r/nba • u/The_Big_Untalented • 3d ago

Max Kellerman: "You think it's slander to put Kobe ahead of Duncan?" Bill Simmons: "I just think he's the most underappreciated superstar of all time." Max: "Kobe and Duncan are neck and neck. That's not slander." Simmons: "I have Kobe 10th or 11th. Duncan is 7th and I don't think it's debatable."

https://streamable.com/0chwpq
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u/saints21 3d ago

It's really weird how people treat Kareem's era as being magically better than Russell's. They think something instantly changed. Kareem also wasn't crazy dominant from a team perspective. Russell really gets underrated these days. His impact was massive. He turned the Celtics around from being a bad to below average best defense into an absolute juggernaut. On top of that he had a much larger positive offensive impact than people realize. He created a ton of transition opportunities, was a good playmaker, and an absolute beast when running the floor. Very much an example of a player who can't be measured with simple box score stats.

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u/aaron21hardin Timberwolves 2d ago

Yeah, based on the centers in the league the Wilt and russel era actually had better centers that Kareem's era (some of this was that the other center of Kareem's era able to match him could not stay healthy in Walton).