There have been superstars throughout history who have changed the game in every way imaginable. Whether it is by winning championships, breaking records, or being the reason a new style is implemented, names like Bill Russell, Stephen Curry, Michael Jordan, and LeBron James will always ring out.
The league has also had stars, though, that were supremely talented, achieved great things, but could never win too much. And NBA fans recently discussed which of them was the best in their prime, choosing between Carmelo Anthony, Tracy McGrady, Paul George, and Paul Pierce.
One thing about NBA fans is that they cannot agree on anything. As such, all these players got shoutouts, and one fan said Tracy McGrady was the right answer because of his unbelievable scoring prowess, he won two scoring titles in his prime.
While his counting stats at his peak might fall a bit below the rest of these players, Paul Pierce is the only player here to win a championship as a star. And he was Finals MVP too, as someone rightly pointed out.
Paul George may not get a whole lot of love because he’s not retired like the rest of these legends. But he’s the only player in the conversation that won Defensive Player Of The Year and was a Top 3 MVP candidate in his prime. He got a mention too.
Carmelo Anthony is the only player on here that finds himself on the list of the 10 leading NBA scorers in history. In his prime, Melo was a walking bucket, someone that could not be stopped. And that’s why a fan chose him to be the right answer.
Tracy McGrady’s Greatest Season For The Orlando Magic Was Simply Unbelievable
Tracy McGrady had the shortest prime out of all of these players. Yet when he was at his best, he was arguably better than any of them. When he was 23 years old, McGrady was on his way to a third straight All-Star selection with the Orlando Magic. And in the 2002-03 season, one of the NBA’s lowest-scoring eras, McGrady averaged a whopping 32.1 points, 6.5 rebounds, 5.5 assists, and 1.7 steals per game.
There’s a reason Allen Iverson seemed shocked that McGrady never made it to the NBA’s 75th Anniversary Team, he was a special talent at his best. If injuries had not gotten the better of McGrady, it’s safe to say that he might have found himself being compared to some very different players in these conversations today.
