Jordan is not the GOAT--This Man is

Okay, this is just for fun. We all have our opinions. But, i do believe the best basketball player is Bill Russell.

11 Nba championships, and 2 national titles at San francisco.  

He also had to cover wilt chamberlain during most of the nba championships.

i will post a few more things about bill, a little later. I think he is overlooked, because he played so long ago. 1950s and 60s

How many championships did he win as a player/head coach?

So many great players of the past are overlooked.Not taking anything away from Jordan

but he had an excellent supporting cast.

I think they need to do another documentary on Chamberlain and the Lakers.

Old Era, watch the film, a plethera of white guys on the court that would qualify as wannabes now. 

6'10 / 6'11 dudes on every NBA team better than Bill Russell.

Hard to challenge Air Jordan. Definitely the real thing.

Line 'em all up in a pickup game and I'm taking Kareem Abdul Jabbar (Lew Alcindor) 1st EVERY time. I don't have the time to list all his accomplishments but remember, not only did he excel on the pro level, he was just as great in college. Kareem is the G.O.A.T.

I probably agree. Good choice. Kareem gone. 

I’ll take another long, tall, and athletic center to build my team around.  I’ll take Wilt next. 

Every team has better players than BILL RUSSELL?  I dont think so.  The gentleman that made this comment is probably no more than 25 and doesnt appreciate real basketball.  MR. RUSSELL had to deal with things like 3 games in 4 days, sometimes trains on short road trips. Things like that the players union, nowadays, would NEVER go for.  Just out of curiousity sake.  Those players you say are better than MR. RUSSELL.  Do they include Bill Cartwright,Manute Bol,,Henry Finkel, first name escapes me, Wennington, or Curtis Rowe.

Somewhere in my collection of sports cards, I have an autographed Milwaukee Bucks card, signed by "Lew Alcindor." They came to Phoenix to play the Suns led by Tom and Dick Van Arsdale. Anyone remember them? That's what I thought

Bill Russell may have been the greatest defensive player of all time but he was a part of a team/dynasty that had many great players, Havlicek, Cousy, Sherman, Jones, etc. The Celtics were a truly great team with many outstanding players. He would have had no chance against the "sky hook," none, as did no one else. 

I think a prime Wilt would be an interesting matchup.  You can see him handle the skyhook a few times.  Like the back-to-back blocks on the skyhook. He blocked his right handed skyhook and after Kareem got the rebound — then blocked the left handed skyhook.  Even gave him some trouble in the clinching finals game 6.  

Also, don’t think you can dismiss Russell that easily.  Sure, he had a great supporting cast — but he was ferocious. 

Throw in a prime Shaq — and for the short time he was at the top of his game Olajuwon — and I think you would have the best centers covered. 

the VAN ARSDALE twins.  go Hoosiers.  Basketball when it was great.

Satchmo

Somewhere I have their "signatures" too, along with the rest of the team. They weren't that good but as a little kid, we didn't care. And I always remember the first time I met Neil Walk at a mall. Biggest, hairiest man I'd ever seen! 

Raiders, I agree about Wilt. Wasn't dismissing Russell, he was as tenacious as anyone and a truly great player. And Olajuwon was one of my favorite players of all time, incredibly athletic for a big guy, almost unstoppable offensively with his footwork, grace, and smooth fadeaway, unblockable really. A former soccer player, goalie too I believe, he was able to transcend his "futbol" skills to the hardwood floors and flourish, becoming one if the greatest of all time!