Golden State Warriors superstar Stephen Curry is widely regarded as the greatest shooter in NBA history, but Hall of Famer Dwight Howard had some even higher praise for him recently. Content creator Bryan Matti asked Howard to share his list of the five greatest players of all time, and Curry was in there.
“[Michael] Jordan, Tim Duncan, Kareem [Abdul-Jabbar], [LeBron James], and Steph Curry,” Howard said.
Michael Jordan, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and LeBron James are three names you’ll find in most top-five lists. There’s a reason for that.
Jordan won six titles, six Finals MVPs, five MVPs, one DPOY, and 10 scoring titles in his career. He made 14 All-Star, 11 All-NBA, and nine All-Defensive teams. Jordan holds the NBA record for scoring average in the regular season (30.1 PPG) and playoffs (33.4 PPG).
As for Abdul-Jabbar, he won six titles, two Finals MVPs, six MVPs, two scoring titles, and one rebounding title. He made 19 All-Star, 15 All-NBA, and 11 All-Defensive teams. Abdul-Jabbar was the NBA’s all-time leading scorer for nearly 40 years, and Howard called him his GOAT during his Hall of Fame speech in 2025.
While Howard never got to play with or against Jordan and Abdul-Jabbar, he did both with James, who has won four titles, four Finals MVPs, four MVPs, one scoring title, and one assists title. He has made 22 All-Star, 21 All-NBA, and six All-Defensive teams. James passed Abdul-Jabbar to become the all-time leading scorer in 2023 and is now over 5,000 points clear. The longevity is incredible.
The GOAT debate nowadays has come down to Jordan and James for most. The latter would have a much stronger argument, if not for Curry and Tim Duncan. They beat him in the NBA Finals five times between them.
Curry has won four titles, one Finals MVP, two MVPs, and two scoring titles. He has made 12 All-Star and 11 All-NBA teams. Curry usually doesn’t get included in these conversations, but there are some very notable names that believe he should be. Shaquille O’Neal has even demanded that fans put him in the GOAT conversation.
Duncan is another whom O’Neal has a lot of respect for. He won five titles, three Finals MVPs, and two MVPs. Duncan made 15 All-Star, 15 All-NBA, and 15 All-Defensive teams. Duncan holds the record for most All-Defensive team selections, but never won DPOY, which is absurd. He is one of the best defenders we have ever seen.
All in all, this is a decent top-five list. As for notable omissions, Magic Johnson is a name that comes to mind. Kobe Bryant is another. While fans and the media don’t tend to stick Bryant in there, many former players do.
Howard actually had Bryant at fourth on his list in 2023, but appears to have changed his mind since. He went with Abdul-Jabbar and Jordan as his 1A and 1B back then, with James at third.
