“Stephen A. Smith shares his list of top 5 NBA players of all time”: Twitterati objects not finding Kobe Bryant and Tim Duncan on the list

Arjun Julka
|PublishedOct 09, 2021

Stephen A. Smith shares his list of top 5 NBA players of all time. Smith covers each era of the NBA, beginning from the 1950s to the 2000s.

Stephen A. Smith is one of the most popular personalities in American sports when it comes to journalism. The First Take analyst has a loyal fan base. Smith has been covering the NBA for over two decades.

Thus there does come some credibility attached to his name. Recently, Smith gave his picks for the top 5 NBA players of all time. The list was as follows.

Michael Jordan
LeBron James
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
Bill Russell
Magic Johnson

Also read: “The Sixers damn sure owe Allen Iverson some money!!!”: Stephen A Smith eulogizes the Philly superstar’s impact on the league from a monetary perspective

My top 5 players of all-time! pic.twitter.com/s3AdTiv6pa

— Stephen A Smith (@stephenasmith) October 8, 2021

Though Smith’s list is tough to argue, the Twitterati had a few grievances with the list. Many Twitter users felt legends such as Shaquille O’Neal, Tim Duncan, and Kobe Bryant deserve to be on the list.

The Twitter universe reacts to Stephen A. Smith’s list of top 5 NBA players of all time.

Smith’s list has Michael Jordan on top of the heap. The Bulls legend was a generational athlete who was a game-changer, winning 6 NBA championships and Finals MVPs. The 10x scoring champion put NBA on the global map.

Right behind Jordan is the kid from Akron, LeBron James. The former Cavs superstar is a physical specimen with one of the greatest legacies in American sports. The high-school sensation lived up to all his expectations.

The top 5 list includes legends Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Bill Russell, and Magic Johnson, arranged chronologically from 3 to 5.

However, the Twitterati had their complaints with Smith’s list.

Top 5’s, in my opinion, should look like:

1. Jordan/Bron
2. Jordan/Bron
3. Kareem
4. Magic
5. Any 1 of Shaq/Kobe/Bird/Duncan/Olajuwon/Chamberlain

People get upset about Kobe being up there (and I don’t know why) but that’s how I see it.

— Jake (@JakeAndHoops) October 8, 2021

Everyone is brain washed now, LeBron James is the 9th greatest player ever the REAL top 5 is
1. MJ
2. Kareem
3. Kobe
4. Magic
5. Duncan

— Official🐐||(0-0) and (3-1)| (@Officialj0nn) October 8, 2021

“Everyone is brain washed now, LeBron James is the 9th greatest player my dumb shit REAL top 5 is”
1. MJ
2. Kareem
3. Kobe
4. Magic
5. Duncan pic.twitter.com/tI3aNne7oZ

— Brian LaFevre (@RicoKo55) October 8, 2021

The kobe disrespect doesn’t even shock me anymore. Kobe played on defense, and won 5 rings. Kobe is tied with MJ and the Glove as most first team all defense for a guard. No one understands that in his prime, Kobe was the best scorer and perimeter defender in the league.

— ANA_WESTGOAT#0 💎 (@susan1234456789) October 8, 2021

Also read: “Zion Williamson should be rated higher than Anthony Davis on NBA 2K”: Stephen A Smith babbles on about Pelicans youngster’s potential, takes shots at Lakers superstar in latest rant

The all-time top 5 is one of the most subjective topics of discussion and a favorite barbershop conversation.

About the author

Arjun Julka

Arjun Julka is a NBA author at The SportsRush. Basketball isn’t just a sport for this 26-year-old, who hails from Mumbai. He began watching the sport after stumbling upon a court in his society, helping him identify an undiscovered passion for the game of hoops. Now an ardent fan, Arjun supports Stephen Curry and the Warriors but also enjoys watching Giannis Antetokounmpo own the paint. When it comes to the GOAT debate, the TSR author feels LeBron James is yet to receive a lot of his due but cannot deny marveling at Michael Jordan’s resume.

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