In an anonymous study by The Athletic, 103 current NBA players were surveyed. Results found that the vast majority (58.3%) consider Michael Jordan as the greatest player of all time, with LeBron James (33%) and Kobe Bryant (6.8%) coming in at second and third. Bill Russell and Tracy McGrady were the only other players mentioned in the votes.

One player made a case for MJ, saying, "M.J., for sure. Definitely, 6-for-6 (in the Finals) is a big thing for me. But the way I look at basketball is (it’s) about the winning, and if I feel like I need (somebody) to go win me a game, I’m picking M.J. over everybody. (I’d pick) whoever is going to carry me through a series, carry me through the playoffs, and is setting the tone? I think M.J. checks all those boxes."

The survey also asked about the best defender and most underrated player in the league, which were both won by Jrue Holiday at 28.7% and 17.5% of the vote respectively. Joel Embiid was considered the most deserving of the MVP at 50%, and the coach that players would most like to play for is Gregg Popovich. The most feared player in the league is James Johnson at 41.1%, and unsurprisingly, Draymond Green was voted as giving the most trash talk.

You can take a look at the full poll results here.

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