Water is wet.
The sky is blue.
Michael Jordan is the GOAT.
In a new poll conducted by HoopsHype, a mix of 52 former and current NBA players were asked to rank their top-5 most influential players in NBA history. To no surprise, Bulls legend Michael Jordan took home the crown, and he did by a landslide.
Hoopshype shared that Jordan received approximately 74 percent of the maximum votes possible. He apparently earned 25 first-place votes, with no other player receiving more than five.
LeBron James and Allen Iverson were the next two names to show up, respectively, while Kobe Bryant came in fourth. Iverson may not have been the player that either James or Bryant was, but I think he rightfully claims a top-3 spot. No one quite brought the level of swag, style, and showmanship that Iverson did on and off the court. He was unapologetically himself, and he paved the way for several NBA players who didn’t fit into the “expected” physical mold.
Pivoting back to the best to ever do it, I think it will be nearly impossible for Jordan to lose his spot at the top of the totem pole. We need to look no further than the NBA’s Statement Edition Jerseys that feature the iconic Jumpman logo to know what kind of mark Jordan has left in every facet of the game. While a younger generation might be stepping into the NBA, Jordan will still be an ideological pillar of success for generations to come.
To see how the entire list rounded out and read some thoughts from players on why they picked Jordan, make sure to check out HoopsHype’s complete list.
Full ranking (with Stephen Curry outside the Top 5) here:https://t.co/F1Y5ubPZ06
— HoopsHype (@hoopshype) March 24, 2022