The Best NBA Players Of All Time (part 5)
12. Shaquille O’Neal (1993-2011)
Killer Stat: 5823 Field-Goal Percentage
Shaquille O’Neal, one of the most recent truly dominant centers in an era of NBA that has since become dated, was a major part of four different championship teams during his career.
Sinking above 58% of his career field goals attempted, he has the sixth-best shooting percentage in the history of NBA, and also the second-best such mark among retired players. Another stat that may shock you is that O’Neal averaged more points each game than Steph Curry, contributing 23.7 points on any given night.
13. Tim Duncan (1998-2016)
Killer Stat: 15 All-NBA squads
Although Tim Duncan might not have been the flashiest player of his day, “The Big Fundamental” was a mostly unstoppable winner in the first part of the 2000s.
Duncan averaged a double-double for his career, which landed him a ridiculous 15 selections on the All-NBA selections, tying him for the most in history. He also ranks sixth in value over replacement player and third as you are just looking at playoff games, which shows how paramount he was to those punishing Spurs teams.
14. Hakeem Olajuwon (1985-2002)
Killer Stat: 3.09 Blocks each Game
Hakeem Olajuwon seemed to be as dominant as any big man has ever been, proving he could rebound, score, and block shots with the best to play the game. He put total career averages of 11.1 rebounds and 21.8 points each game.
Olajuwon ranks 14th all-time in value over replacement and is 10th for that category in terms of playoff games. It is easy to see why he was chosen for both the All-NBA and the All-Star Game squad a dozen times when he was with the Houston Rockets.
15. Chris Paul (2006-Present)
Killer Stat: 9.5 Assists each Game
The best point guard of his generation, Chris Paul has proven to be as good at creating scoring opportunities for his teammates as at taking them for himself. A massive part of every team he’s ever been on, “CP3” presently sits in the top 10 in career box plus per minus and win shares per 48 minutes.