Best NBA Player by Uniform Number

thisistheshow

I'll get it started.

00 Robert Parish

0 Russell Westbrook

......And when we get to 33, I'm ready for the thread to diverge a bit into some debate. ☘️

doubledragon

1- Oscar Robertson

doubledragon

2 - Moses Malone

doubledragon

3 - Allen Iverson

doubledragon

4 - Dolph Schayes

erikthredd

0 - Jayson Tatum will soon pass Westbrook when he leads Boston to a championship
5 - Kevin Garnett
6 - Bill Russell
7- Pete Marivich
8 - Kobe Bryant

doubledragon

9 - Bob Pettit or Tony Parker?

doubledragon

10 - Walt Frazier

erikthredd

11 - Isiah Thomas

erikthredd

12 - John Stockton (or that one time that Michael Jordan wore #12 after his 23 jersey was stolen pregame )

erikthredd

13 - Wilt Chamberlain

erikthredd

14 - Bob Cousy or Oscar Robertson

erikthredd

@erikthredd said:
0 - Jayson Tatum will soon pass Westbrook when he leads Boston to a championship
5 - Kevin Garnett
6 - Bill Russell
7- Pete Marivich
8 - Kobe Bryant

On a side note,Russell was hurdling players long before Vince Carter became famous for doing it on the reg.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=j2AlFrOj5Mc

SDSportsFan

15 - Hal Greer

Steve

SDSportsFan

16 - Bob Lanier, although Jerry Lucas is up there too.

Steve

SDSportsFan

17 - John Havlicek

Steve

SDSportsFan

18 - Dave Cowens

Steve

SDSportsFan

19 - Willis Reed

Steve

SDSportsFan

20 - Gary Payton

Steve

erikthredd

21 - Tim Duncan

erikthredd

22 - Clyde Drexler

erikthredd

23 - there was a lot of g.o.a.t. competition for 23 but I went with the obvious pick...JR Smith
All kidding aside you could put together a solid roster just using 23:
Michael Jordan
Lebron James
Anthony Davis
Draymond Green
Mitch Richmond
Blake Griffin
Lou Williams
Calvin Murphy
Jimmy Butler

LandrysFedora

24 - Kobe Bryant

Justacommeman

25 Gail Goodrich

SDSportsFan

26 - Buddy Jeannette

Steve

SDSportsFan

27 - Jack Twyman

Steve

Brick

@SDSportsFan said:
16 - Bob Lanier, although Jerry Lucas is up there too.

Steve

16 Jerry Lucas. Bob Lanier was pretty good also. Kareem got tired of dragging him up and down the court.

erikthredd

@SDSportsFan said:
27 - Jack Twyman

Steve

I would have gone with Rudy Gobert there.

erikthredd

28 - has had some pretty average players over the years. It might have to be Andre Iguodala’s two years in Miami.

erikthredd

29 - Paul Silas (or Never Nervous Pervis Ellison )

erikthredd

30 - has Steph Curry (along with the rest of the Curry clan,Seth & Del)
Honorable mention goes to Bernard King

erikthredd

31 - Reggie Miller

erikthredd

32 - is another number that could field its own all star roster. I gave Magic the nod over Shaq.
Magic Johnson
Shaquille O’Neal
Karl Malone
Julius Erving
Kevin Mchale
Billy Cunningham
Blake Griffin
Richard Hamilton
Joe Smith
Karl Anthony Towns
Bill Walton

And of course the one time Air to the throne...Harold Miner

erikthredd

I leave the #33 choice for our esteemed OP.
Here are the options:
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
Larry Bird
Scottie apippen
Patrick Ewing
Alonzo Mourning
Grant Hill
David Thompson

And my pick...Uwe Blab

thisistheshow

@erikthredd said:
I leave the #33 choice for our esteemed OP.
Here are the options:
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
Larry Bird
Scottie apippen
Patrick Ewing
Alonzo Mourning
Grant Hill
David Thompson

And my pick...Uwe Blab

I just logged in, and saw that we must be up to 33 based on my notifications. I was afraid I missed it.

I have to go with Larry. He is my choice for GOAT. So it's a no-brainer for me.

I understand those who choose Kareem, but you're wrong. 😂

erikthredd

@thisistheshow said:

@erikthredd said:
I leave the #33 choice for our esteemed OP.
Here are the options:
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
Larry Bird
Scottie apippen
Patrick Ewing
Alonzo Mourning
Grant Hill
David Thompson

And my pick...Uwe Blab

I just logged in, and saw that we must be up to 33 based on my notifications. I was afraid I missed it.

I have to go with Larry. He is my choice for GOAT. So it's a no-brainer for me.

I understand those who choose Kareem, but you're wrong. 😂

If I had to choose one player healthy in their prime from that list I’m definitely taking Bird too.

thisistheshow

@erikthredd said:
0 - Jayson Tatum will soon pass Westbrook when he leads Boston to a championship
5 - Kevin Garnett
6 - Bill Russell
7- Pete Marivich
8 - Kobe Bryant

I'd love Tatum to take over that spot. But he has a ways to go.

erikthredd

34 - another all star roster but I gotta go with Shaq here.
Charles Barkley
Giannis Antetokounmpo
Hakeem Olajuwon
Ray Allen
Shaquille O’Neal
Paul Pierce

thisistheshow

@erikthredd said:
34 - another all star roster but I gotta go with Shaq here.
Charles Barkley
Giannis Antetokounmpo
Hakeem Olajuwon
Ray Allen
Shaquille O’Neal
Paul Pierce

Shaq is the answer here.

The Greek Freak may someday be the answer, but I doubt it.

erikthredd

@thisistheshow said:

@erikthredd said:
0 - Jayson Tatum will soon pass Westbrook when he leads Boston to a championship
5 - Kevin Garnett
6 - Bill Russell
7- Pete Marivich
8 - Kobe Bryant

I'd love Tatum to take over that spot. But he has a ways to go.

I don’t see him turning into a triple double machine like Westbrook anytime soon but he could easily be 30/10/6 by next season. All those 50+ scoring games at the end of the year was just a glimpse into how dominating he can be when he’s attacking the basket and getting to the line.

I’m also looking forward to seeing if the new coach can start tapping into Tatum’s potential on the defensive end. He’s really good now but taking that next step puts him in the best 2way player argument with Giannis,Kawhi & AD.

thisistheshow

@erikthredd said:

@thisistheshow said:

@erikthredd said:
0 - Jayson Tatum will soon pass Westbrook when he leads Boston to a championship
5 - Kevin Garnett
6 - Bill Russell
7- Pete Marivich
8 - Kobe Bryant

I'd love Tatum to take over that spot. But he has a ways to go.

I don’t see him turning into a triple double machine like Westbrook anytime soon but he could easily be 30/10/6 by next season. All those 50+ scoring games at the end of the year was just a glimpse into how dominating he can be when he’s attacking the basket and getting to the line.

I’m also looking forward to seeing if the new coach can start tapping into Tatum’s potential on the defensive end. He’s really good now but taking that next step puts him in the best 2way player argument with Giannis,Kawhi & AD.

I know I am in the minority when I say this, but I do not feel as though he plays well with Brown.

erikthredd

@thisistheshow said:

@erikthredd said:
34 - another all star roster but I gotta go with Shaq here.
Charles Barkley
Giannis Antetokounmpo
Hakeem Olajuwon
Ray Allen
Shaquille O’Neal
Paul Pierce

Shaq is the answer here.

The Greek Freak may someday be the answer, but I doubt it.

I’m hoping Giannis is healthy enough to play in these Finals and winning his first ring but I honestly think when his career is over he’ll be closer to Hakeem’s accomplishments than Shaq’s which is still pretty great compared to most players.

Justacommeman

35 Keven Durant. There. I. Said. It ; )

m

Justacommeman

36 — Rasheed Wallace as a Piston. Used to hang with Rasheed. An interesting fella. I loved him

m

thisistheshow

@Justacommeman said:
36 — Rasheed Wallace as a Piston. Used to hang with Rasheed. An interesting fella. I loved him

m

...........
Any stories you can share for the group?

erikthredd

@thisistheshow said:

@erikthredd said:

@thisistheshow said:

@erikthredd said:
0 - Jayson Tatum will soon pass Westbrook when he leads Boston to a championship
5 - Kevin Garnett
6 - Bill Russell
7- Pete Marivich
8 - Kobe Bryant

I'd love Tatum to take over that spot. But he has a ways to go.

I don’t see him turning into a triple double machine like Westbrook anytime soon but he could easily be 30/10/6 by next season. All those 50+ scoring games at the end of the year was just a glimpse into how dominating he can be when he’s attacking the basket and getting to the line.

I’m also looking forward to seeing if the new coach can start tapping into Tatum’s potential on the defensive end. He’s really good now but taking that next step puts him in the best 2way player argument with Giannis,Kawhi & AD.

I know I am in the minority when I say this, but I do not feel as though he plays well with Brown.

I think the opposite, that he and Brown work great together because Brown doesn’t need the ball in his hands as much as Tatum will have it. Jaylen averaged around 25ppg and when you really break down his game on offense,it’s mostly on spot up threes, getting to his mid range game or drives to the hoop. He rarely had plays setup for him specifically yet he was still one of the top ten scorers. I’m also looking forward to seeing how the new HC elevates his play on the defensive end as well.

Justacommeman

@thisistheshow said:

@Justacommeman said:
36 — Rasheed Wallace as a Piston. Used to hang with Rasheed. An interesting fella. I loved him

m

...........
Any stories you can share for the group?

Mostly he would be by himself chillin at the bar at this one seafood joint in Greek Town. Headphones on, singing along like he was in the shower playing video games or slots. After awhile he would engage in a convo and it never disappointed. Never on a first name basis but always got the nod.

m

erikthredd

@Justacommeman said:
35 Keven Durant. There. I. Said. It ; )

m

He’s not even the best Durant in NBA history,that honor goes to former Pacers/Suns forward Devin Durrant (that was an actual player and no not related to Kevin,I checked lol)

thisistheshow

@erikthredd said:

@thisistheshow said:

@erikthredd said:

@thisistheshow said:

@erikthredd said:
0 - Jayson Tatum will soon pass Westbrook when he leads Boston to a championship
5 - Kevin Garnett
6 - Bill Russell
7- Pete Marivich
8 - Kobe Bryant

I'd love Tatum to take over that spot. But he has a ways to go.

I don’t see him turning into a triple double machine like Westbrook anytime soon but he could easily be 30/10/6 by next season. All those 50+ scoring games at the end of the year was just a glimpse into how dominating he can be when he’s attacking the basket and getting to the line.

I’m also looking forward to seeing if the new coach can start tapping into Tatum’s potential on the defensive end. He’s really good now but taking that next step puts him in the best 2way player argument with Giannis,Kawhi & AD.

I know I am in the minority when I say this, but I do not feel as though he plays well with Brown.

I think the opposite, that he and Brown work great together because Brown doesn’t need the ball in his hands as much as Tatum will have it. Jaylen averaged around 25ppg and when you really break down his game on offense,it’s mostly on spot up threes, getting to his mid range game or drives to the hoop. He rarely had plays setup for him specifically yet he was still one of the top ten scorers. I’m also looking forward to seeing how the new HC elevates his play on the defensive end as well.

I probably should have said "I am in the minority, but I think that Tatum could be better with a different number two." I think your points make sense, and possibly I am way off on this. Either way, you are right about being optimistic with a new coach. How do you feel about the choice? It was made obvious that the players would only accept a black coach. I know that is not a conversation for here, and I am not starting it. I live in Dallas/Fort Worth. So while my loyalty is to Boston, the team and organization I know most about is the Mavericks. Over the last year, it was becoming clear that Rick Carlisle would have to be on his way out here. And I was actually thinking he would have been a good fit for the Celtics. But that obviously could not have happened with the way things developed.

erikthredd

@thisistheshow said:

@erikthredd said:

@thisistheshow said:

@erikthredd said:

@thisistheshow said:

@erikthredd said:
0 - Jayson Tatum will soon pass Westbrook when he leads Boston to a championship
5 - Kevin Garnett
6 - Bill Russell
7- Pete Marivich
8 - Kobe Bryant

I'd love Tatum to take over that spot. But he has a ways to go.

I don’t see him turning into a triple double machine like Westbrook anytime soon but he could easily be 30/10/6 by next season. All those 50+ scoring games at the end of the year was just a glimpse into how dominating he can be when he’s attacking the basket and getting to the line.

I’m also looking forward to seeing if the new coach can start tapping into Tatum’s potential on the defensive end. He’s really good now but taking that next step puts him in the best 2way player argument with Giannis,Kawhi & AD.

I know I am in the minority when I say this, but I do not feel as though he plays well with Brown.

I think the opposite, that he and Brown work great together because Brown doesn’t need the ball in his hands as much as Tatum will have it. Jaylen averaged around 25ppg and when you really break down his game on offense,it’s mostly on spot up threes, getting to his mid range game or drives to the hoop. He rarely had plays setup for him specifically yet he was still one of the top ten scorers. I’m also looking forward to seeing how the new HC elevates his play on the defensive end as well.

I probably should have said "I am in the minority, but I think that Tatum could be better with a different number two." I think your points make sense, and possibly I am way off on this. Either way, you are right about being optimistic with a new coach. How do you feel about the choice? It was made obvious that the players would only accept a black coach. I know that is not a conversation for here, and I am not starting it. I live in Dallas/Fort Worth. So while my loyalty is to Boston, the team and organization I know most about is the Mavericks. Over the last year, it was becoming clear that Rick Carlisle would have to be on his way out here. And I was actually thinking he would have been a good fit for the Celtics. But that obviously could not have happened with the way things developed.

I was hoping for a former player like Sam Cassell or Chauncey Billups who both have championship experience to get the job but Udoka came highly regarded. He did play in the NBA then spent 7yrs as an assistant to Popovich in SA including a championship season in 2014. Tatum,Brown & Smart got to know him during their time with Team USA FIBA games and Udoka was the guy they wanted when Brad Stevens asked for their opinions so I think that is a good thing.
After this past season you could tell that the players were starting to tune out their coach and a change was needed. Choosing an African-American former player who your best players wanted was the right choice IMO, in this era of player empowerment in the NBA you gotta let your top players have a voice in these type of moves or you’ll end up losing them. Just look at everything that has come out since the season ended in Dallas,Portland & New Orleans who all may lose Luka,Dame & Zion in the near future.

Udoka emphasized defense and ball movement on offense which were both lacking this season so we’ll see how it all goes. Hopefully Stevens can re-sign Evan Fournier then add some veteran depth to their bench.

thisistheshow

I think Udoka was a good choice as well. I really wasn't saying he wasn't . I know how it goes with the players nowadays. I think things are pointing up for the Celtics. It was really last year that I was thinking Carlisle for the Celtics, back when I felt he wouldn't be staying in Dallas much longer.