With the National Basketball Association kicking off the latest edition of the NBA Playoffs, there is no better time than now to take a look at who are the 10 greatest players in postseason history. Are list includes a quartet of Los Angeles Lakers legends and the greatest clutch player of all-time. Without further ado, lets look at the men who excelled under the brightest spotlight in the NBA.
10. Karl Malone
Karl Malone is the only player on our list who did not achieve the ultimate goal and bring his team a championship, but it did not stop him from being a legendary performer in the postseason. “The Mailman” did not deliver Utah an NBA title but he is still eighth all-time in scoring, seventh in rebounds, and averaged just under 25 points in 193 NBA Playoffs games during his career.
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9. Jerry West
While Lebron James has long gotten grief for losing more NBA Finals appearances than he has won, Jerry West can top that by winning just one title in nine trips to the championship series. Despite those crushing setbacks, for over a decade, he remained a fantastic player in the NBA Playoffs. He is ninth all-time in points and is the only man ever to get Finals MVP honors in defeat.
8. Kevin Durant
Kevin Durant is a first-ballot Hall-of-Famer who doesn’t get enough credit for his success in the NBA playoffs. He is eighth all-time in field goals made and has the seventh most points scored ever. What might be the most impressive is when he won his three championships with the Warriors — he’s been to four overall — he was the NBA Finals MVP each time despite playing with an elite playoff and clutch scorer like Stephen Curry.
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7. Shaquille O’Neal
“The Diesel” just wasn’t one of the great centers of all time in the regular season, he was just as much of a monster in the playoffs. In helping lead the Los Angeles Lakers to three titles, as well as one with the Miami Heat, Shaquille O’Neal posted enough stats to become all-time in playoff blocks, and fifth in boards and points. He was also the heart of those Lakers teams as he took home three Finals MVP awards.
6. Bill Russell
Bill Russell does not have the NBA Playoffs stats of his contemporaries on this list, however, he is still the most productive rebounder in postseason history and would likely hold the top spot in blocks if that statistic was recorded during his era of dominance with the Boston Celtics. In the end, there was no better winner when it mattered most than Russell as he won a whopping 11 NBA titles during his time in the sport.
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5. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
While Magic Johnson gets a lot of attention for the Lakers dynasty during the 1980s, it never happens without Kareem Abdul-Jabbar nor do any of their other deep postseason runs. The master of the sky hook led LA to five titles and also scored one with the Milwaukee Bucks.
He has two Finals MVP awards, and has scored the third most points, sixth most rebounds, and is second all-time in blocks in NBA Playoffs history.
4. Tim Duncan
Tim Duncan was quietly one of the greatest NBA Playoffs players ever. The San Antonio Spurs icon took the team to six Finals and only lost once. He was a three-time Finals MVP and made the Spurs a consistent title contender for over a decade.
He also is sixth all-time in scoring, third in boards, and has the most blocks in NBA Playoffs history.
3. Kobe Bryant
Sure, Kobe Bryant came up short in a couple of trips to the NBA Finals, but in the five other appearances, he was a huge part of those title teams. Aside from Michael Jordan, there was no playoff competitor more clutch than the Los Angeles Lakers icon but he was also a defensive ace for his team.
Over the 220 postseason games he played in he posted numbers to place him fourth overall in points, 11th in assists, and sixth in steals all-time. Plus he has two NBA Finals MVPs in his trophy case.
2. Lebron James
Sure, Lebron James should have more NBA titles, but of the 10 NBA Finals trips he made he was able to will lesser teams to levels they never should have reached. He was often always the best player on the court during his many deep runs in the playoffs and will go down as a playoff legend.
“King James” won championships with three different teams, scored NBA Finals honors four times, and is first in points and minutes, fourth in rebounds, and in the second spot for assists and steals all time.
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1. Michael Jordan
When you make six trips to the NBA Finals, win every time, and earn MVP honors in all those appearances you are without a doubt the greatest player in NBA Playoffs history. However, beyond the trophies, Michael Jordan scored during his legendary career with the Chicago Bulls he is third all-time in steals and makes, and Lebron James and the 80 more playoff games he played is the only player with more postseason points.