A list of the top 10 stars with the strongest singles in the NBA: Irving is 10th and KD is 3rd. So who is the first one?

In the NBA field, individual singles are not only the ultimate display of players' personal abilities, but also the "nuclear weapon" for the team to break the deadlock at critical moments. A top single player can tear the opponent's defensive system with his own strength, and use his unpredictable offensive skills and unsolvable finishing ability to score points in the army like taking objects. Recently, when the US media combined historical data to sort out the singles kings in the long history of the NBA, a controversial but convincing list surfaced. These players use their own unique style to redefine the upper limit of "undifferentiated singles". Even when facing the top defenders in the league, they can still adapt to changes with their own changes and use their strength to interpret "whoever defends is the same." Next, let us enter this list together to witness the top 10 stars with the strongest singles ability in NBA history, and feel their dominance on the offensive end. Even if they are as strong as the "Big Shark" O'Neal, they can only rank third in this list.

No. 10: Kyrie Irving - "Dribble Magician" outside of textbooks

mentions the most ornamental singles player in the NBA today, Kyrie Irving is definitely an unavoidable name. His career average of 23.4 points, 47.2% shooting percentage, 39.1% three-point shooting percentage and 88.5% free throw percentage are enough to prove his efficiency and accuracy on the offensive end. But what makes Irving really scary is not the cold numbers, but his offensive skills to "jump out of textbooks" - in high-intensity confrontations at the NBA level, almost no player can completely copy his movements, let alone limit success.

The seventh game of the 2016 finals can be called the "ones battle" of Irving's career. When the game was 53 seconds left, the Cavaliers and the Warriors were at a stalemate. It was Irving who faced Curry directly outside the three-point line and used an artistic dribble combination to complete a winning goal that was enough to be recorded in history. He first dribbled the ball under his crotch with his right hand, then quickly switched to his left hand. While dribbled the ball under his crotch again, he poked his left foot forward and made a false move to break through, successfully inducing Curry to move the center of gravity; then, he dribbled the ball under his crotch for the third time with his right hand, and combined with the retraction step of his right foot, instantly widened the distance from the defender, and finally trembled his wrist and the basketball was hollow into the net. This series of actions not only demonstrates his ultimate control over the rhythm of dribbling, but also interprets the state of "unity of man and ball" to the extreme.

Even though Irving's career has been slightly ups and downs due to off-court issues in recent years, no one will question his personal skills and sense of the ball. In a one-on-one or one-on-two defensive scene, he is like a "dribble magician". The connection between speed change, direction change, and fake moves has no flaws. There is almost no weakness on the offensive end. Every single is full of uncertainty, leaving the defender in a dilemma of passive prediction.

Ninth place: Hakim Olajuwon - "Dream Steps" define the center singles ceiling

In the center position, Hakim Olajuwon's singles ability is "unprecedented, and it is difficult to have a future". He is 2.14 meters tall, but has the delicate skills of a defender. He averaged 21.8 points and 51.2% shooting percentage in his career. Even if his three-point shooting percentage is only 20.2%, it does not affect his dominance on the offensive end at all. Because of his singles, he has already improved his "inside skills" to a new dimension.

Olajuwon's "dream footsteps" are one of the most iconic offensive moves in NBA history. This set of steps is not only changing rhythm and difficult to distinguish between reality and reality, but also adjusts in real time according to the defender's reaction. Whether it is turning, shoulder shaking or fake moves, it can accurately defeat the defender's center of gravity. Because of this, countless NBA stars are willing to spend $50,000 per class to learn this "inside skills" from him. Superstars such as Kobe and James have been his "apprentice".

In addition to unsolvable steps, Olajuwon also has stable mid-range shooting ability. In that era when the inside battle was called a "meat grinder", he could not only use his dreamy footsteps to move and move under the basket, complete difficult layups or dunks, but also end the attack with a clean mid-range shot after receiving the ball near the free throw line. His singles are not only a crushing force and height, but also a perfect combination of skills and wisdom, redefining the possibility that center singles are "not just relying on the body".

8th place: Shaquille O'Neal - "Sharks"'s inside crushing singles

If Olajuwon's singles are the representative of "skill flow", then Shaquille O'Neal's singles are the ultimate embodiment of "strength flow". His career average of 23.7 points and 58.2% shooting percentage, even if his three-point shooting percentage is only 4.5% and free throw shooting percentage is 52.7%, it cannot cover up his absolute dominance at the basket. O'Neal at his peak is the "mobile fortress" on the NBA field, and one-on-one defense has almost become futile.

For players who defend O'Neal, the only option may be "early foul" - instead of watching him dunk easily, it is better to send him to the free throw line, hoping that his "free throw shortcut" will recover a little disadvantage. But even so, O'Neal can still prove his unstoppable with his performance averaged nearly 24 points per game. From 2000 to 2002, he was elected the MVP in the Finals for three consecutive years, leading the Lakers to complete three consecutive championships. Behind this is his unsolvable inside singles as support.

In the second game of the 2001 finals, O'Neal faced Uncle Mu's defense and once again demonstrated the terrifying strength of the "Shark". With more than three minutes left in the game, he dribbled the ball with his left hand after receiving the ball at the low post, and then made a fake move of a backward jump shot, successfully seducing Uncle Mu to jump. Then, he took the ball off Uncle Mu's head with his right hand, and at the same time, he used his body to hold the defender and caused a foul. Finally, he dunked the ball into the basket and completed 2+1. This round, there are no complicated skills, only absolute strength and physical advantages, but they are enough to make all defenders feel desperate - in front of O'Neal, "striking the stone with an egg" may be the true portrayal of the defenders. He is never afraid of physical confrontation, and even at a disadvantage in height, he can finish the end at the basket through speed and skills. His singles are not only a means of scoring, but also a "no loss" attitude - in his dictionary, there is no saying "the defender is too strong", only the determination to "I want to score". Now, as a player who once defended Iverson, Clippers head coach Tyron Lu knew best about the horror of this "little giant" - his change of direction is enough to make any defender feel a headache.

Third place: Kevin Durant - "Death"'s indiscriminate projection singles

When the conclusion that "O'Neal can only be third" appears, many fans may be surprised, but when they see Kevin Durant's name, they will take it for granted. This player, known as "Death", redefined singles with "indiscriminate shooting". His career averaged 27.3 points, 49.9% shooting percentage, 38.4% three-point shooting percentage, 88.6% free throw percentage, was elected the scoring leader four times, helped the Warriors win the championship twice and were elected the MVP in the finals. His singles dominance has long been verified by history.

Durant's singles advantage lies in his "unique" physical condition and technology combination - a height of 2.08 meters, but he has more delicate dribbling skills than a point guard, and his top bounce and shooting feel make him the king of "misplaced singles". Whether facing small players or tall inside players, he can easily find space for shooting: facing small people, he can use his height advantage to complete a pull-up jump shot; facing tall inside players, he can complete a breakthrough through changes in the dribble rhythm, or end with a three-pointer.

In the fifth game of the 2021 Eastern Conference Semi-finals, Durant once again demonstrated the strength of "Death". With more than one minute left in the game, he singled out Middleton in the low post, dribbled with his left hand and made a backward jump shot fake move, seducing Middleton to jump; then, he took the ball off Middleton's head with his right hand, held the defender and caused a foul, and finally dunked the ball into the basket, helping the Nets lead the Bucks 108-105 to win the match point. This round included his signature shooting fake moves and the power to end the inside, which perfectly reflected his singles ability of "can be inside and outside". At critical moments, Durant's singles are like "Death's Scythe", and he can always accurately harvest the game. Such dominance makes him enough to surpass O'Neal and enter the top three on the list.

Second place: Kobe Bryant - "Jordan successor"'s all-round singles art

Even though Kobe Bryant has left us, his singles legend is still praised in the NBA. As the "Successor of Jordan", Kobe not only inherited Jordan's offensive skills, but also carried it forward and became one of the greatest players of the 21st century. His singles averaged 25 points, 44.7% shooting percentage, 32.9% three-point shooting percentage, and 83.7% free throw percentage. His singles are synonymous with "all-round" and "extreme".

Kobe's singles skills are extremely comprehensive: he can finish the finish with a fake action and jump shot, and he can also use his dream steps like Olajuwon; he can hit key balls outside the three-point line, and score with a hook at the basket; he can even play from No. 1 to No. 5, and he will not be at a disadvantage when facing defenders at any position. On January 22, 2006, Kobe scored 81 points in a single game against the Raptors, setting the second highest scoring record in NBA history. In this game, he scored multiple singles, scored 27 points in a single quarter in the third quarter, and used his strength to prove his "offensive kaleidoscope" attribute.

In the first game of the 2009 finals, Kobe once again demonstrated his singles dominance. Facing the Magic's defense, he scored 40 points in a single game and led the Lakers to a 100-75 victory. In the second quarter, he scored 18 points in a single quarter: when he beat Pitrus one-on-one on the right bottom line, he dribbled with his right hand and turned around and hit the hook; when facing defense on the left bottom line, he used a backward jump shot to lure the defender to take off, and then dunked 2+1. These rounds not only show his diversity of skills, but also reflect his "champion momentum" at critical moments - his singles can not only score points, but also destroy the opponent's defensive confidence, making fans around the world admire him.

No. 1: Michael Jordan - the "God of Singles" in NBA history

When discussing the strongest singles king in NBA history, Michael Jordan's name is always the "standard answer". He averaged 30.1 points, 49.7% shooting percentage, 32.7% three-point shooting percentage, 83.5% free throw percentage, was elected the scoring leader 10 times, led the Bulls to win the championship 6 times and was elected the MVP of the Finals. This "God of Basketball" has defined the highest level of "undifferentiated singles" with his lifetime career.

Jordan's singles are his "super strong ability to stagnate the air" and "unsolved backward jump shot". His ability to stagnate at the air is the top in NBA history. Even if the defender takes off at the same time as him, often the opponent has landed, he can still adjust his posture in the air and complete his shots; his backward jump shot not only makes high shots and tricky angles, but also maintains an extremely high shooting rate at critical moments, becoming a "nightmare" for defenders. In addition, Jordan's ball-handling skills, breakthrough ability, and mid-range shooting have all reached the top level in the league. His singles have no weaknesses, and no matter what defensive strategy he faces, he can find a way to score.

In Jordan's career, countless classic singles scenes have been recorded in history: facing the Jazz's "last shot", he used cross-steps to knock Russell down and hit the finals; facing the Lakers' finals, he used a backward jump shot to break the opponent's defense again and again; even when facing multiple double-teams, he can finish the end with accurate passes or difficult shots. His singles are not only a means of scoring, but also a manifestation of "domination" - as long as he wants to score, no one can really defend him.

This list of the top 10 singles in NBA history is not only a recognition of the players' personal abilities, but also a "chronic" of the NBA's offensive art.. From Irving's "dribbling magic" to Jordan's "stuck-stagnant legend", from Olajuwon's "dream footsteps" to Durant's "indiscriminate projection", every singles king has left countless classic moments in the NBA arena with his own unique style.