Basketball G.O.A.T. by Era

If there has been one topic in basketball that would be classified as "over-kill" it would have to be the discussion about who is "The G.O.A.T." I even saw an administrator of one of the basketball websites say "enough of the greatest of all time talk". I totally understand and even though I wrote a book The G.O.A.T.: The Quest to Find the Best a couple years ago and named my Top 75 greatest of all time, including the GOAT. I think most of the basketball fans that engage in the conversation just pick their favorite player. I based my picks on 10 months of research, ten criteria, and the fact that in my 81 years I have seen every player that has ever played in the NBA. I am not saying that makes me an authority or even right, but I think that gives me more credibility. I also played the game in college and coached for 22 years. In my book I stated that choosing just ONE player from the history of the NBA as the greatest is an exercise in futility. There are many variables such as era, position, competition, rule changes, etc., to consider accurately picking just one greatest of all time. That does not make it any less fun or exciting to try. So, in this post I want to try and make some sense out of this debate by focusing on just ONE criterion, the era.

I believe there are eight distinct eras in the history of the NBA. There could be more, but for this post I want to break down the 80-year history of the NBA into manageable "talking points". I am going to focus on these eight eras and the players that I consider the best in each era. I wrote in my book that I believe a player could NOT be considered a candidate for "The GOAT" if he did not dominate the era he played in. Here are my breakdown of the eras and the best player in each of these eras.

Era 1: The Pre-Shot Clock Era (1946–1954)

The first era is the pre-shot clock era (1946 to 1954). The average NBA scores were in the 80s and there were very few players over 6'5". Unquestionably, the most dominant player was George Mikan. His teams won five championships in the seven years he played in the league. He is responsible for several rule changes including goal tending, widening the lane, and the shot clock. Mikan is the GOAT.

Era 2: The Boston Celtic Dynasty Era (1954–1969)

The second era I would call the Boston Celtic dynasty era (1954 to 1969). Wilt Chamberlain was the greatest player in this era, but the Celtics with Bill Russell AND five Hall of Fame players won NBA titles. The Celtics won 11 championships in Russell's 13-year NBA career. I saw them play and there is no comparison about who was the best. Chamberlain still holds over 70 NBA records. Wilt is the GOAT.

Era 3: The ABA/NBA Merger Era (1967–1979)

The third era (1967 to 1979) included the ABA/NBA merger. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was the dominant player in the NBA, and Julius 'Dr J' Erving was the greatest player in the ABA. Dr J would go on to make his mark in the NBA along with other great ABA players like Rick Barry, George Gervin, Dan Issel, and Artis Gilmore. (I have more of the ABA players in my Top 75 than any other person or publication that picked a Top 75.) Overall, the competition and skill level of the ABA was not close to the NBA, but the top players in the ABA were as good as the players in the NBA. Jabbar is my GOAT.

Era 4: The Bird/Magic Era (1979–1990)

The fourth era (1979 to 1990) was the Bird/Magic and the Celtics/Lakers era. These two resuscitated the NBA, and their teams won 8 championships in 11 years. (The Pistons won 2 and 76ers 1 during this span.) The popularity of the NBA exploded along with salaries, TV exposure, and shoe sales. Magic & Bird are the GOAT(S).

Era 5: The Michael Jordan Era (1990–1998)

The fifth distinct era was the Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls era (1990 to 1998). Larry Bird and Magic Johnson "breathed new life" into the NBA; MJ elevated the league to a level that it had never enjoyed before. The Bulls won 6 NBA Championships and MJ won 5 NBA-MVPs. "Air Jordan" is the most famous and, arguably, the most popular player to ever play in the NBA. Personal note, even though the "Last Dance" focused most of their attention on Jordan he was NOT the only reason for those championships. Jordan is the GOAT.

Era 6: The Lakers/Spurs Dominance (1999–2005)

The sixth era covers the Lakers/Spurs' dominance from 1999 to 2005. The Lakers were led by perhaps the greatest duo to ever play together — Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant. The Lakers won the NBA Championship three times with Shaq. Kobe won two more without Shaq. Tim Duncan #9 all-time in my book led the Spurs to 5 NBA titles. David Stern, NBA commissioner, once referred to Duncan as a player for the ages. Shaq is the GOAT.

Era 7: The King James Era (2005–2016)

The seventh era I call the "King James" era 2005 to 2016. Like him or hate him there is no player to ever come into the league with so much hype AND live up to it. (Victor Wembanyama is in the hunt for that honor, but we will have to see what happens.) LeBron won 4 championships with THREE different teams and played 4 different positions doing it. Kevin Durant had a great impact in this era as did the Warriors and the 2006-07 Spurs. LeBron is the GOAT.

Era 8: The 3-Point Explosion Era (2016–Present)

My eighth and final era is focused on the 3-point explosion which began in 2016 even though the 3-point line was established in 1979. It took the NBA 25 years to fully implement and understand the impact that the 3-pointer could have on the game. Led by Steph Curry, NBA teams now shoot 3 or 4 times as many 3s as 10 years ago. The 3-point shot has increased scoring, opened the court, and had a dramatic impact on the point guard as an "offensive weapon". Some would argue that the 3-point shot has had an adverse effect on the game. Curry is THE GOAT.

I think it is imperative that anyone comparing teams or players from different eras understands the dynamics of the NBA during that period. Comparing players across eras is not fair to the players and is totally subjective. However, it would seem reasonable to me that the greatest of ALL time would be one of these players who most influenced and dominated their respective eras. In my "quest to find AND recognize the best" for my book, a lot of the same thoughts and ideas I share in this article went into my book.