[doubLe a tom]

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1.Russell
2.Chamberlain
3.Jordan
4.Johnson
5.Bird

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I intentionally left Russell and Chamberlain out mainly due to the fact that the success that they had was mainly because of their size. Also, when Russell when his 11 championships there were like 8 teams in the league and the competition wasnt close to what it has been in the last 25 years or so.

So my list is:
1. Jordan
2a. Johnson
2b. Bird

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You should have left Jordan off your list because of his jumping ability. If size is such an advantage why aren't we arguing about Artis Gilmore being in here. Just being tall doesn't guarantee greatness. Yao Ming has basically the same height advantage Wilt and Russell had in their day. Why isn't he scoring 100 a game or winning 11 championships?

I'd say Shaq also is close to belonging on this list.

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Note the fact that there was 8 teams when Russell won all his championships. For Chamberlain he was just head and shoulders above everyone at his time. Being a pro basketball player wasnt a well-paying job in his era so naturally the competition just wasnt there. Im not saying he wasnt great, but Shaq or Yao would have been just as dominant as him if they had played at his time, and there is no way either of them belong in the top 3 discussion.