I am WiltTheGOAT. I have some extremely spicy takes on NBA History that you may or may not be ready to read.
Welcome to the Truth Board, a ranking system of WiltTheGOAT himself.
Here are five historical corrections you aren't ready for, but desperately need to read.
Also, quick shoutout to Gemini for putting my thoughts into perspective.
John Havlicek is 13th all time.
You might laugh at me and say, "WHO?" Except you shouldn't. John Havlicek has a legit case to be the 3rd best SF ever.
If you want to know why the 1960s Celtics narrative is broken, why Bill Russell gets so much credibility, look at John Havlicek. "Hondo" is the most underrated superstar in NBA history, and I really don't think its CLOSE. He didn't just "help" the Celtics; he kept the dynasty alive after the so-called dynasty builders in Russell and Auerbach left.
Havlicek won two rings (1974, 1976) as the undisputed Alpha, proving that the Celtics’ winning culture was about their insane depth, not their center. In '74, he averaged 26/8/5 in the Finals to take down Kareem’s Bucks and win Finals MVP. He was a 13-time All-Star with unlimited stamina who actually knew how to put the ball in the hoop. If you have A CERTAIN big men in your Top 5 but leave Hondo outside your Top 20, it is as simple as that that you just don't know about ball that much.
He's also clutch too. HAVLICEK STOLE THE BALL is a prime example of this. A true alpha for sure. He was like a Luka on steroids, except he actually does defense and was athletic.
I think these stats speak for itself: 8× NBA champion (1963–1966, 1968, 1969, 1974, 1976) NBA Finals MVP (1974) 13× NBA All-Star (1966–1978) 4× All-NBA First Team (1971–1974) 7× All-NBA Second Team (1964, 1966, 1968–1970, 1975, 1976) 5× NBA All-Defensive First Team (1972–1976) 3× NBA All-Defensive Second Team (1969–1971) NBA All-Rookie First Team (1963)
Peak- 29, 9, 8 in 1970.
Bill Russell is Just a Glorified Ben Wallace (Not Top 30)
Let’s get the most toxic truth out of the way: Bill Russell has 11 rings. Great. But if you put Rudy Gobert on a team with eight Hall of Famers, Gobert is winning 11 rings too, or at least something close to it.
Russell was a 6'10" center who shot a miserable 44% from the field—which is basically a war crime for a big man who only took shots at the rim. People call him the "Wilt Stopper," completely ignoring that Wilt averaged nearly 30 and 30 against him. Russell wasn’t "beating" Wilt; the Boston depth chart was. Russell was the ultimate recipient of the greatest "right place, right time" scenario in sports history. He was a high-level defensive specialist living in a mansion built by Havlicek, Sam Jones, and Bob Cousy, with Heinsohn, Nelson, KC Jones, Sharman, etc.
Don't believe me? Here's where I bring up the heat even more. Bill Russell was backpacked by the greatest coach in NBA history, along with the fact that he was almost never the best player on his own team- it was Hondo and Cousy from the beginning.
If you look at Russell's stats, you'd find that he was basically putting up less efficient Andre Drummond numbers. Like legit, he wasn't the reason for the dynasty- it was all coaching and teammates being so damn good.
I respect Russ as a person, but he was just not good enough.
Also, his best argument is "ring culture", but Jim Loscutoff and ROBERT HORRY have 7 rings. Apparently both are better than MJ, LeBron, Steph, Kareem, and all of em? BS.
KD isn't even top 20 and has no more credibility than Harden.
Kevin Durant is the ultimate "Hired Gun" whose entire legacy is built on the illusion of being an Alpha when he’s actually just a 7-foot version of Carmelo Anthony with better luck and a "Mickey Mouse" safety net. You can’t call yourself a "Bus Driver" when you spent your prime as an overqualified insurance policy for a pre-existing 73-win dynasty that had already proven they could win a ring before you arrived and went on to win another one the moment you left. KD is a "Net-Zero Alpha" who gives you a pretty 30 points on 50/40/90 splits but simultaneously sucks the soul out of a locker room because he lacks the leadership gravity of a true Top 10 legend. Every stop on his "mercenary tour" from OKC to Brooklyn to Phoenix and now Houston in 2026 has resulted in dissolved chemistry and early exits because he trades buckets instead of winning games. He is the final boss of the "Stat-Sheet Alpha" category, a player who prioritizes "Twitter wins" and mid-range mastery over the "I will rip your heart out" energy required to own a room.
KD had OKC. They gave him Russ, Harden, I-Blocka, goated role players on OKC. He has everything. He never got over the hump. Then, when HE IS THE CULPRIT for blowing a 3-1 lead to the Warriors, he was deservedly shamed. What did his little insecure aah do? He left the Thunder- FOR A FREAKING 73-9 WARRIORS TEAM THAT WAS A SHOT FROM WINNING THE FINALS! He shouldn't have even won Finals MVP those 2 years, everyone knew Steph was better. What did he do after he lost to the Raptors? "Oh, I like Brooklyn, send me there..." SO THEY DID. HE ENDED UP ON THE NETS, WITH HIS HOMEBOY KYRIE AND THEY TRADED FOR FREAKING HARDEN! WHERE DID THAT GO? 1 PLAYOFF SERIES WIN. Then, he saw Phoenix and decided, OH! PHOENIX! CP3, AYTON, BOOK! LEMME GO THERE! 1 PLAYOFF SERIES WIN. ASKED FOR BEAL, THEY GOT HIM. WHERE THAT LEAD EM? 1 PLAYOFF SERIES WIN. HE THEN SAID, OH, THEM ROCKETS, WHO HAVE AN AMAZING DEFENSE AND A WONDERFUL CULTURE? Lemme go there! Watch as the Rockets are significantly worse now than last year. Fraud.
The "purest scorer" narrative is a total fraud-check because his efficiency is a product of playing next to the greatest shooters in history or hand-picking his co-stars to bail him out of double-teams. While guys like Hakeem were winning MVP, DPOY, and Finals MVP with zero All-Stars, KD was busy searching for a pre-built juggernaut to hide behind so he never had to face the pressure of a real "Carry Job" like even Iverson or Willis Reed.
Since he walked away from the Golden State safety net in 2019, he hasn’t made it past the second round, proving that without a historic infrastructure, his "Alpha" status evaporates into thin air. The Warriors won before him, they won after him. KD was NOT needed one bit.
He is a chemistry killer who mortgages a franchise’s future for a trade request two years later, leaving teams like the Suns and Nets in a "dumpster fire" state while he chases the next bus to ride. You can keep your "portable scoring" and your 32,000 points because, for me, KD is trash compared to the real architects of the game who stayed and fought. He is a specialist with a jumper who got lucky with a 2016 cap spike, a guy who plays for the box score while the real Alphas play for the history books. In 2026, we’ve finally stopped being fooled by the "7-foot sniper" archetype and realized that Kevin Durant is just a mercenary who never truly owned a championship bus in his life. A glorified, 7-foot Carmelo Anthony at BEST.
Kareem is barely top 10.
Here's what y'all been waiting for.
First, can y'all name 5 good NBA- NBA PLAYERS- during the 70s? You might say, oh, Dr. J, Moses Malone, Artis Gilmore, Rick Barry, Gervin, Gilmore, Connie Hawkins. Guess what? ALL ABA, until 1978. NBA? 44 games of Walton (never averaged 20)? Overrated Drummond named Dave Cowens? Like, just straight up nonsensical.
"But Wilt, what about the 60s?" SHUT UP. The 60s were LOADED, far beyond the 70s. We had the Big O, Jerry West, Baylor, Russell, Havlicek, Cousy, Jones, Heinsohn, Wilt, Hal Greer, Billy Cunningham, Jerry Lucas, Thurmond, Goodrich, and others.
6 Time Championship? Congrats, 5 of em were won with a top-3 coach, the greatest PG ever in Magic (was for about 40 years and still is to a lot of people), a very good and legendary SFs in James Worthy and Jamaal Wilkes, and elite role players.
"But what about the one with the Bucks?" Congrats, he got a win with an absolute superstar in Oscar Robertson and a HOFer in Bob Dandridge.
6 time MVP? He only won till 1980, where everyone actually good were either in college or barely started in the league.
Who was he competing with for MVPs? Huh? All the 60s players were older and out of their primes, and even though they were good, they weren't their best. 44 games of Walton? Dave COWENS? Lmao, THE FREAKING LEAGUE DAMN NEAR SHUT DOWN BECAUSE OF HOW SH!T EVERYONE ELSE WAS!
"But what about the skyhook?" Congrats. Actual defensive freaks like Wilt blocked him 4 times in a row and shut Kareem down. Moses got him wiped down, Bill got him wiped down, Russell coulda wiped him down, Thurmond got him wiped down, Gilmore got him wiped down. Like, just straight up, he wasn't that good.
"Longevity?" Yeah, forget about it. Wilt was averaging 15 on 75%, with 25 boards and like 6 assists. Hakeem and Shaq were still all stars.
So there you have it. Kareem was the product of the greatest PG in NBA History, the greatest coach, elite role players and stars forced to masquerade as 2nd options, and elite teammates and weak competition.
One last note- its called GOAT, not GROAT (greatest RESUME of all time)
Wilt is the GOAT @ANDREW_FENICHEL
Wilton Norman Chamberlain reigns supreme as the greatest to ever live, and there shouldn't be an argument otherwise.
Wilt Chamberlain first was the most dominant player to ever live. I don't wanna hear no "Shaq" dude was just a fat undisciplined bowling ball. Wilt coulda just dunked the ball, but he played with utter finesse and dominated you through fitness.
You needed him to score? He did so much of that. Be a playmaker? Done, led the league in assists. Be a "system" center? Done. averaged a modest amount on 75%, got a ton of rebounds, manned the middle better than anyone, and playmade and controlled the entire offense with an iron fist.
I don't even have to bring up the stats, you already know.
"But what about the fact that his teams wanted him to stop scoring to win a championship?" Yeah, congrats, you only proved my point that only until he had semi-decent teammates he could win a tournament. Greer, Cunningham, and others were nice role players that allowed for Wilt to be the system. I bet you can't name one good teammate on that Warriors team he backpacked to competing with the HOF-ladden Celtics. PAUL ARIZIN? TOM GOLA? AL ATTLES? Rookie NATE THURMOND? Yeah, get outta here.
Besides, those points were out of necessity. Neither of his teammates could do anything of significance, so Wilt had to score to keep it close.
Rings? Wilt may have only won 2 rings, but was in 5 game 7s against the Celtics losing them by a total of 9 points. You know how close that is? With nobodies too. Wilt was the opposite of a playoff choker.
Wilt wasn't a playoff choker. OFC you ain't gonna score 50 a game in the playoffs, but he was still putting up 38. Game 5 of the 1962 Eastern Division Semifinals against the Syracuse Nationals, where he recorded 56 points and 35 rebounds. 1960 Eastern Division Finals (Game 5): 50 points, 35 rebounds. 1964 NBA Finals (Game 7): 39 points, 30 rebounds, and 12 blocks (unofficial). 1967 Eastern Division Finals (Game 3): 20 points, 41 rebounds, and 9 assists. 1964 NBA Finals: 29.2 points and 27.6 rebounds per game over the series loss He holds the record for the most points in a Finals elimination game with 45. He is the only player to score 50+ points in a playoff elimination game multiple times (both were wins). In his playoff career, he averaged 31.1 points and 25.7 rebounds in elimination games. . He is the only player to average a 20/20/600 (points/rebounds/FG%) in Finals elimination games. Get outta here.
Response to Don from TD3, saying Bill won 11 rings ON YOUR WATCH: NOT EVEN GOD COULD WIN WITH THOSE TRASH TEAMS AGAINST THE CELTICS. Y'all remember how LeBron got swept against the Spurs and Warriors those 2 years? Now imagine that 10 times for those Celtics squads. Wilt carried those teams to game 7s, barely losing. He woulda won against them Celtics in the 4th quarter in '69 too, but the damn coach kept him out. Also, his 55 rebound game? Against the CELTICS! His game 7 performance vs them C's? 39, 30, and 12 blocks! He wasn't the reason why they lost, it was his teammates. When HONDO STOLE THE BALL? thanks to his teammate.
Wilt had to have all the rules changed to STOP him from dominating, and they still didn't work. MJ and Bron had all the rules changed so they COULD dominate.
At the end of the day, Wilt is the GOAT, and nothing can deny that.
I AM OPEN TO DEBATE!