The vast majority of disagreements that you will find in the comments of the top-100 lists on this site have to do with how athletes from competitively weak generations are rated. Not only do these comments not surprise me, they are the reason this site exists. We are so programmed to pine for the good ole days when everyone and everything was “better” that any suggestion otherwise is met with resistance ranging from incredulity to straight-up vitriol. I’m not interested in rehashing why our idolization of the weakest eras is misplaced–I have written thousands of words on the site exploring this notion–but I will highlight the consequences of such idolization. For all of its benefits (and consequences), artificial intelligence is merely a reflection of us. ChatGPT and the like take a deep look into our souls and spit out our reflection–the good, the bad, and the ugly. Recently, ChatGPT was asked to list the greatest baseball players of all time, and the results were, well, totally absurd. There were zero players in the top 10 who started their careers after 1959, and just one in the top 15. This is, of course, a statistically ridiculous representation of the greatest baseball players who ever lived. Even the vintage league players who reenact baseball the way it was played in the early 19th century would side-eye the claim that the last 65 years haven’t produced a single baseball player worthy of the top ten.

This sort of disconnect from reality isn’t new. The Sporting News made the same miscalculation in 1998 when its entire top-25 list included zero baseball players who debuted after 1967. Bias toward the past is present in every sport, and it’s really hard to change. Fans take personal offense when an athlete they (or their parents) idolized isn’t rated in “the usual” spot. However, for the ordering of the greatest athletes of all-time to be a worthwhile endeavor, these top-100 lists must have integrity, which means they need to not only represent players by performance, but also represent eras proportionately by league size and competition level. 

ChatGPTs Top-15 Baseball Players of All-Time

By and large, most sports saw their weakest eras occur when their top leagues were either completely or largely segregated. Due in part to the Civil Rights Movement, the last three decades of the 20th century saw an uptick in competition level, but still proved largely inaccessible to the global population. Sports started to see a significant shift in global talent pools at the turn of the 21st century, which has led to the most competitive eras across the board during the 2000s. You will notice that every list on this site has the same basic framework, featuring competition level and league size as the guiding principles. If we don’t do this, these lists lose integrity in a hurry. ChatGPT’s opinion of the greatest baseball players of all time is all the proof we need.       

Dealing in the realm of opinion precludes us from ever truly knowing the greatest at anything, but Robinson is very likely the greatest two-way center since the NBA/ABA merger. He is what everyone thinks Bill Russell was. Robinson wasn’t just a defensive wall who led the NBA in defensive rating a record five times, but he was also an offensive force who is one of only three centers in the last 45 years to lead the league in scoring. In fact, Robinson’s two-way prowess is so unique that he is the only player in NBA history to have led the league in defensive rating and scoring. His impact on the NBA was swift and stunning. Prior to his rookie season in San Antonio, the Spurs were coming off a dreadful season in which they won just 21 games. With Robinson, that total ballooned to 55 wins the following season. This was the largest year over year improvement over the first 40+ years of the NBA. The team that beat that record? The 1997-1998 San Antonio Spurs, who improved their win total by 36 games when Robinson returned after missing all but six games the prior season due to injury (Note: The Spurs also had the luxury of adding Tim Duncan through the draft, which, come on!).  

Speaking of Duncan, Robinson’s greatness is often overshadowed by The Big Fundamental’s extraordinary career. However, Robinson’s trophy case is impressive in its own right. He won an NBA MVP, finished 2nd twice, and 3rd twice. He won the Defensive Player of the Year, and finished 2nd three times. All this despite missing two years of his prime serving in the Navy and his age-31 season due to injury. Robinson’s two-way dominance, stacked trophy case, and the eye-popping ledger below easily places him among the 20 greatest basketball players in NBA history.

David Robinson’s Resume

1). Only center in the last 50 years to have a season of 20+ Win Shares

2). Only center in the last 50 years to have two seasons of 18+ Win Shares.

3). Only center in the last 50 years to have three seasons of 17.5+ Win Shares

4). Only center in the last 50 years to have four seasons of 17+ Win Shares

5). Only center in the last 50 years to have five seasons of 15+ Win Shares

6). Only center in the last 50 years to have six seasons of 13.5+ Win Shares

7). Only center in the last 50 years to have seven seasons of 13.5+ Win Shares

8). Only center in the last 50 years to have eight seasons of 13+ Win Shares

9). Only center in the last 50 years to have nine seasons of 12.5+ Win Shares

10). Only center in the last 50 years to have 10 seasons of 12+ Win Shares

11). Led the NBA in Defensive Rating a record five times. 

12). Led the NBA Playoffs in Defensive Rating a record five times.

13). Most points by a center in a single game since 1962 (71).

14). 20 point margin between Offense Rating (116) and Defensive Rating (96) is the largest of any player in NBA history with a career ppg average of at least 14 points.

Editor’s note: This is my favorite David Robinson stat.

15). Only player in NBA history to have led the league in Defensive Rating and scoring. 

16). Only player in NBA history to have career averages of 21+ points, 10+ rebounds, 3+ blocks and a .515+ field goal percentage. 

17). Only player in NBA history to lead the NBA in scoring, blocks, rebounds, free throw attempts, free throws made, Win Shares, Value over Replacement Player (VROP), and Player Efficiency Rating. 

18). All-time leader in Defensive Box Plus/Minus

19). 3rd all-time in Win Shares/48 minutes

20). 4th all-time in Defensive Rating

21). 6th all-time in NBA Playoffs Defensive Rating

22). 6th all-time in Player Efficiency Rating (PER) 

23). 6th all-time in Box Plus/Minus

24). 10th all-time in free throws per 100 possessions

25). 12th all-time in Value over Replacement Player (VORP)

26). 16th all-time in Win Shares

27). Only player in NBA history with 170+ Win Shares while playing fewer than 1,000 games.

28). Only player in NBA history with 80+ VORP while playing fewer than 1,000 games. 

When it comes to Larry Nance Sr., younger generation basketball fans likely know him best as Pete and Larry Nance Jr’s dad, while the old heads are more likely to remember him as one of the greatest dunkers of all-time. In fact, Nance the elder was so revered for his dunking prowess that he carried nicknames like Mr. Slambassador, the High-Atollah of Slamola, and the Flying Sun. There are worse fates than being known as the father of two NBA players and a ferocious dunker, but Nance deserves to be remembered for having one of the most unique skill-sets the NBA has ever seen. 

Nance received sparing honors over the course of his career. He was selected to just three all-star teams, received a single MVP vote in 1989, and was named to an all-defensive team three times. Certainly, from his trophy case alone, Nance does not appear to have the resume of a top-100 player. However, in this instance, beauty is hiding in play sight. Nance was a 6 ’10, stat-sheet stuffing, athletic freak who, in a lot of ways, was the prototype for today’s NBA player. He is the only player in NBA history to have regular season averages of 17+ points, 8+ rebounds, 2.2+ blocks, a .546+ field goal %, and a .750+ free throw %. Although playoff success eluded him, he was equally unique in the postseason. He is the only player in NBA playoff history to average 15+ points, 7.5+ rebounds, 2+ blocks, a .540+ field goal %, and a .740+ free throw %. His career stat line also registers favorably with advanced statistics as he’s well within the top-100 all-time in Win Shares, Player Efficiency Rating (PER), Value Above Replacement Player (VORP), True Shooting Percentage, and Effective Field Goal Percentage. 

Larry Nance is not in the NBA Hall of Fame, nor is it probable that he ever will be. His brilliance has gone unnoticed going on four decades, and that is unlikely to change. However, despite playing for middling Phoenix and Cleveland teams, it is clear that his unique career is one of distinction. Had he played for Los Angeles, Boston, Detroit, or Chicago, Nance would be a household name. Still, given that he carries the only career stat line of its kind in NBA history, Nance is an easy inclusion within the top-100 basketball players of all-time.