1. Jordan was the ruler of the NBA in the 90s.
The NBA in the 90s undoubtedly belonged to Jordan's world. The player, known as the "God of Basketball", used his amazing skills and extreme dominance to completely convince the entire league. His flying-like bouncing, suffocating breakaways, and difficult fancy shots all make opponents fearful and daunting.
For 10 seasons in the '90s, Jordan won the scoring title 10 times, which is unique in the history of the league. At every critical moment, the Bulls would give the ball to No. 23, and he was invincible and slaughtered. Whether it's built on interior geniuses like Ole Peno, Barkley, and Malone, or those top defensive experts, they are all vulnerable in front of Jordan, and they are all defeated without a piece of armor. What's even more incredible is that he has led the Bulls to two triple championships, a rare completion of the legendary two Grand Slams. At the same time, a group of historical superstars such as Magic Johnson, Lakers Dynasty O'Neal, Malone Sr., and Barkley have been able to stop his winning streak. This is undoubtedly a testament to Jordan's one-of-a-kind dominance over the NBA in the '90s.
Because of this, as soon as Jordan retired, many powerful people gradually rose. O'Neal, Duncan, and Kobe Bryant all came out of the encirclement at this time. However, this is all based on Jordan's retirement, otherwise with their strength at that time, they are far from being able to match Jordan. So this fully shows that the entire 90s belonged to Jordan's "alone" era, and his enemy was only himself, which explains what it means to "play with the world".
Second, O'Neill also has invincible strength.
Like Jordan, the first few years after retirement also belonged to the arrival of O'Neal's invincible era. After moving to the Lakers, O'Neal, who was originally thought to be just a big hat, quickly grew into a true dominant player in the league. His unstoppable interior breakouts and dunks are like natural disasters, and no matter how many people the opposing team sends to the defense, the result is usually to give way or die. Therefore, in order to limit O'Neal, the whole league had to adopt the so-called "slashing shark" tactic of cramming any defensive position in the penalty area. Even so, he still keeps scoring dunks on top of other people's heads like a tumbler.
Under the leadership of such a terrifying performance, O'Neal helped the Lakers win championships for three consecutive years, including three FMVPs. During this period, his opponents or competitors are numerous, and they can only be at his mercy. The most typical is the classic finals with the New Jersey Nets in '02. Jason Kidd, who is the natural shooting guard, can only watch as the Vicious Sharks score two points in seven consecutive games in front of his eyes. So at that time, some people said that O'Neal was actually invincible, no different from Jordan's prime. It is precisely because of this that after O'Neal has become an advanced transformation, the league has ushered in the arrival of the small-ball era dominated by running and shooting. In front of O'Neill, any concept, style of play and technique are not enough to be qualified to be called the mainstream style of play. This shows the arrogance of this notorious centre-forward.
3. Duncan led the Spurs to win the championship steadily.
If there's a lot of stability and longevity, it's Duncan and his Spurs. It can be said that throughout the 21st century, they are the hegemon of the West, and no team can compete with it. Especially after David Robinson retired, the entire Spurs were supported by Duncan alone. He has some of the league's best skills on both the defensive and offensive ends, and no one can emulate his fake moves and mid-range stop-up jumpers. Among them, he led the Spurs to win 5 championships, including 3 FMVP and 2 MVP statistics, which shows his commanding position.
It can be said that with a point guard like Duncan, who pays equal attention to offense and defense, the entire Spurs can gain a foothold in the stormy West. Otherwise, in the face of the bullets flying in the sky, and the Thunder Clipper with the nature of ant colony attack, I am afraid that it would have been defeated long ago. At the same time, Duncan also paid a huge price, his knee suffered a heavy injury as early as 05, but he fought hard for the Spurs for so many years. Even at the age of 14 and 39, he can still come up with 20+10 data, which shows how eager he is to lead the team to win the trophy again. It's a pity that these honors didn't come true. But it is precisely because of its top strength and consistent performance that the Spurs in the 21st century will have such an enviable record, which is inseparable from Duncan's dedication.
Fourth, Kobe Bryant conquered everyone with his strength.
As Duncan gets older, the West has ushered in a new wave of storms that have swept the league, and that is Kobe Bryant. Some people may think that this name is not unfamiliar, after all, he represented Team USA in '96 and won the Most Valuable Player of the Summer Olympics basketball game. But what really impressed the world was after he flew solo. Bryant's performance on the offensive end was impeccable, with tricky and changeable breaks, elusive turning and dribbling, almost making opponents unguardable. It would be delusional for a defender of any level to try to limit him. Therefore, at that time, he could only sacrifice the tactic of letting Kobe Bryant catch the ball and immediately wrap it between the two. However, even this still can't stop him from scoring all kinds of difficult stunts into the basket.
During the Koro's time, the Lakers were a huge success, as evidenced by more than one championship. This is combined with Gasol, a rising star cultivated by O'Neal, and the clean triangle tactics make them invincible. Unfortunately, the good times were short-lived, and the rise of the Eagle Triumvirate ended their dominance in the Alliance. However, this did not knock Kobe Bryant, and in 08 he led the team to the Finals again, but unfortunately lost to the Celtics big brother "Son of Truth" Pierce and rookie Rajon Rondo. Even so, on the day Kobe Bryant retired, those sworn enemies came to pay his respects, which undoubtedly proved his pivotal position in the league.
Fifth, James is a phenomenal player at the peak of 20 years.
When it comes to James, he's a miracle in the history of modern basketball. Because he can maintain the peak state for twenty years, there is no second person in the entire league from old to young. His all-round skills** are top-notch in both scoring and playmaking. Not to mention the unusually strong physical fitness, even if he is now middle-aged, he is still free. Each of James' teams has been hugely successful, first winning two championships with the Heat. Even when the old club could not be retained, despite all the criticism, he joined the Celtic, the biggest archenemy of all time, and easily won a trophy. The current Lakers are returning to their former glory under his leadership. This undoubtedly pushes his legendary aura to a new level.
James has won a total of 4 championships so far, and 3 of them are the best note. At the same time, he also won 4 MVPs, made the First Team of the Year many times, and surpassed Jordan in scoring to rank first in history. Everything is under control, and now at the age of 39, he is still killing everywhere without any signs of aging. This is extremely rare in the history of the league and is enough to make him a major player in the NBA. So in this day and age, there is no player who can really compete with him, which also indicates that the James dynasty is still going on.
Sixth, Curry used three points to lead the change of times.
If Jordan represents the high-flying offensive means of getting to the basket and Duncan is the model of consistent output from mid-range, then Stephen Curry has dominated the era with his miraculous three-point shot. Basically, from the moment he entered the league, the league's three-point shooting began to grow exponentially. Curry's ultra-long-distance shooting feel and accuracy is simply an alien player's performance. Everyone knows that as long as he lets him play alone, it is basically a three-point shot and a backhand split, and no guard can prevent him from performing like this.
Even later, as long as Curry made a shot, the two of them would immediately cling to the bag. At best, arthython defends, or at worst, he is thrown to the ground. But even so, he was able to shoot super difficult threes under tight defense, and you can see how terrible his attack is from the movie-like performance. Because of this, under his infection, star players such as Harden and Paul have also begun to go to a long distance, which directly contributed to the popularity of today's small-ball play with three-point shooting as the core in the league. This undoubtedly makes Curry a key enabler of change in the offensive approach of basketball in this era. Therefore, his well-deserved title of "God of Thirds" seems to be a foregone conclusion in the current era of brushing points.
Seventh, Durant is not enough to convince the league.
Finally, I have to mention Durant, who now has two championships and two FMVP titles, making him seem on par with his predecessors. But as a player, it is not enough to have statistics and honors, you also need to conquer the world with your perseverance and hard work, which Durant obviously lacks. After all, choosing to surrender at a critical moment, and even taking the initiative to ask for a trade to a super team, is considered by many to be an insult to the spirit of the Warriors. If he had been with the Thunder like Duncan and Curry, he might have won a championship trophy a long time ago.
So that's why Durant can't stand shoulder to shoulder with those legends after retirement. After all, the right time, excellent data and rich honor are important, but to truly conquer the world, what is needed is how to break through the bottleneck in the difficult situation. Jordan and O'Neal have done that, and Durant clearly has a long way to go. So in this day and age, he can still only be counted as the best scorer or mercenary, and he is still a long way from becoming a true ruler. In short, spiritual hard work and perseverance are the key factors to convince the alliance.