The NBA playoffs are where the best players in the world get to test themselves against each other in the highest stakes possible. From the first-round to the finals, the cream generally rises to the top, but there are special individuals who seem to raise their game when the spotlight is brightest.
Whether it's flicking a switch and pushing their scoring averages through the roof, or putting their foot down and pulling out defensive stops left, right and centre, the NBA playoffs has always born witness to the greatest players in the game's history stepping up when needed. But who can really consider themselves the best playoff performer of all-time in the NBA?
Ranking Factors
Only playoff averages and statistics count
NBA titles and Finals MVP awards are considered
Impact and importance to their team
10 Hakeem Olajuwon
Nicknamed 'The Dream', Hakeem Olajuwon almost single-handely delivered the Houston Rockets their two titles during the 1990s. A center with incredibly nimble feet and balance, Olajuwon's footwork was otherwordly, while perhaps no other big man in the history of the game - other than current Denver Nuggets superstar Nikola Jokic - had his touch and feel for the ball.
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In the 1993/1994 season, the Lagos-born icon became the first player in league history to win the NBA's MVP, Defensive Player of the Year and Finals MVP awards in the same season. The Rockets' triumph over the New York Knicks in the finals in 1994 was their first in franchise history, while a year later, Olajuwon would lead his side to an incredible sweep of Shaquille O'Neal and the Orlando Magic to retain their crown.
|Hakeem Olajuwon's Career Playoff Stats|
|Stat|Number|
|Points per game|25.9|
|Assists per game|3.2|
|Rebounds per game|11.2|
|Steals per game|1.7|
|Blocks per game|3.3|
|Finals MVP|2|
|NBA titles|2|
|---|
9 Kobe Bryant
One of the greatest players in NBA history, Kobe Bryant's relentless nature and thirst for greatness made him a real force of nature during the 2000s. Alongside Shaquille O'Neal, the Los Angeles Lakers legend dominated the NBA during his team's three-peat, putting up astronomical numbers.
But as if to prove that he could carve out a legacy away from the enormous shadow of Shaq, Bryant turned things up a notch once the big man had left. His performances in the Lakers' championship runs in 2009 and 2010 earned him the Finals MVP award on both occasions, while he could always be relied upon by his teammates to carry the scoring load.
His competitiveness, work ethic and hunger for improvement made him almost tailor-made for the pressure-cooked environment that is the playoffs, and it was no surprise Bryant shined like no other when everything was on the line.
Kobe Bryant's Career Playoff Stats
Stat
Points per game
Assists per game
Rebounds per game
Steals per game
Blocks per game
Finals MVP
NBA titles
8 Bill Russell
An 11-time NBA champion, Bill Russell is the most successful player in the history of basketball. It is to his detriment that the league did not hand out an NBA Finals MVP award prior to 1969, because there is every chance Russell would have claimed it every time over his glittering career.
While he perhaps wasn't their leading scorer, Russell was the heartbeat of the Boston Celtics' dominance during the 1960s, and was the undisputed best when it came to the defensive side of the game. Russell's rebounding numbers were obscene to say the least, and had blocks been recorded at this point too, you can only imagine the kind of stats that we would be talking about now.
|Bill Russell's Career Playoff Stats|
|Stat|Number|
|Points per game|16.2|
|Assists per game|4.7|
|Rebounds per game|24.9|
|Steals per game|N/A|
|Blocks per game|N/A|
|Finals MVP|N/A|
|NBA titles|11|
|---|
7 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
One of the greatest scorers of all-time, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was the master of the sky-hook shot that proved unstoppable, and was dominant on both ends of the floor. While his time with the Lakers in the playoffs were superb enough, the averages that he posted with the Milwaukee Bucks beggars belief, recording almost 30 points per game and almost close to 17 rebounds too.
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Having played with two of the greatest point guards in NBA history in Oscar Robertson and Magic Johnson, Abdul-Jabbar no doubt benefited immensely with that level of creation and facilitation. Indeed, while he was a two-time NBA Finals MVP, the Lakers star didn't pick up the award on the other four occasions.
|Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's Career Playoff Stats|
|Stat|Number|
|Points per game|24.3|
|Assists per game|3.2|
|Rebounds per game|10.5|
|Steals per game|1.0|
|Blocks per game|2.4|
|Finals MVP|2|
|NBA titles|6|
|---|
6 Tim Duncan
Tim Duncan's longevity at the top was something to behold, and while he was a consistent force in the regular season, he became almost impenetrable from a defensive stand-point once the playoffs rolled around. When he finally decided to retire, Duncan had put up an incredible 72 games in the playoffs of at least 20 points, 10 rebounds and two blocks - only Shaquille O'Neil has more.
Duncan was the backbone behind a number of different Spurs eras, including one with fellow Hall of Famer, David Robinson, then with the likes of Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili, and finally with Kawhi Leonard. While his playoff numbers - certainly from a scoring perspective - may not catch the eye like some others on this list, his influence on the Spurs when the title was on the line was absolutely massive.
|Tim Duncan's Career Playoff Stats|
|Stat|Number|
|Points per game|20.6|
|Assists per game|3.0|
|Rebounds per game|11.4|
|Steals per game|0.7|
|Blocks per game|2.3|
|Finals MVP|3|
|NBA titles|5|
|---|
5 Larry Bird
It is a testament to just how good it was, that the rivalry between Larry Bird and the Boston Celtics, and Magic Johnson and the Los Angeles Lakers, is still talked about to this day. One of the first three-level scorers in NBA history, Bird combined his knack for scoring with incredible vision and passing skills, and elevated the likes of Kevin McHale alongside him.
His run in the 1986 playoffs which saw Bird win his final NBA title, goes down as one of the greatest in league history. Averaging just a touch under 26 points per game, Bird also racked up a whopping 9.3 rebounds, 8.2 assists, 2.1 steals and over one three a game - it was the kind of complete dominance on both ends of the court that had rivals shaking in their boots.
|Larry Bird's Career Playoff Stats|
|Stat|Number|
|Points per game|23.8|
|Assists per game|6.5|
|Rebounds per game|10.3|
|Steals per game|1.8|
|Blocks per game|0.9|
|Finals MVP|2|
|NBA titles|3|
|---|
4 Magic Johnson
While Bird was the undisputed star at Boston, Magic Johnson had to wait for his opportunity to become the leader of the Los Angeles Lakers. Deferring to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in his initial forays in the playoffs, Magic's numbers were still wide-ranging, but perhaps not the eye-popping stats that we would later see.
Once he was given the keys to LA though, Johnson pushed things to a new level. Between 1983 and 1991, he averaged at least 20 points per game, 13.2 assists, seven rebounds and almost two steals in the playoffs. The poster boy for the Showtime Lakers, Magic did everything with the kind of verve and panache that had fans out of their seats, and one of the main reasons why the franchise has such a legendary history.
|Magic Johnson's Career Playoff Stats|
|Stat|Number|
|Points per game|19.5|
|Assists per game|11.2|
|Rebounds per game|7.2|
|Steals per game|1.9|
|Blocks per game|0.4|
|Finals MVP|3|
|NBA titles|5|
|---|
3 Shaquille O'Neal
The most dominant player in league history, Shaquille O'Neal's sheer physical gifts were enough for him to be an absolute wrecking ball in the NBA. But while O'Neal's strength and power were unmatched, it arguably does a disservice to the kind of shrewd passing that he could also offer from out of the post.
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His playoff numbers are arguably taken down a bit given that he played for a while longer after his peak years, but his time with the Orlando Magic and Los Angeles Lakers were second-to-none. Nobody could guard 'Big Diesel', and he produced one of the finest NBA finals run in history in 2000. In his first Finals as a Laker, Shaq put up a preposterous 38 points, 16.7 rebounds, 2.7 blocks, 2.3 assists and one steal per game.
|Shaquille O'Neal's Career Playoff Stats|
|Stat|Number|
|Points per game|24.3|
|Assists per game|2.7|
|Rebounds per game|11.6|
|Steals per game|0.5|
|Blocks per game|2.1|
|Finals MVP|3|
|NBA titles|4|
|---|
2 LeBron James
Given that LeBron James is still playing in the NBA today, he could well rack up more titles and awards before his legendary career finishes. But even if 'King James' heads off into the sunset without seeing another NBA finals, there is no questioning he goes down as one of the greatest playoff performers in history.
Ranking third in the NBA's career playoff box plus/minus, James has filled up the stats sheet and broken records in simultaneous fashion. To underline both his longevity and consistency, he has a whopping 153 games in the playoffs where he has averaged at least 25 points, five rebounds and five assists per game. To put that into context, Michael Jordan and Larry Bird who are second and third on that list, combined for 126 between them.
|LeBron James' Career Playoff Stats|
|Stat|Number|
|Points per game|28.4|
|Assists per game|7.2|
|Rebounds per game|9.0|
|Steals per game|1.7|
|Blocks per game|1.0|
|Finals MVP|4|
|NBA titles|4|
|---|
1 Michael Jordan
While LeBron James might have the longevity argument, Michael Jordan's performances during the playoffs while with the Chicago Bulls trumps everything. Though it was dominance for a shorter time than LeBron, Jordan's numbers simply speak for themselves. Beyond ranking first for playoff box plus/minus, the Bulls legend also has six NBA Finals MVP awards to his name (two more than James), is first in 40-point games, and first in 50-point games in the playoffs too.
He also led the league in playoff scoring average on ten occasions, while Jordan perhaps unsurprisingly reserved his best for when the Finals came around. In the six Finals that he competed in, he averaged 33.6 points per game, as well as six rebounds and assists apiece and almost two steals. There was a sense of inevitability that came with Jordan in the playoffs, and his record simply makes him the greatest player in NBA playoff history.
|Michael Jordan's Career Playoff Stats|
|Stat|Number|
|Points per game|33.4|
|Assists per game|5.7|
|Rebounds per game|6.4|
|Steals per game|2.1|
|Blocks per game|0.9|
|Finals MVP|6|
|NBA titles|6|
|---|
Stats taken from ESPN and Basketball Reference (Correct as of 27/05/2025)