When sports fans (more specifically basketball fans), think of AI, the first thought that comes to mind is The Answer, Allen Iverson. But for the average Joe, it means leveraging the power of technology to work efficiently. One of the ways to get that done is by using ChatGPT— an AI chatbot with over 13 million daily users that provides human-like interactions to any of your questions.
Mainstream media has gotten a bit toxic, inaccurate, and biased. This led us to the question: Could AI actually do a better job than guys like Stephen A. Smith or Skip Bayless? If so, could ChatGPT actually change another billion-dollar industry?
We asked ChatGPT who the top 25 players are in NBA history, and the results are in!
The 25th greatest all-time player is John Stockton, followed by Stephen Curry and Kevin Garnett. Before Warriors fans lose their mind and close this article completely, it is worth mentioning that ChatGPT's data only goes up until September 2021.
So, Curry leading the Warriors to their 4th championship hasn't happened, or that he's broken the all-time 3-point record. ClutchPoints' list of the 50 greatest players in NBA history has Curry at number six.
Going back to the list, Isiah Thomas, Scottie Pippen, and Charles Barkley round out the top 20. Most of the names between the three lists from 25 down to 10 are similar, with only their spots getting swapped. Moving on to the top 10, the biggest surprise has to be Bill Russell. ChatGPT has him 11th all-time, while The Athletic and ESPN had him at 4th and 6th respectively.
The question now is, who did ChatGPT have in their top 10 that both ESPN and The Athletic failed to include?
Top 10 all-time NBA players in NBA history
The top three for all three lists are set and stone: Michael Jordan at number one, LeBron James at number two, and Kareem Abdul-Jabaar at number three. All three lists also agree that Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, Kobe Bryant, Wilt Chamberlain, and Tim Duncan deserve a spot in the top 10. Where they differ is with two names. ChatGPT has Shaquille O'Neal and Hakeem Olajuwon to finish up their list. ESPN's outliers are Bill Russell and Oscar Robertson. Meanwhile, The Athletic has O'Neal and Russell.
At the end of the day, all three lists did yield somewhat similar results, and there were even a few similarities in the top 10. The biggest difference was, ChatGPT had Olajuwon in the top 10, while ESPN had Robertson. Both outliers from The Athletic (O'Neal and Russell), did show up in either ChatGPT or ESPN's list.
The full top 25 list generated by ChatGPT:
- Michael Jordan
- LeBron James
- Kareem Abdul-Jabaar
- Magic Johnson
- Larry Bird
- Shaquille O'Neal
- Hakeem Olajuwon
- Kobe Bryant
- Tim Duncan
- Wilt Chamberlain
- Bill Russell
- Oscar Robertson
- Karl Malone
- Jerry West
- Dirk Nowitzki
- Moses Malone
- Kevin Durant
- Elgin Baylor
- David Robinson
- Charles Barkley
- Scottie Pippen
- Isiah Thomas
- Kevin Garnett
- Stephen Curry
- John Stockton
Each of these legends has an unforgettable legacy in the game of basketball. And as the NBA continues to evolve, this list could very well change in the next few years. That being said, who's list do you trust most? Media members who, whether we like it or not, have a biased perception? Or AI who uses stats and research to back up its claims?
You can also check out our full video of the list below.
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