Putting together all-time NBA lists is a thankless task that fans and analysts constantly dive into. More often than not, it ends in disagreements and fierce debates. And honestly, that is completely expected.
After all, different people value different things when building these kinds of rankings, with players being just as legendary as their peers. While some might put a premium on individual awards and records, others might point to the ring count as the ultimate measuring stick when it comes down to these sorts of rankings. Because of that, there will probably never be one objective list that satisfies everybody involved.
Recently, Charles Barkley spoke about the importance of collegiate basketball and whether players should spend more time maturing their game before making the jump to the NBA. Barkley himself spent three years at Auburn before entering the greatest basketball league in the world, and he urged younger players not to rush the process because, according to him, it will not hurt them in the long run.
And while explaining his point, Chuck ended up revealing (coincidentally or not) his own all-time top 10 list. Interestingly enough, the majority of players he named spent several years developing in the college ranks before eventually turning pro. And, as Barkley pointed out, none of them suffered because of it.
"Think about all-time great players, Kobe and LeBron are the two high school guys, wherever you want to put them…" Chuck began explaining in his recent guest appearance on "The Mac Zone."
"I got Kobe and LeBron at six and seven. But every other guy on the list went to college for at least three of four years. It didn't stunt their growth. The greatest players all went (to college)."
The only two players inside Barkley's personal top 10 who completely skipped college basketball were Kobe Bryant and LeBron James, two players many people today legitimately place in the GOAT conversation.
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However, that is where things get interesting. Because for Charles, even though he openly admitted they are among the three best basketball players he has ever personally watched, he still placed Kobe and LeBron sixth and seventh, respectively. Naturally, that ranking alone probably ruffled quite a few feathers.
But the Hall of Famer stood by it, even taking a slight jab at LeBron fandom along the way.
"Everybody have their own opinion. And, that's the one thing about the LeBron group. If you don't say he is the greatest ever, it's like you committed treason…" Barkley added. "He is one of the 10 greatest. And I said I would take Michael and Kobe before I take LeBron. Those are the three best basketball players I've ever seen in my life. But for some reason, if you don't say LeBron is the best, his minions go ballistic and crazy."
Barkley's elusive list includes Michael Jordan, Oscar Robertson, Wilt Chamberlain, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Bill Russell in that order for the top five. Then he mentioned Kobe and Bron, followed by Magic Johnson and Larry Bird, while also putting Tim Duncan and Jerry West in there as well.
It is definitely an interesting list for sure. And even though we are not going to dissect every single name by itself, the fact is, the majority probably will not fully agree with it, especially not his longtime friend and co-host, Shaquille O'Neal, who, unfortunately, will just have to settle for being right behind all those legendary names on Chuck's elusive list.
This story was originally published by Basketball Network on May 28, 2026, where it first appeared in the Off The Court section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
