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We already looked at the top 10 greatest players in NBA history according to ChatGPT, but DeepSeek is the biggest wave in artificial intelligence right now. All-time debates and dialogue never end in the NBA, so we decided to see how ChatGPT's top 10 ranking differs from what DeepSeek has to say.
ChatGPT's greatest NBA players
2. LeBron James
5. Bill Russell
6. Larry Bird
9. Tim Duncan
10. Kobe Bryant
HM. Kevin Durant
HM. Oscar Robertson
HM. Hakeem Olajuwon
HM. Dirk Nowitzki
DeepSeek's greatest NBA players
1. Michael Jordan
2. LeBron James
3. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
4. Magic Johnson
5. Larry Bird
6. Bill Russell
7. Wilt Chamberlain
8. Tim Duncan
9. Shaquille O'Neal
10. Kobe Bryant
HM. Hakeem Olajuwon
HM. Oscar Robertson
HM. Kevin Durant
HM. Stephen Curry
Who is the G.O.A.T?
ChatGPT and DeepSeek are not far off on who they think are the greatest players in NBA history. In fact, six of the top 10 spots are identical, the top 10 best players overall are the same, and three of the four honorable mention spots include the same players. Of course, the G.O.A.T is a unanimous decision. Michael Jordan's claim as the greatest NBA player ever stems from being 6-0 in the NBA Finals on top of being a 10-time scoring champion. Jordan's nine First-Team All-Defense appearances are also the most ever.
LeBron James is just on his tail, though, and there are plenty of fans out there who think that he is the best player ever. Artificial intelligence agrees that he ranks second all-time, though. Despite the longest career in NBA history, James is still making noise at age 40. He is now a 21-time All-Star and the NBA's all-time leading scorer. He now gets to prove himself alongside Luka Doncic, too, as his new teammate was recently traded for in a controversial deal.
Rounding out the top 5
The number three and four slots are also unanimous choices for both ChatGPT and DeepSeek. The third spot belongs to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. The center was considered the best player ever before Jordan and James arrived, and he still has a resume that rivals theirs. Abdul-Jabbar's six MVP awards are the most in league history. The fourth-best player ever was Abdul-Jabbar's teammate on the Los Angeles Lakers: Magic Johnson. The 6-foot-9 point guard is the premier example of a playmaker and passer. His Showtime Lakers particularly thrived in transition because of this, and he played a big part in popularizing the sport as a whole.
The first switch up between these two lists was that ChatGPT had Bill Russell at five and Larry Bird at six, while DeepSeek had the order of those two players flopped. Bird is Johnson's long-time rival. He was a wizard with the ball in his hands, as he could make highlight passes and make difficult shots.
Neither Bird nor Johnson had the longevity of some of the other greatest NBA players of all time, but they both made a huge impact during their impressive peaks. Russell was one of the first superstars in league history. Like Bird, he also played on the Boston Celtics, and nobody gave his team a run for their money in the '50s and '60s. He won a league record 11 championships thanks to his defensive prowess.
The rest of the top 10
Both ChatGPT and DeepSeek rank Wilt Chamberlain as the seventh-best NBA player ever. That consistency is surprising, considering Chamberlain is arguably the most polarizing player in top 10 conversations. His production was unbelievable, considering he holds 72 NBA records and often put up stat lines that seem unrealistic. However, he only won two championships during a time when Russell was collecting rings.
There is another discrepancy at the eight and nine slots. ChatGPT has Shaquille O'Neal ranked eighth, while DeepSeek has him as the ninth-best player ever. Tim Duncan is ranked ninth and eighth, respectively, for the two platforms. These were two very different players who played at the same time. O'Neal won with freakish strength and athleticism, as he was an unstoppable force on the inside. Duncan, meanwhile, was fundamentally sound and did all of the little things to help his team win games. Duncan won five championships in comparison to O'Neal's four.
ChatGPT and DeepSeek agree on who the 10th-best player is. They rank Kobe Bryant there. Current and former players tend to rank the 18-time NBA All-Star higher and as a top three or four player ever, but artificial intelligence feels differently. Hakeem Olajuwon, Oscar Robertson, and Kevin Durant all made honorable mention slots for both artificial intelligence platforms. ChatGPT also had Dirk Nowitzki in there, while DeepSeek went with Stephen Curry for the final honorable mention position.
