Who is the greatest basketball player of all time?

While this question continues to be debated by sports fans and pundits around the globe nearly every single day, usually the answer comes down to one of a handful of players: Michael Jordan, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, LeBron James, or Bill Russell.

Michael Jordan is the most common answer to this question. He won 6 championship rings, 5 MVP's and never lost an NBA Finals series. If he didn't take a two year hiatus from the NBA to play baseball, there is a good chance that he would have won 8 NBA championships in a row. Michael was a fantastic defender, and arguably the most relentless competitor that the NBA has ever seen. He was notorious for gambling on almost anything, and his iconic Air Jordan shoe is largely responsible for Nike's success as a global brand.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was, until recently, the NBA's all time leading scorer. He played 20 seasons in the NBA, was a 19-time All-Star, 6-time MVP, and a 6-time NBA champion. He was incredibly consistent throughout his entire career, and transcended the NBA as a civil rights activist, author and even an actor.

LeBron James is the greatest NBA player of this generation. He is a five-time NBA champion, four-time MVP, and recently surpassed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as the NBA's all time leading scorer. No player came in to the NBA with greater expectations, and somehow, LeBron surpassed them all. LeBron first made headlines at age 15, and many of his high school games were nationally televised. 

Bill Russell was the ultimate teammate. In 13 seasons in the NBA he won 11 titles, all as a member of the Boston Celtics. During his last two seasons, he won the title as a Player/Coach, also becoming the first black coach to win an NBA title. Russell was a five-time MVP and 12-time NBA All Star, and is widely respected as the best defensive player of his era. He had a well-publicized rivalry with Wilt Chamberlain, but while Wilt chased stats, Bill made sure his team won. 

In addition to these four, there have been many other amazing basketball players over the years, including modern stars like Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, the late Kobe Bryant, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird and more. Debating who is the best player ever is part of what makes basketball so entertaining. So while most people may say that Michael Jordan is the greatest player ever, this debate will rage on for years to come as more and more stars enter the league and build their careers.