Full of the game, there are only three super giants in the NBA after Jordan, and O Neal and Duncan are both meaningful

When mentioning the "super giant" in the NBA has never been a simple pile of data. In my opinion, a real super giant must firmly grasp the four cornerstones: hard honors that can be shown, dominance that covers the field, commercial value of the league economy, and popularity that can be recognized even if you jump out of the basketball circle - these four points are indispensable. Without any of them, they can only be considered a "superstar" rather than a "super giant". Jordan is undoubtedly a super giant "ceiling". He uses the hard honor of 6-Campus 6FMVP's 10-time scoring champion, absolute control of the NBA in the 1990s, the business magic that brought Nike back to life, and the appeal of fans around the world to define the ultimate standard for superstars. After Jordan retired, although stars emerged every year in the league, few people can truly collect these four elements. Some people say that Duncan and O'Neal should be considered super giants? Objectively speaking, there is no doubt that "Buddha Shark" is great on the field, but if they use the four super giant standards to get stuck, they will eventually lose two key breaths - business value and popularity, and they have never touched the threshold of "top level". There are only three who can truly be called the super giant after Jordan, who has been through nearly 30 years of NBA history: Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, and Stephen Curry.

The first is Kobe. Even if you are not an NBA fan, you have probably heard of the name "Kobe". You have either been led by a friend to watch his game highlights, or you have heard of the story of "Mamba Spirit" - this kind of awareness that spans the circle is itself a symbol of super giants. His career has almost engraved "honor" and "domination" into his bones: 1 regular season MVP, 2 Finals FMVP, 9 selected for the Best Defensive First Team, 11 selected for the Best Team, and 11 selected for the Best Team, with a total score of 33,643 points, ranking fourth in NBA history and an undisputed first person in the history of the Lakers. You should know that as the "benchmark of giants" in the NBA, the Lakers have many superstars in the history of the team, but when it comes to "Lakeman Totem", Kobe will never be able to avoid it. This weight is the best proof of dominance.

More importantly, Kobe's business value and popularity are completely worthy of his position in the arena. He has played for the Lakers for 20 years and has almost supported the team's business territory with his own strength - the Lakers have been firmly in the league's "gold-absorbing king" for many years, and Kobe's contribution has made indelible. In the 2015-16 season, the Lakers specially held a season-long "retirement tour" for him. Every away court stadium from the East Coast to the West Coast cheered him. This treatment is one of the few in the history of the league. This is not "playing with him", but a direct feedback on his 20 years of business contribution: with Kobe, the Lakers' tickets, peripherals, and broadcast rights income will be guaranteed, and even away teams can make a fortune. As for popularity, the joke that "Kobe has 6 billion fans" back then is still a classic memory in the fan circle - even if it is a joke, it indirectly reflects how large his fan base is. This popularity has long since jumped out of the basketball circle and become a cultural symbol.

The second is James. His "Super Giant Road" seems to be full of "taken for granted" from the beginning, but this "taken for granted" is precisely the best proof of his strength. Before entering the NBA, he appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated with the title of "Son of the Chosen". The whole league was waiting for him to draft - this kind of treatment of "becoming famous before he debuted" was enjoyed by Jordan after that. After entering the NBA, he spent 20 years of his career to interpret "lasting dominance" to the extreme: 4 championships, 4 FMVPs, and 4 regular season MVPs. He got all kinds of historical records and occupied the throne of "first person" for a long time in the same position, and his historical status was even more stable. Even at the age of 40, he can still average 25+5+5 per game, and he is still the core of the Lakers and the league's appearance. This kind of "evergreen" dominance is extremely rare in NBA history.

James's commercial value and popularity are at the level of "walking money printing machine". His business layout has long since broken out of the category of "player endorsement": from investing in pizza shops and fitness brands, to establishing his own media company, and then signing a lifetime contract with Nike, his business territory covers many fields of sports, entertainment, and catering. Data shows that James's business income in his career has long exceeded his salary income, and even the market value of which team he joins will soar - this ability to "bring business opportunities" is a reflection of the top business value. In terms of popularity, even the number of "black fans" is astonishingly large, which just shows how high his attention is: those who like him are fascinated by his omnipotence and charity; those who don't like him will also pay attention to him because of his influence. Only super giants have this characteristic of "both and back can attract traffic"

The third is Curry, his super giant path is the most "unexpected" but also the most "undisputed". Before 2015, although Curry was an All-Star, the outside world's impression of him was still as "a small shooter"; but since the Warriors won the championship in 2015, it took him only 7 years to complete the leap from "star" to "super giant". This speed is unique in the history of the league. His honors are also impressive: 4 championships, 2 regular season MVPs, 1 FMVP, and also set a single-season three-point record with 402 three-pointers, becoming the NBA history three-pointer. But more important than honor, he completely changed the NBA pattern - before him, the mainstream style of the league was "the inside is king"; after him, the "small ball era" swept the league, and more and more teams began to pay attention to three-pointers and speed up the fast break. This ability to "change the league style of play" is the best proof of top dominance. During the Warriors' dynasty, the outside world questioned that Curry had benefited from it under Durant's leadership, but after Durant left, Curry led the team to win the championship with a single core and won the FMVP, which was enough to prove his greatness.

Curry's business value and popularity are even more "phenomenal". Before he joined the Warriors, the Warriors were still a "bottom team" that missed the playoffs for many years; and under his leadership, the Warriors reached the finals six times in 10 years, and the team's market value soared from US$350 million in 2010 to US$9.4 billion in 2025, an increase of nearly 30 times - this kind of business magic that "has increased the team's market value dozens of times" has been achieved in history. In terms of popularity, Curry's "contrast" has attracted countless fans: on the field, he is a "cold-blooded killer" who can make a final shot at critical moments; on the field, he is a "cute god", with a gentle smile and a humble personality. This "down-to-earth" image has made him not only popular in the basketball circle, but also attracted a large number of "non-sports fans" fans. Even people who don’t watch the NBA may know him because of his three-point highlights and cute emoticons. This kind of popularity of “breaking the circle” is a sign of super giant.

It is undeniable that O'Neal and Duncan are also NBA historical superstars: Duncan supported the Spurs' "20-year dynasty" with the honor of 5-champion 2FMVP3MVP, and the stability of "Stone Buddha" is a unique league; O'Neal used his 4-champion 3FMVP1MVP to become synonymous with "inside behemoth", and he could only exchange the entire league at his peak. But their shortcomings are also obvious: their business value and popularity have never reached the super giant level. Duncan is extremely low-key. Except for games, he rarely appears in the public eye. Most of the commercial endorsements are sports brands, and his exposure is limited. Although O'Neal is more outgoing than Duncan, his business influence is more concentrated in the basketball circle. After jumping out of the basketball circle, his awareness is far less than Kobe, James, and Curry. Just like many people who don’t watch the NBA may have heard of “Bryant” and “James”, but may not know “Duncan” and “O’Neal” - this kind of “circle limitation” allows them to stay at “superstars” rather than “super giants”.

As for Antetokounmpo, he does have the "potential" to become a super giant now. At the age of 28, he has won 2 championships, 2 FMVPs, and 2 regular season MVPs, and has met the standards in honor; his "violent aesthetics" style of play is also very dominant and can make a comeback in the inside. But he is still missing two things: one is data accumulation. Although his personal data is already very good now, he still needs more "historical" records to consolidate his status; the other is popularity and commercial value. At present, his fans are mainly concentrated in the basketball circle, and the recognition of non-sports fans is not high enough, and their business layout is not as comprehensive as James and Curry. If he can maintain his current state for about 5 years, play more "breaking the circle" games, and expand his business territory, he may really be among the super giants - but at least now, he needs to wait a little longer. So to be honest, after Jordan, there are only these three people in the NBA.