I have had this debate many times and am of the opinion that the only fair way to compare players of different eras is to rate them against the competition they had at the time. This evens out factors such as advances in coaching, nutrition, travel comfort, facilities (lighting, floor conditions, etc).
If you agree with this, then there is no doubt that the greatest basketball player ever was George Mikan. It was George, not Wilt, who forced the pros to first widen the lane. He won 3 consecutive pro titles in 3 different leagues with different teammates and his nickname was "Unstoppable". Madison Square Garden once had "Knicks vs. George Mikan tonight" on its reader board.
The real test is how much better a player was than the next best player of their era. Mikan was so much better than anyone else who played during his era, it would translate to the difference between Jordan and the average guard on a .500 team. There were a lot of players whose skill level was at least somewhat close to Michael's - like Magic, Drexler and Barkley, during his era.
No one else during Mikan's era was even in the same ballpark as far as skill level.
I doubt there will ever be anyone as dominant as he was ever again.
__________________
Yom HaShoah
|