NBA stars who would dominate in any era

The game has evolved

Basketball has moved from a game of chess on the court to a free-flowing and fast-paced game focusing on long-range shooting and high-flying dunks.

Timelines

Here are the 15 we've selected that could have played in any era. All statistics are sourced from Basketball Reference.

Wilt Chamberlain

Perhaps the biggest criticism of Chamberlain's gaudy statistics in the 1960s is that he played against opponents who couldn't physically keep up with him. While his profile might not have stood out in today's game as much as it did back then, he would still be a handful in the paint. NBC Sports Philadelphia's Noah Levick believed that his rebounding prowess "likely would have carried over well to the modern game."

Larry Bird

Like Chamberlain, Bird is another star who fans don't always believe could've excelled in another era. Fellow 1980s star Isiah Thomas thinks that's nonsense. He told Sports Illustrated, "If Larry Bird was playing today, he would still be the MVP of the league. And his team would still be winning championships." Bird's playmaking ability and prowess from three-point range would give him a strong chance to dominate today.

Michael Jordan

It's hard to think that arguably the greatest player of all time couldn't hang before or after the era he played in. Most people probably think Jordan would've dominated the 1960s and 1970s, but what about the 2010s and 2020s? NBA coach Jeff Van Gundy told Sports Illustrated about Jordan in 2020, "I have no doubt, if you dropped him in at his prime, in today's game, he would average north of 40 points a game."

Kobe Bryant

Bryant's game was closely modelled after Jordan, which makes it logical that he would get the same benefit of the doubt as the former Chicago Bulls star. Bryant's career timeline was also interesting, as he played in the rough and tumble 1990s as well as the more free-flowing mid 2010s. He didn't have a problem playing in either style.

Giannis Antetokounmpo

We're not sure prime Shaquille O'Neal could've played in any era, but we think Antetokounmpo would've been a force at any point of the NBA timeline. The Greek Freak isn't known as the best three-point shooter, but he still leaves a strong mark on every game he plays. It's reasonable to think he would've been a star in more physical eras of basketball as well, especially with his ball-handling ability.

Hakeem Olajuwon

Olajuwon is often talked about as arguably the most skilled center to ever play the game. John Reimold of Bleacher Report wrote, "Hakeem played the game with an elegance that had to be seen to be believed. He had impeccable footwork on the low block and a silky-smooth jump shot." Olajuwon would've thrived in the pace and space era of today's game.

Magic Johnson

Magic Johnson's incredible passing ability and playmaking would fit in every era, but with the spacing in today's game, Johnson would have a field day dictating the game and picking the right pass to expose a defence.

Nikola Jokic

Current NBA fans get to witness a player who truly is one of a kind. Jokic doesn't play like anyone else in the modern NBA game, as his package of skills might be unlike anything we've ever seen. The Denver Nuggets superstar would've been a problem even if he was relegated to the post on every possession with his vision, passing and scoring ability.

Pete Maravich

Myron Medcalf of ESPN wrote a fascinating piece in 2014 thinking about how a three-point line would've added to Maravich's greatness. The article mostly focuses on how Maravich's numbers would've changed in the NCAA, but he would've been an even greater force in the NBA as well. His game would've been well suited for the current style of play.

Jerry West

Like Maravich, West also would've been helped by a three-point line in his prime. He could do a little bit of everything, but he was also one of the most competitive players the league has ever seen. He would've done anything to succeed in today's game. He wrote in his autobiography that NBA Finals losses "scarred me, scars that remain embedded in my psyche." It showed how badly he wanted to win.

LeBron James

The interesting thing about James is that he might not have had the ability to showcase the full repertoire of talent had he played in an earlier era. He might've been relegated to the post with his size and strength. Former Miami Heat center Alonzo Mourning said on The OG's show, "We would have laid some wood on him, though." James would've been able to take the punishment.

Kevin Durant

Durant is a scoring machine that would've excelled at any juncture in NBA history. Like Mourning and others might say, Durant may have been subjected to more physical play in the 1980s or 1990s. With that said, his array of shots would've been impossible for defenders to stop.