<a href="https://bolavip.com/en/topic/lebron-james">LeBron James</a> and <a href="https://bolavip.com/en/topic/stephen-curry">Stephen Curry</a> are without any doubt two of the greatest players not only this century, but in the entire history of the <a href="https://bolavip.com/en/topic/nba">NBA</a>. After all, their résumés speak for themselves.



The King holds the record for beign the all-time top scorer in the league, and he also boasts four rings with three different teams. Steph, meanwhile, has the most three-pointers in league history and also won four championships, all of them with the Golden State Warriors. 



Needless to say, they made a strong case to be considered among the greatest players the game has ever seen. Even so, Julius Erving didn’t include them in his top 10 players of all time.



<h2>Julius Erving doesn’t name LeBron or Curry among his all-time top 10 players</h2>



Erving, who won an NBA championship with the Philadelphia 76ers in 1983, revealed his top 10 players of all time in an interview with Joy De’Angela – leaving a number of superstars out:



<ul><li>Bill Russell</li><li>Wilt Chamberlain</li><li>Michael Jordan</li><li>Jerry West</li><li>Oscar Robertson</li><li>Elgin Baylor</li><li>Kareem Abdul-Jabbar</li><li>Magic Johnson</li><li>Karl Malone</li><li>Nate “Tiny” Archibald</li></ul>



The Sixers legend suggested that he didn’t name any current players because they’re careers aren’t over yet. Even so, the absence of LeBron, Steph, Kobe Bryant or Shaq has given a lot to talk about on social media.

Former NBA champion snubs LeBron, Curry from top 10 players of all time - Bolavip US

Former NBA champion snubs LeBron James, Stephen Curry from his top 10 players of all time

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<a href="https://bolavip.com/en/topic/philadelphia-76ers" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Philadelphia 76ers</a> legend Julius ‘Dr. J’ Erving recently got himself into some dangerous waters. He made a list of the top-10 greatest players in <a href="https://bolavip.com/en/topic/nba" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">NB</a>A history, an ever-debated subject.



The legendary forward chose Bill Russell, Wilt Chamberlain, Oscar Robertson, Jerry West, Elgin Baylor, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, Karl Malone and Tiny Archibald as the best ever.



That’s why ESPN pundit Stephen A. Smith put him on blast for snubbing the likes of <a href="https://bolavip.com/en/topic/lebron-james" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">LeBron James</a> from that list, even if he only meant to make it about retired players.



<h2>Stephen A. Smith Rips Julis Erving’s Top-10 List</h2>



“[Julius Erving] didn’t choose any active players. He’s entitled to his own opinion, I just think he’s wrong,” Smith said. “You cannot have an all-time top 10 list without LeBron James. I’ve got LeBron James as a top-two player all time, what do you mean he’s not on the list?”



“You talk about Steph not being on the list. Steph has been in the league for over a decade, he’s got four championships. LeBron James has been in the league for 20 years. He played more years than most of the players Dr. J had on the list, so certainly experience is not an issue there,” continued Smith.



“LeBron James for what he brings to the table, is one of the top two or three players in the history of basketball,” Smith added. “Anyone that knows basketball knows that.”


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Even the greatest LeBron James hater knows he’s a top-10 player at worst, and era bias aside, Erving should’ve known what he was getting into with this controversial list.

Stephen A. Smith rips Julius Erving's basketball knwoledge over now-infamous top-10 list - Bolavip US

Stephen A. Smith rips Julius Erving's basketball knwoledge over now-infamous top-10 list

Today’s <a href="https://bolavip.com/en/topic/nba" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">NBA</a> has been a subject of debate among older fans for years now. The player empowerment era — which some believe was started by <a href="https://bolavip.com/en/topic/lebron-james" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">LeBron James</a> — has seemingly gotten out of control, as pointed out by <a href="https://bolavip.com/en/topic/damian-lillard" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Damian Lillard’s</a> situation.



Players are forcing their way out of their teams more often than not. They handpick their trade destinations and look to team up with multiple stars to get an easier path to a ring.



That’s why NBA legend Julius ‘Dr. J’ Erving went at full steam against <a href="https://bolavip.com/en/topic/kevin-durant" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Kevin Durant,</a> calling him a ‘team-hopper’ and pretty much blaming him for this new tendency.



<h2>Dr. J Puts Kevin Durant On Blast</h2>



“These guys, the prisoners, are running the show and not the warden,” Erving said. “A star player on a team is like, ‘Screw this city and all the support they’ve given me, and I’m going South. I’m going to Florida, or I’m going to LA, or I’m going to Texas, or I’m going somewhere else.’ These are business decisions, I understand.”



“But they haven’t helped the game. They have not helped to keep the parity within the game when you build these superteams,” added Dr. J.



“Wherever he goes, he’ll probably finish his career there because of his age and the fact he’s played 12-13 years, and he wants a chance to win a championship,” Erving continued. “He doesn’t think he can get it there, that’s a good reason for him. A guy who’s 26 or 27 just hopping around, look at how many times Durant has hopped around.”


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Durant is one of the greatest players of all time, a future first-ballot Hall of Famer, and a basketball legend. But his legacy will be stained forever, even according to his own peers.

Dr. J destroys Kevin Durant in epic rant - Bolavip US

Dr. J destroys Kevin Durant in epic rant

For decades, people have engaged in a futile and never-ending debate about who’s the <a href="https://bolavip.com/en/nba/The-15-greatest-NBA-players-of-all-time-20200329-0002.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">greatest player in NBA history</a>. Unsurprisingly, most of them always come down to either <a href="https://bolavip.com/en/nba/lebron-james-lakers-eliminated-from-playoff-contention-funniest-memes-and-reactions-20220406-0004.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">LeBron James</a> or <a href="https://bolavip.com/en/nba/michael-jordan-reveals-why-he-and-isiah-thomas-hate-each-other-20220325-0010.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Michael Jordan.</a>
Jordan and James didn’t even play the same position. They thrived under different sets of rules, playing in a different era, with different styles, and against different rivals. So, it’s hard to be objective when discussing this matter.
Then again, for <a href="https://bolavip.com/en/nba/joel-embiid-explains-how-the-ben-simmons-sixers-saga-made-him-a-better-player-20220405-0041.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Philadelphia 76ers</a> legend Julius ‘Dr. J’ Erving is an easy choice. For him, James’ longevity and durability have put him in a league of his own, going as far as to call him ‘ The Chosen One’.
<h2>NBA News: Dr. J Says LeBron James Is The Chosen One</h2>
(Transcript via Fadeaway World)
Interviewer: “LeBron is closing in right, on the all-time points record right now. So what are your thoughts on LeBron James and where he rests on the all-time conversation, the GOATness, if you will.”
Julius Erving: “Well, he’s gone past everybody for one thing. He comes in at 18 years old and he had the pro body and the pro ability as a high schooler. I really haven’t seen anybody have that package. Moses, he was probably the closest and there was Bill Willoughby who it didn’t work out for. And there were some other guys, like Kevin Garnett, but he’s not LeBron and he’s not Moses.
“So, LeBron is the Chosen One in that regard. He’s gonna play into his 40s. He’s gonna have, you know, a 22 or 23-year career. And nobody’s done that in basketball either. Those last few years for Shaq and for Kobe, you know they were on the bench, they were on the sidelines. LeBron, it won’t be the same for him. So he can still be that complete player… He’s a total machine. He’s gonna be the guy. He’s gonna be the guy who re-establishes the bar for what the GOAT is.”
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Some will argue that longevity doesn’t equal skill, and that’s a valid point. Then again, what James is doing is unprecedented and not likely to be done again, so we have to give credit where it’s due.

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Dr. J explains why LeBron James is the GOAT over Michael Jordan

Dr. J explains why LeBron James is the GOAT over Michael Jordan - Bolavip US

Throughout history, there’s been a never-ending debate regarding the <a href="https://bolavip.com/en/nba-t19117" target="_blank" rel="noopener">NBA.</a> Some old-school fans believe that the good old days with <a href="https://bolavip.com/en/nba/bill-russell-s-rings-how-many-does-he-have-20210308-0011.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Bill Russell</a> and Wilt Chamberlain were good, others say that the 80s and 90s were the toughest days, while others believe that <a href="https://bolavip.com/en/lebron-james-t92259" target="_blank" rel="noopener">LeBron James</a>‘ era is the best there is.
While it’s not for us to decide and we think that everybody’s entitled to their own opinion, there’s no denying that the game has changed a lot throughout the years, for both better or worse. That’s just a fact.
To some, that means that the game has gotten softer and that the fans no longer appreciate true basketball. At least, that seems to be the case with <a href="https://bolavip.com/en/philadelphia-76ers-t102083" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Philadelphia 76ers</a> legend Julius ‘Dr. J.’ Erving.
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<h2>Julius Erving Says Today’s NBA Is Soft</h2>
“That was the good old days, it kept the humility intact,” Erving said on CBS Sports’ Nothing Personal. “You felt honored to be a professional athlete and not privileged, because there was just some things you just had to suck it up and go do. We depended a lot on our trainers and equipment managers and what have you to move the franchise from city to city, and you always had to catch the first flight out the next morning so we didn’t have a lot of the conveniences they have today, but that’s okay. I think it’s made some of the players a little softer than the ’70s, ’80s, ’60s and ’50s players, but there’s fan appreciation for the softness and the finesse and it is what it is.”

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<h2>Erving Had Already Called Out LeBron James</h2>
It’s not the first time that Dr. J. has made a statement like this. Not so long ago, he took a swipe of LeBron James for ‘leading the superteam culture’ and hurting the league’s competitive balance:
“He’s the guy who has led the charge in terms of superteams being put together, when he put them together in Miami. He put together a team in Cleveland as well, and put together a team in Los Angeles. He can put together his own team — I ain’t gonna pick his team,” Erving said on an interview with Chris Haynes.
At the end of the day, we can all say and think whatever we want. The game has changed and it’ll continue to evolve for many years to come. So, if you don’t like it, maybe you can settle for the old tapes.

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Julius Erving

Former NBA champion snubs LeBron James, Stephen Curry from his top 10 players of all time

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Dr. J destroys Kevin Durant in epic rant

Dr. J explains why LeBron James is the GOAT over Michael Jordan

Dr. J takes another shot at LeBron James, says today's NBA is 'soft'