All-time ranking lists can be a fun topic for debate. Some lists spark lively debates; others are dismissed as crazy or totally off the mark. What about basketball’s top-ranked players of all time?
A website called AinsworthSports.com has rankings for a wide range of sports and leagues, including pro basketball, primarily the NBA. For basketball, the website has rankings by decade, by position, by team, by home state, by college, by half decade, by rookie year, among other categories.
The all-time rankings list is seemingly endless. It goes beyond the top 1,0000. Actually, it stops at No. 5,000.
That ranking goes to … point guard Tony E. Jackson, who had a two-game stint with the Los Angeles Lakers in the 1980-81 season. He scored one point.
Rankings explanation
For the all-time rankings, here’s how it was done (from the website):
All qualified players are statistically ranked by position every year.
The players receive a rating that is not posted on the website.
The rating for basketball players is the average rank of their 7 best years + a fraction of the average ranking for all qualifying years.
Players who have not or did not play 7 qualifying years receive a penalty to the rating for every year under 7 that they played.
Ainsworth Sports’ Top 50:
| Rnk | Athlete | POS | Rookie Yr |
| 1 | Kareem Abdul-Jabbar | C | 1970 |
| 2 | Michael Jordan | SG | 1985 |
| 3 | Wilt Chamberlain | C | 1960 |
| 4 | LeBron James | SF | 2004 |
| 5 | Bill Russell | C | 1957 |
| 6 | Larry Bird | SF | 1980 |
| 7 | Shaquille O’Neal | C | 1993 |
| 8 | Oscar Robertson | SG | 1961 |
| 9 | Bob Pettit | PF | 1955 |
| 10 | George Mikan | C | 1949 |
| 11 | Hakeem Olajuwon | C | 1985 |
| 12 | Russell Westbrook | PG | 2009 |
| 13 | Karl Malone | PF | 1986 |
| 14 | Magic Johnson | PG | 1980 |
| 15 | Kobe Bryant | SG | 1997 |
| 16 | Moses Malone | C | 1975 |
| 17 | David Robinson | C | 1990 |
| 18 | Kevin Garnett | PF | 1996 |
| 19 | James Harden | SG | 2010 |
| 20 | Neil Johnston | C | 1952 |
| 21 | Elgin Baylor | SF | 1959 |
| 22 | Dolph Schayes | PF | 1950 |
| 23 | Allen Iverson | SG | 1997 |
| 24 | Kevin Durant | SF | 2008 |
| 25 | Jerry West | SG | 1961 |
| 26 | Charles Barkley | PF | 1985 |
| 27 | Tracy McGrady | SF | 1998 |
| 28 | Elvin Hayes | PF | 1969 |
| 29 | Bob Lanier | C | 1971 |
| 30 | Bob Cousy | PG | 1951 |
| 31 | Tim Duncan | PF | 1998 |
| 32 | Julius Erving | SF | 1972 |
| 33 | Alex English | SF | 1977 |
| 34 | Chris Webber | PF | 1994 |
| 35 | Chris Paul | PG | 2006 |
| 36 | Paul Arizin | SF | 1951 |
| 37 | Patrick Ewing | C | 1986 |
| 38 | Dwyane Wade | SG | 2004 |
| 39 | George Gervin | SG | 1973 |
| 40 | Jerry Lucas | PF | 1964 |
| 41 | Rick Barry | SF | 1966 |
| 42 | Ed Macauley | C | 1950 |
| 43 | Isiah Thomas | PG | 1982 |
| 44 | Walt Bellamy | C | 1962 |
| 45 | Billy Cunningham | PF | 1966 |
| 46 | Dave Cowens | C | 1971 |
| 47 | Gary Payton | PG | 1991 |
| 48 | John Havlicek | SF | 1963 |
| 49 | Dominique Wilkins | SF | 1983 |
| 50 | Grant Hill | SF | 1995 |
Who else made the website’s top 1,000?
There may be more than a few surprises.
