Basketball is special. The size of the court, and the lack of pads or helmets give fans the most intimate experience of a team sport that exists. Because of the different styles that Basketball allows for, players develop their own distinct identity and signature styles through their creativity, flare, and athleticism.
Although no player succeeds alone, the scoring volume and two-way nature of the sport give individual stars a nearly unprecedented amount of control over the flow and outcome of the game. For this reason, players are constantly compared to their peers and to the legends of the past in order to answer the most highly contested question in the sport: Who's the greatest to ever do it?
For many, the question is redundant, they believe in only one right answer: Their answer. Others might have their own personal stance, but acknowledge one or two alternatives, but I believe that there's much more nuance to the question of greatness, and more answers to it that you might think.
By my count there are eight players in NBA history that have a substantial claim as the GOAT. It's a subjective thing though, I can't give you a definitive answer, all I can do is make the argument.
So today, I’ll be making the case for Dwayne Wade, as the greatest basketball player of all time.
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