Statistically speaking, it's very difficult to say he's not top 5, and just about impossible to say he's not top 10. Along with the 4 MVP awards, the finals MVP, the winning %, the 2 titles and 5 finals appearances, and the raw stats, advanced metrics clearly make a case for him for being right at the top.
- 2nd all-time in career PER
- 4 of the top 11 PER seasons, one of only two players with four seasons of 30+ PER, with a peak PER nearly at the top of the list
- 4 of the top 11 WS/48 seasons, with the highest non-center WS/48 season in NBA history, higher than Jordan's; along with Kareem and Jordan, the only player to have multiple .300+ WS/48 seasons
- 4 of the top 10 VORP seasons, including 2nd highest and 4th highest, 3rd in all-time VORP
- 5 of the top 10 best box score plus/minus seasons with the 2 best seasons and the all-tine career leader in box score plus/minus
- tremendous multiple RAPM seasons in which the numbers suggest that in his prime, he has had as big of a positive impact in the games he has played as any player ever.
- at 29, he has the fourth highest total playoff win shares