The best NBA player of all time in every position

With nearly 80 years of history, the NBA has seen all the best basketball players, making it extremely difficult to find the best player at each position through the changes in eras, play styles, and positions.

The players chosen have left an undeniable mark on their position and continue to be a reference of excellence for all up-and-coming talent. Their NBA careers have done and will stand the test of time. Here they are. All statistics are from Basketball References.

At 6ft9, Earvin 'Magic' Johnson revolutionized the point guard position in the NBA with his incredible court vision and ability to create opportunities out of nothing for the Los Angeles Lakers.

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Johnson's ability to orchestrate an offense led the Lakers to five NBA Championships in the 1980s, during which Johnson secured three Finals MVPs and three MVPs. He made everyone around him better and averaged 11.2 assists for his career. He is a true point guard.

If you want a true scorer of the ball at your shooting guard position, look no further than the GOAT, Michael Jordan. The former Chicago Bull led the Bulls to six NBA Championships in eight years, winning six Finals MVPs and five MVPs in his career.

As scoring goes, Jordan perfected the craft, winning ten scoring titles and averaging 30.1 points during his career, the highest in NBA history. 'The Shot' over Craig Ehlo in the 1989 Playoffs, his 'Flu Game' performance in the 1997 NBA Finals, and his final shot in the 1998 Finals will go down in NBA folklore.

LA Lakers forward LeBron James is a once-in-a-generation talent who continues to rewrite the record books at 39. James' unique blend of power, athleticism, and basketball intelligence has created an unstoppable force for over 20 years in the NBA.

James is a four-time champion, Finals MVP, and MVP, and has even made ten trips to the NBA Finals. The future Hall of Famer is the NBA's all-time leading points scorer with over 41,000 points and averages 27.1 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 7.4 assists for his career.

Despite stiff competition in the position, Tim Duncan is hailed as the greatest power forward in the NBA after a legendary 19-year career with the San Antonio Spurs. Duncan was an exemplifying leader on the court and dominated on both ends of the floor.

Duncan averaged 19 points, 10.8 rebounds, and 2.2 blocks per game throughout his career, secured five NBA Championships, earned three Finals MVPs, and two regular season MVPs. He was named to 15 All-NBA and All-Defensive teams.

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Again, there was stiff competition in the center position, but it's hard to argue that Shaquille O'Neal isn't the most dominant player in the position or all of NBA history. During his prime with the Lakers, O'Neal averaged 30 points and 14 rebounds, sometimes requiring a triple-team to guard him.

'Shaq' is a four-time NBA champion, three-time Finals MVP, and regular season MVP in 2000. He is a 15-time All-Star and has been selected to 14 All-NBA teams. Three teams have retired his jersey. No one could stop 'Shaq' in his prime.

Manu Ginobili is the only sixth man in NBA history who could come close to John Havlicek, but even his CV doesn't come close to the Boston Celtics legend. Havlicek won eight NBA Championships with the Celtics, was a Finals MVP in 1974, and was a 13-time All-Star.

Havlicek pioneered the sixth-man position on that legendary Celtics team in the 60s and 70s, playing less than 30 minutes per game in two of his 16 seasons, per GiveMeSport. He averaged 20.8 points and 6.3 rebounds per game and could have been a franchise player on any other team. Instead, he chose to play a role for a legendary squad.

Before his successes as a coach for the Chicago Bulls and LA Lakers, Phil Jackson had a solid 13-year NBA career with the New York Knicks and New Jersey Nets, winning the Knicks' only two championships. His coaching career may be the greatest ever.

Jackson led Michael Jordan's Chicago Bulls to two separate three-peats in the 1990s, before doing the same thing with Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant at the start of the century. As a coach, he has 11 NBA Championships and was named Coach of the Year in 1996.

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