1. Michael Jeffrey Jordan:

former American professional basketball player, active businessman, and majority owner of the Charlotte Bobcats. His biography on the National Basketball Association (NBA) website states, "By acclamation, Michael Jordan is the greatest basketball player of all time." Jordan was one of the most effectively marketed athletes of his generation and was instrumental in popularizing the NBA around the world in the 1980s and 1990s.

2. Shaquille O’Neal:

nicknamed "Shaq", is an American professional basketball player for the NBA''s Boston Celtics. Standing 7 ft 1 in (2.16 m) tall and weighing 325 pounds (147 kg), he is one of the heaviest players ever to play in the NBA. Throughout his 18-year career, O''Neal has used his size and strength to overpower opponents for points and rebounds. After the retirement of Lindsey Hunter on March 5, 2010, O''Neal became the oldest active player in the NBA.

3. Kobe Bryant:

Kobe Bean Bryant is an American professional basketball player who plays shooting guard for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National (NBA). Bryant enjoyed a successful high school basketball career at Lower Merion High School. As a rookie, Bryant earned himself a reputation as a high-flyer and a fan favourite by winning the 1997 Contest. In 2009, Sporting News and TNT named Bryant the NBA player of the 2000s decade.

4. Timothy Theodore:

"Tim" Duncan is a Virgin Islander American professional basketball player for the San Antonio Spurs of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The 6-foot 11-inch (2.11 m), 255-pound (116 kg)  power forward/center is a four-time NBA champion, two-time NBA MVP, three-time NBA Finals MVP, and NBA Rookie of the Year. Duncan started out as a swimmer and only began playing basketball in ninth grade after Hurricane Hugo destroyed the only Olympic-sized pool on Saint Croix. He holds an honours degree in psychology and created the Tim Duncan Foundation to raise general health awareness and fund education and youth sports in various parts of the United States.

5. Steve Nash:

Stephen John "Steve" Nash, OC, OBC  is a Canadian professional basketball player who plays point guard for the Phoenix Suns of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Nash enjoyed a successful high-school basketball career, and he was eventually given a scholarship by Santa Clara University... Nash was twice named the West Coast Conference Player of the Year.

6. Dwyane Tyrone Wade, Jr.: 

Nicknamed Flash or D-Wade, is an American professional basketball player for the Miami Heat. Awarded 2006 Sportsman of the Year by Sports Illustrated, Wade has established himself as one of the most well-known and popular players in the league. He had the top selling jersey in the NBA for nearly two years. After entering the league as the fifth pick in the 2003 NBA Draft, Wade was named to the All-Rookie team and the All-Star team the following seven seasons.. At the 2008 Summer Olympics, Wade led the United States Men''s Basketball team, commonly known as the "Redeem Team", in scoring, as they captured gold medal honors in Beijing, China. In the 2008–09 season, Wade led the league in scoring and earned his first NBA scoring title.

7. LeBron James:

LeBron Raymone James is an American professional basketball player for the Miami Heat of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Nicknamed "King James", he was a three-time "Mr. Basketball" of Ohio in high school, and was highly promoted in the national media as a future NBA superstar He was selected with the number one pick in the 2003 NBA Draft by the Cleveland Cavaliers and signed a shoe contract with Nike . Listed as a small forward, James has set numerous youngest player records since joining the league..James has been a member of the USA national team, winning a bronze medal at the 2004 Olympics and gold at the 2008 Olympics.

8. Allen Iverson:

Allen Ezail Iverson  is an American professional basketball player for  Besiktas in the Turkish Basketball League and the Euro Cup. He was selected by the Philadelphia 76ers with the number one pick in the 1996 NBA Draft. He was named the NBA Rookie of the Year in the 1996–97 season. Iverson is an eleven-time NBA All-Star which includes winning the All-Star MVP award in 2001 and 2005.

9. Kevin Garnett:

Kevin Maurice Garnett is an American professional basketball player who currently plays power forward for the Boston Celtics of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He became the first NBA player drafted directly out of high school in 20 years. He was awarded with All-Star MVP award in 2003. He has been a nine-time member of the All-NBA Teams selection and a eleven-time member of the All-Defensive Teams’ election. Garnett currently holds several all-time Timberwolves franchise records.

10. Dirk Nowitski:

Dirk Werner Nowitzki is a German professional basketball player who plays for the Dallas Mavericks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Standing at 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m), Nowitzki plays the power forward position but also has the mobility, size, and shooting ability to play the other front court positions, center and small forward. He is a ten-time NBA All-Star and ten-time member of the All-NBA Teams, and is the first European-born player in NBA history to receive the NBA Most Valuable Player award. He is the first Maverick ever to be voted into an All-NBA Team and also holds several all-time Mavericks franchise records.

Nowitzki has been a seven time European Player of the Year, being named the Euroscar European Basketball Player of the Year by the Italian sports newspaper Gazzetta dello Sport for five years in a row and the FIBA Europe Basketball Player of the Year the same year.

What’s your top 10? Share your list with the ISN readers.