Integrity Score 125
No Records Found
No Records Found
No Records Found
I know I risk getting run out of my beloved Chicago on a rail for daring to suggest His Airness isn’t the best player ever but, well, I just don’t think he is. Most famous player ever? Absolutely. Most important player ever? Quite possibly. Most obsessively competitive to the detriment of ever having normal human relations with anybody? Oh my, yes. The man’s desire to be the best is legendary and propelled him to six championships, five MVP awards, All-Star appearances in every full season he played, and the status as possibly the best defender ever. Plus his 30.1 points per game is the NBA’s highest career scoring average. But, well, he played alongside another top-25 talent in Scottie Pippen and was coached by the strategic genius Phil Jackson during his most productive years. He was amazing, but he had a lot of help, at least more than the last guy on this list. And, frankly, it’s sort of fun tweaking all the Chicagoans who are surprisingly defensive about their sporting accomplishments. Related: did you know that the 2013 Seattle Seahawks had the best defense in NFL history?