What player has had the most aesthetically pleasing offensive game in NBA history?
- Thread starter Mister Terrific
- Start date
MooseMouthMthafuga
Veteran
Mike was even born during the Chinese Year Of The Cat.So was Allen Iverson.Who had those same Black Panther reflexes & forays to the basket.Might be something to that shyt.It's MJ man. Anything else is just tryna dance around the obvious.
His game featured everything anybody else listed has, plus. Black cat is an underrated nickname for that dude, his game was fluid, instinctual, and explosive just like a damn cat.
And cherry that with a technically fundamental base
Not to mention he is THE BLUEPRINT to alot of the styles of most of the other guys on the list lol
C'mon man
Mindfield333
Superstar
Kyrie should win this hands down if yall weren’t casuals & meat riders
Joe Johnson got him beat
MJ, but I also loved watching Dale Ellis play
The real battle would be between 80’s Jordan, 1st 3 peat Jordan, and second 3 peat Jordan. Man, he had a rhythm where you kind of knew where he was going to go against the defender, but couldn’t believe he would actually pull it off… then he somehow did it and scored. His game just looked so smooth, efficient, yet impossible, all at the same time. I grew up a rockets and Hawks fan (moving between cities repeatedly) I also liked the sonics and Knicks. I couldn’t even be mad, watching him score. I wasn’t the biggest bulls fan but MJ was always my favorite player to touch the floor.
When he got up in the air, for a split second, you almost believed he wasn’t ever coming down.
Kobe was another one. I HATED “Fro-be” growing up, but the beauty in how he got into the paint and scored was undeniable. Him and Shaq together just didn’t seem fair, but the way they used each other to get buckets was incredible.
I grew to really appreciate and love him, as a fan, when he morphed into the “in between sneaker deals” Kobe. When I moved high schools and hooped varsity (we were trash af) I would do everything he did, I even wore the black and grey huarache 2K4’s with a tiny number “8” drawn on one of the midsoles in black marker, I pushed my high socks down to scrunch. He was extremely fluid. you could tell the defenders knew what he was going to do but knew they couldn’t stop it because, like Mj, he kept them off balance the whole time. It was like watching water flow to the rim when he dunked.
Kyrie getting into the lane is always unreal. I remember the argument over him or Steph having the better handles. I always have them as equals. They both look like they’re seeing the world in slow motion, Kyrie looks completely in control yet adapts to any new obstacle, Steph looks out of control yet moves the ball wherever he wants. Just when their defenders think they have the stop, Kyrie bends space and time to get into the paint for beautiful layup, spun off the backboard; Steph uses your confidence against you to hit a three from exactly where you thought would be the lowest percentage shot.
I also loved watching AI for his speed, Penny for his unorthodox moves, Dream for the paint work, Jason for the fast break passes, and Vince attacking the rim.
My favorites will always be MJ from 1990 through the final retirement, (even old man MJ looked like a master of conserving energy) and Kobe from start to finish. Just always had beautiful offensive game, and poise regardless of the situation.
When he got up in the air, for a split second, you almost believed he wasn’t ever coming down.
Kobe was another one. I HATED “Fro-be” growing up, but the beauty in how he got into the paint and scored was undeniable. Him and Shaq together just didn’t seem fair, but the way they used each other to get buckets was incredible.
I grew to really appreciate and love him, as a fan, when he morphed into the “in between sneaker deals” Kobe. When I moved high schools and hooped varsity (we were trash af) I would do everything he did, I even wore the black and grey huarache 2K4’s with a tiny number “8” drawn on one of the midsoles in black marker, I pushed my high socks down to scrunch. He was extremely fluid. you could tell the defenders knew what he was going to do but knew they couldn’t stop it because, like Mj, he kept them off balance the whole time. It was like watching water flow to the rim when he dunked.
Kyrie getting into the lane is always unreal. I remember the argument over him or Steph having the better handles. I always have them as equals. They both look like they’re seeing the world in slow motion, Kyrie looks completely in control yet adapts to any new obstacle, Steph looks out of control yet moves the ball wherever he wants. Just when their defenders think they have the stop, Kyrie bends space and time to get into the paint for beautiful layup, spun off the backboard; Steph uses your confidence against you to hit a three from exactly where you thought would be the lowest percentage shot.
I also loved watching AI for his speed, Penny for his unorthodox moves, Dream for the paint work, Jason for the fast break passes, and Vince attacking the rim.
My favorites will always be MJ from 1990 through the final retirement, (even old man MJ looked like a master of conserving energy) and Kobe from start to finish. Just always had beautiful offensive game, and poise regardless of the situation.
RadaMillz
Superstar
Kyrie 
not a knock against the GOAT Jordan, just never got to see him live in his prime.
not a knock against the GOAT Jordan, just never got to see him live in his prime.
More personal favorites were Lou Williams and Mike Mercer. I went to Hs with them for a time and then being on the same squad was unfair as fukk! They made the game look so easy. Lou in HS was like watching Walter Payton run the ball. Mike was like Barry Sanders.
Lou played a quiet but deadly game of just slipping past everybody to fly through the lane and dunk out of nowhere. If even looked like you might slow him down, he’d just stop and pop, or pull up from the imaginary NBA three point line while the defender was still backpedaling towards the basket, trying to figure out where he miscalculated. He played like a smaller Kobe.
Mike liked to embarrass his defenders, before also flying through the air for a dunk, make flashy passes to our 6’7” center, drive the lane to draw a double to lob to Lou, or bleed them from the midrange. Lou had great handles but Mike (6’4”) was like a mix of Penny and AI.
We used to argue over who would go high in the draft. I hate Mike didn’t also make the NBA but I appreciate being able to watch two incredible players in person, even when they were making us look like buffoons in PE/Team sports class, or at either of the local parks.
Lou played a quiet but deadly game of just slipping past everybody to fly through the lane and dunk out of nowhere. If even looked like you might slow him down, he’d just stop and pop, or pull up from the imaginary NBA three point line while the defender was still backpedaling towards the basket, trying to figure out where he miscalculated. He played like a smaller Kobe.
Mike liked to embarrass his defenders, before also flying through the air for a dunk, make flashy passes to our 6’7” center, drive the lane to draw a double to lob to Lou, or bleed them from the midrange. Lou had great handles but Mike (6’4”) was like a mix of Penny and AI.
We used to argue over who would go high in the draft. I hate Mike didn’t also make the NBA but I appreciate being able to watch two incredible players in person, even when they were making us look like buffoons in PE/Team sports class, or at either of the local parks.
Kyrie
not a knock against the GOAT Jordan, just never got to see him live in his prime.
When he got hot that shyt was like watching Bo Jackson in Super Tecmo bowl.
Pretty crazy how comfortable folk have got mentioning Kobe synonymously with Mike.
If Mike was more fluid (he was) then why would you pick KobeMike was also a vastly superior athlete, more fundamentally sound, AND more efficient. There is literally no argument for Kobe over Mike whether it be overall or more appeasing.
It isn’t that easy to draw a distinction when it comes to the og post, “Most aesthetically beautiful offensive game”.
I watched MJ from 1990 until he retired. I watched Kobe from his rookie year until he retired. Kobe used a lot of MJ’s moves but it was obvious from the jump he was another distinct brand of player. He wasn’t quite as athletic as MJ but his hops were sneaky and he compensated in other ways which made his game just as beautiful to watch.
MJ had a specific bounce and rhythm but Kobe had a certain calmness and used his length. He looked like he was moving a lot slower than he actually was, and it really fukked defenders up when he kept changing speeds the whole drive. MJ did it too, I know, but it was very different how they both successfully did it. MJ used his hops to clear the defender during jumpers, while Kobe used perfect timing to get off his fadeaway.
MJ looked like he was teleporting and flying, Kobe looked like water flowing then flying. MJ looked like he was about to fly. Kobe seemed to get up high as fukk out of nowhere. MJ was obviously lighting quick, while Kobe seemed more controlled and measured.
Great mentions! Who knows where PG and Grant Hill would have ended up if not for injuries.
I think that's what I like most about his game, he is a fukking robot
It's the precision with Kawhi
It’s the same shyt I appreciated about Timmy. Just simple focus and success.
Pippen stans gotta be about the biggest try hards ever
Pippen was always nasty on those fast breaks, and back door cuts though. He might have even had one of the more aesthetically beautiful defense games.