Jayson Tatum is one of the brightest young superstars in the league today. At just 27 years old, he's already won a championship, been to five conference finals in eight seasons, and played in 121 playoff games. He's also a six-time All-Star, five-time All-NBA member, and has finished in the top-six in MVP voting in four consecutive years.
Quite simply, Tatum is one of the most accomplished 27-year-olds to ever play the game, despite not always getting the credit he deserves for his reliability. Sadly, a torn Achilles he suffered in Boston's second-round loss to the Knicks will cost Tatum all of next season, interrupting a surefire Hall of Fame career trajectory.
Tatum is an extremely versatile player on both ends and is arguably the best two-way player in the league currently. While he rehabs his injury for what is sure to be a resounding return to the court, let's take a look at who he picked for his top ten all-time NBA players.
JT definitely gave his idols the nod, as well as several other deserving players. Tatum didn't explicitly rank them in any order, but his top three were very clear.
10 Bill Russell
Bill Russell
Again, it's unclear how Tatum wanted to order this top-ten, so we don't know whether he would've put Bill Russell higher than ten. However, it's certainly legitimate to have Bill on this list, as he was the first truly dominant player in league history.
Russell's 1950s and 60s Celtics won 11 championships in 13 years from 1957 to 1969, with Bill leading the way the entire time. Russell is arguably the best leader to ever lace them up, even 56 years after he retired. He certainly is one of the very best defenders of all-time, and would be in the top five for blocks if they tracked them back then.
No player has ever or will ever be a greater winner than Bill Russell was. Yes, it was an easier era and his team was stacked, but Bill was a pioneer of the game and played ahead of his time.
9 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Milwaukee Bucks
Tatum's next choice is the man with arguably the greatest basketball life ever, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Jabbar played 20 years in the league, compiling 19 All-Star appearances, 15 All-NBA honors, and 11 All-Defensive teams. He also won six championships and six league MVPs, which is the most of any player in league history.
Furthermore, Abdul-Jabbar also won three high school state championships and three college titles, giving him twelve total in his basketball career. From the time he entered the high school stage to hanging up the shoes after his NBA career, no one had accomplished more than Abdul-Jabbar.
Kareem also owned the all-time points record until 2023, when LeBron James surpassed him.
8 Tim Duncan
Tim Duncan Spurs
Next up on Tatum's ranking is someone who many consider to be the most underrated player of all-time, Tim Duncan. Duncan was the ultimate professional, leader, and winner for his 19 seasons with the San Antonio Spurs. However, his quiet demeanor may have fooled people or caused them to forget his legacy, and his excellence came in the form of consistent dominance.
Duncan racked up 15 All-Stars, 15 All-NBA selections, and 15 All-Defensive teams. That symmetry is fitting for a career so balanced and effective, yet modest and humble. He also won five championships across three decades ('99, '03, '05, '07, and '14).
Duncan's game was uninspiring at times, but he was an elite post scorer, defender, and passer throughout his career. He was also an underrated shooter, which is fitting for his legacy.
7 Hakeem Olajuwon
Hakeem Olajuwon
Tatum might have a thing for underrated players, as his next selection is also one of the more underrated superstars in league history. Hakeem Olajuwon was a two-time champion and Finals MVP, won the 1994 league MVP, and a two-time Defensive Player of the Year.
He also compiled 12 All-Star teams, 12 All-NBA honors, and nine All-Defensive squads. Hakeem had a game fit for the modern sport, as he was a do-it-all big who could shoot, work out of the post, and playmake as a center. He was also the league's most versatile defender, capable of switching on the perimeter and protecting the rim.
For anyone creating an all-time starting five, they should give Olajuwon more of a consideration than is typically done.
6 Shaquille O'Neal
Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal of the Los Angeles Lakers hold NBA Finals trophys
Now, the most physically dominant player to ever live, Shaquille O'Neal. "The Big Diesel" was a seven-foot-one, 300-pound center who moved like a guard in his prime, with skills and touch that befit a much smaller player. He could run the floor, handle the ball, and make passes that seemed impossible for a guy his size.
Shaq's run from 2000-2002, in which he averaged 35.9 points and 15.2 rebounds in 15 NBA Finals games, earning three Finals MVPs and the last three-peat, is the most dominant physical and statistical stretch in league history. It's unlikely that we'll ever see a run like that again.
5 Larry Bird
Larry Bird, Boston Celtics
At five, Jayson Tatum tips his cap to the former Celtic, Larry Bird. Tatum is undoubtedly aspiring to be like Bird, and perhaps one day take his spot as the greatest small forward in Celtics history. He's had a good start, but JT will have to win more championships and level up as a player to do so. The torn Achilles certainly does him no favors.
Bird, just like Magic Johnson, had his career cut short for reasons outside his control. For Magic, it was an AIDs diagnosis. With Larry, his back gave out on him at just age 35, stopping him from compiling even more achievements. Still, Larry Legend racked up 12 All-Stars, 10 All-NBA teams, and won three league MVPs in a row from 1984-1986.
Although the Celtics have been a good team since Bird's retirement, he was the leader of the last great era of Boston basketball. His rivalry with Johnson saved the NBA from a dark 1970s decade.
4 Magic Johnson
Magic Johnson, Los Angeles Lakers
At four, Tatum gave Magic Johnson the nod over Stephen Curry in the greatest point guard of all-time debate. Funnily enough, this interview was recorded before Tatum was beaten by Curry in the 2022 NBA Finals, which was Steph's crowning achievement. Maybe JT would change his tune after seeing that.
Nonetheless, Johnson is more than a deserving candidate at fourth. Most fans have Magic in the top five all-time for many reasons. He was a five-time champion in a nine-year span, won two Finals MVPs and three league MVPs, and did it all almost entirely in one decade.
Johnson's positive energy, big smile, and electric playmaking was the architect of the Showtime Lakers, who helped revive basketball in the 1980s.
3 Kobe Bryant
Kobe Bryant-1
Now, Tatum made it clear that any list worth anything better feature his top three players. The third of those guys is Kobe Bryant, who is Jayson's idol and inspiration as a basketball player. JT emulates a lot of Bryant's best moves in the mid-range, and has always aspired to be as great as he was.
Kobe played 20 years with the Lakers, a feat that Tatum is aiming to accomplish on the other side of the storied rivalry, as he's approaching his 9th season in Boston. In those 20 seasons, Bryant notched 18 All-Star appearances, 15 All-NBA honors, and 12 All-Defensive teams. He also won five titles, two Finals MVPs, and the 2008 league MVP.
Like many of his peers on this list, Kobe is a stellar two-way player who gave both ends of the floor his full attention. Tatum seems to be the same.
2 LeBron James
Miami Heat
© David Richard-Imagn Images
At number two, Tatum gave the nod to a *somehow* current player, LeBron James. James is one of just three guys with a credible GOAT case, and for good reason. Tatum has faced off with LeBron many times, going head-to-head at the same position. JT even gained fans' respect when he dunked on James in Game 7 of the 2018 Eastern Conference Finals (Cleveland won that game).
James is entering his 23rd season and is still managing to play at an All-NBA level despite turning 40 last December. His biggest claim to fame is longevity, as no player has ever been able to even be an All-Star after 40. LeBron is simply the most durable and reliable superstar to ever play, but that's not all.
LeBron is a 21-time All-Star, 21-time All-NBA selection, and has four league MVPs. He's won four titles and Finals MVPs, and is the leading all-time scorer. James has never missed one of his 292 playoff games, which is by far the most in NBA history. On the floor, King James could be called the most versatile two-way player to ever play.
He excels at scoring, passing, rebounding, on-ball defense, and rim protection. There's really nothing LeBron James can't do on a basketball court.
1 Michael Jordan
Michael Jordan
The number one spot on this list goes to most people's undisputed GOAT, Michael Jordan. As Tatum says, anyone without Jordan, Kobe, or LeBron on their list of the greatest players ever isn't worth listening to.
MJ's career accomplishments speak for themselves: 14 All-Star games, 11 All-NBA selections, nine All-Defensive teams, and five league MVPs. Jordan won six titles in eight years, three-peating from 1991 to 1993 and again from 1996 to 1998.
To win three championships in a row is gracing rare air in the modern NBA, as only two teams have done it since 1966, when the Celtics polished off their eighth straight title. No one has done it since the 2000-2002 Lakers. To do it twice in one decade is simply unfathomable, but that's what Jordan's Bulls pulled off.
Jordan is one of the best two-way players ever. He's the best scorer (his 30.1 PPG ranks first all-time), a top-ten defender, and had more competitive fire than anyone in the league today.