time.

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#14. Karl Malone

   Karl Malone, also known as "The Mailman," established himself as one of the most dominant and consistent players in the league for nearly 2 decades. One of Malone's most impressive accomplishments is his longevity. He played in the 2nd most regular season games in NBA history. He also played in 105 playoff games, which is tied for the 5th most ever. His ability to stay healthy and maintain a high level of play for such a long period of time is a testament to his work ethic and durability. Another aspect of Malone's game that set him apart was his scoring ability. He is the 3rd all-time leading scorer in NBA history with nearly 37,000 points, despite never winning a scoring title in his career.

   Only 6 players in history have more top-5 MVP finishes than the Mailman, all of whom are still yet to come in these rankings. Also, only 2 players ever have been recognized by the Calculator for having more Legendary seasons than Malone, these 2 being just LeBron and Kobe. And only LeBron and Kareem have more combined Legendary and Superstar seasons than Malone, who still has an additional 4 Superstar seasons as well (16 total). If not for MJ, we could be looking at the greatest PF ever with an additional 2 rings, 2 FMVPs, & 5 scoring titles to his resumé. In conclusion, Malone’s insane longevity as a Legendary (and Superstar) level player is nearly unmatched in history, and it is just enough to put him barely ahead for this 14th spot.

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#13. Kevin Durant

   KD has become a figure of controversial debate in recent years, where people’s opinions widely range between him being the best player in the world for many years now, to some who don't even believe he is top-5 anymore. His recent injuries and playoff flameout against the ‘22 Celtics have not helped his case. However, when you consider his entire career and the accomplishments that built his legacy, it becomes extremely difficult to make a case for KD to be outside of the top-20 players ever. Durant is unquestionably one of the greatest scorers this game has ever seen, and for some he is the most unstoppable. 

   He’s been a Legendary player for 11 seasons now (and counting), and there are few holes in his legacy, as all 7 Categories of his are fairly well-balanced. The only legitimate criticism remaining for KD is for him to win a championship with his own team. He’s won 2 jumping on the Warriors train, and many hold it against him, fair or unfair. But if there is one thing for certain, those rings are not “worthless.” He was the best-performing player for both championships, as he deservingly won the FMVP both times, and he also played at a historical level individually. Yes his team was stacked and yes the Cavs were no real match (especially in ‘18). But those rings definitely have value, not a ton of value, but they do have value. If he was to bring Brooklyn home a title, and also extend his longevity by playing at this level for a few more years, KD would have a strong case of breaking firmly into the top-10 of all-time.

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#12. Steph Curry

   He is, unquestionably, the greatest shooter in the history of the game. “Chef” Curry is a top-3 player of the last decade, a 4x champ and a 2x MVP. Due to his recent championship win and FMVP, many have been quick to declare Steph as an easy top-10 player ever right now, but is this truly the case, or are there some considerable projections going along with that? It is true that Steph’s finals run last year was crazy impressive. In fact, the Calculator views it, not only as Steph’s most valuable ring, but also the 10th greatest ring ever. Very impressive. However, his other 3 rings do not even rank as top-50 rings, and probably still even considerably lower than that. If you hold it against KD and his 2 rings for playing on a stacked team, you also have to hold it against Steph for those same 2 rings for playing on the same stacked team. 

   Steph may have the greatest offensive PEAK ever; he certainly has that argument. His all-time shooting ability, off-ball movement, fantastic playmaking and gravity are some of the most important parts of his offensive arsenal. These elite aspects of his game open everything else up for him and his teammates like driving lanes, open opportunities, and backdoor slips. If there was anything holding back Steph from truly breaking into the top-11, it would be his lack of longevity. The Calculator only recognizes him for 8 seasons of at least at a Superstar level, which would be the lowest of any player in the top-12 by a couple of years. In order for each Legacy Category, Steph ranks 13th, 14th, 17th, 34th, 26th, 20th, and 12th, respectively. In none of these Categories does Steph finish in the top-10. He also has by far the fewest All-NBA and All-Star appearances in the Calculator’s top-12, and none of these other guys have nearly as few 1st Team appearances (4) as Curry aside from Bill Russell, who had to compete for only 1 Center spot against Chamberlain. Not to mention, Steph has no defensive accomplishments either, which everyone in the top-11 has (except Magic). Steph is certainly an all-time great, with one of the highest offensive peaks we have ever seen, and with only a few more years of Legendary play, certainly his longevity will help him catch up with the next group of players that will be kicking off our top-11.

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#11. Wilt Chamberlain

   Coming in at 11, we got Wilt “the Stilt” Chamberlain, also known as “the Record Book”, as whenever someone seems to break a record, there is always an asterisk that Wilt did it like 40+ times. He was an unstoppable force in his era, winning 4 MVPs (3 of them in a row), and dominating the league as a scorer and a rebounder nearly every year of his career. For each Legacy Category, he ranks 41st, 14th, 6th, 2nd, 18th, 10th, and 14th, respectively.

   The only aspects of Wilt’s Legacy that is relatively weak is his Ring💍Score, as he only ever won 2 rings. His first in ‘67 with Philly where he underperformed against regular season standards but was still good enough to put away Rick Barry and the Warriors. His second was in ‘72 when he was not quite in his prime anymore, but still averaged 15, 19 and 4 for the year, and he actually stepped up to carry a struggling Jerry West and helped him win his first ring, and so Wilt won the FMVP as well. His 2 rings aren't worth a whole lot, as together they combine as the 41st largest Ring💍Score, and for someone of his talent and stature he definitely should have won more in his career. The only other thing was that his prime was relatively short to the guys above him. It's still longer than Curry’s, but only Duncan & BRuss ahead of him have less Legendary seasons.

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