Great defenders in the NBA are those who don't hesitate to do the dirty work or the more tough work.
These players want to guard the best players at all times.
While anyone can sit at home and form an opinion but here are some NBA legends themselves, confessing which defender they feared most.
Although Jabbar included Bob Lanier as well alongside Nate Thurmond in the people who defended him the best, Thurmond stood out more. Thurmond was a Hall of Fame center who was known to be a defensive wall of the Golden State Warriors. In fact, Kareem said that there are many who claim could defend him, but only Nate did it right and made him feel like he earned his point.
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Shaq and Dennis Rodman have had many heated moments on the court when they were opponents. But Shaq couldn't deny that Rodman was able to do an excellent job as a defender and would get them at least 20-25 rebounds during his brief stint with the Lakers. He called him a "Phenomenal athlete."
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Magic Johnson seemed to have a tough time picking just one most difficult defender to get past. So, he called Nate McMillan and Joe Dumars tough. He also agreed that since Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen were both put on rotation on him, they belong in this list too. However, he spoke most highly of Michael Cooper.
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Stockton described Payton as very "handsy". Gary 'The Glove' Payton, was given this nickname because of his ability to lock people up and hold them down. That's exactly what he did to John as well. "Consistent, tremendous, warrior-like play," is what Stockton exactly said.
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Kobe did not even think twice before naming Tony Allen as his toughest defender. And what impressed Bryant the most was that he was one player who never asked for help and liked the challenge.
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