I feel like wilt , russell , lebron , and kareem kind of all have good arguments and are all special in their own ways . Maybe throw bird and magic in there too , then shaq and hakeem you could possibly argue too . So many great players to choose from and you can ' t really go wrong with any of themWilt and shaq The two most physically dominant big men of all time . Wilt just got litterally whatever statline he wanted . One of those guys who would be dominant in any era . And shaq would have put up 100 points in the 60 s too , probably . But Wilt was just different . Possibly the most athletic man in the history of the world . Russell ringzzzz , he made the game what it is today . Bird and magic dominated an era , both had careers cut short , and were 2 of the smartest players ever . Probably the most iconic players ever behind Jordan . Kareem consistently dominant at every level of basketball for forever , probably # 2 imo . He had the most points ever , and was by far the best of the 70 s . Hakeem the most skilledall around center of all time , jordan kept him from getting as many rings as the rest . The dude had 6 5 x 5 ' s and a quad double . You know you ' re good when MJ was picked shortly after you , and nobody has ever argued well im sure someone has that it was a bad pick . Lebron we all have heard the arguments