It takes time for most players to become the backbone of the team when they first enter the league, and even the strongest player in his prime will have a day when he will decline, and at that point it will be difficult for him to stay at the top of the team.
Therefore, in order to meet the condition that he has never been a second-in-command in his career, he must first debut at the peak, and then he also needs to maintain his condition as much as possible, which not only requires him to have a talent beyond ordinary people, but also whether he can maintain self-discipline for a long time is also very crucial. The last point is that the prestige and status of this player should be higher, otherwise it is easy to be replaced by some young stars, after all, there is no shortage of talent in this league.
On the whole, looking at history, there are only 4 players who have really achieved the identity of the big boss, such as O'Neal, Abdul-Jabbar, Magic and other supergiants, they have not been on the list, which can see the gold content of this list, so let's take a look at who these 4 players are.
1. Larry Bird
In 1978, Cardinal Auerbach of the Celtics took a fancy to Bird, and he and the team believed that Bird had the strength to compete in the NBA, so they tried to persuade Bird to enter the NBA directly that year, but the latter still decided to land in the NBA after graduation.
In the 1979-1980 season, Bird officially joined the Celtics, and his performance did not disappoint Auerbach and the Green Army, averaging 21.3 points, 10.4 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 1.7 steals per game in his rookie season, and under his leadership, the Green Army won 61-21, which was 32 wins better than the previous season. Because of his outstanding performance, Bird was selected as an All-Star and the best team in his rookie season, and in the playoffs, Bird also led the Green Army to the Eastern Conference finals.
The Celtics went from strength to strength with Bird's help, and they undoubtedly became the best teams in the East throughout the '80s, reaching the Finals five times and winning three championships during that time. As the team's big man, Bird won three consecutive MVP achievements during the period, and he and the Magic were the face of the league at that time, and people always looked forward to every match between the Green Army and the Lakers.
Since the 1988-1989 season, Bird's form has inevitably declined due to foot injuries and back injuries, but until the year he retired, he could still play an average of 20.2 points, 9.6 rebounds and 6.8 assists per game, and with his help, the Celtics also achieved a record of 51 wins that season. Eventually, before the start of the 1992-1993 season, Bird officially announced his retirement, and before leaving the game, he also helped the United States win the gold medal at the 1992 Olympics.
2. Jordan
In the 1984 draft, the Bulls were lucky to pick Michael Jordan from the University of North Carolina, whose arrival directly changed the team's future. Jordan, who debuted in the NBA in the 1984-1985 season, did not have any discomfort, but averaged 28.2 points, 6.5 rebounds, 5.9 assists and 2.4 steals per game as soon as he came up, which was much more luxurious than his statistics in the NCAA.
With Jordan's help, the Bulls successfully returned to the playoffs, although they were eliminated in the first round, Jordan's average of 29.3 points, 5.8 rebounds, 8.5 assists, 2.8 steals and 1 block per game directly convinced a group of fans. And this is far from Jordan's best state, in the subsequent development, Jordan gradually became the MVP of the league, he has won 5 MVPs one after another, and has led the Bulls to the top of the world many times during this period.
In 1991, 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, and 1998, Jordan led the Bulls to achieve three consecutive championships, so they also became the absolute hegemon of the NBA in the 90s, and Jordan himself became the number one face of the league because of his outstanding results. In 1998, Jordan retired for the second time, but later for various reasons, Jordan returned to the NBA stage again, but he finally chose to join the Wizards.
In the last two seasons of the Wizards, Jordan averaged 22.9 points, 5.7 rebounds, 5.2 assists and 1.4 steals per game, 20 points, 6.1 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 1.5 steals per game.
3. Duncan
Duncan, like Bird, had the strength to enter the NBA early, but in order to fulfill his promise to his mother, Duncan chose to enter the NBA after graduating from college. And because everyone knew that Duncan would participate in the draft in 1997, many teams began to swing in the 1996-1997 season, and finally the Spurs successfully selected Duncan with the third-to-last record in the league.
In his rookie season, Duncan averaged 21.1 points, 11.9 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 2.5 blocks per game, and was named to the All-Star and All-Round Team, and under his leadership, the Spurs also achieved a 56-win record. In the second season of his career, Duncan successfully led the Spurs to the NBA, and in the playoffs that year, he averaged 23.2 points, 1.5 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 2.6 blocks per game.
After entering the 21st century, the Spurs have been in the first echelon of championship teams all year round, and finally they have won five championships in succession before Duncan retired. Although Duncan was 37 years old when he won the championship in 2014, he is still the absolute core of the team and is still the most important player for the Spurs on both offensive and defensive ends. And Duncan was already the first man in team history before he retired, so as long as he was with the Spurs for a day, no one could steal his position as the leader of the team.
4. James
As the only player on this list to enter the league after graduating from high school, James's talent is undoubted, even if he has not had a high school student in the NBA before him, the Cavaliers still did not hesitate to draft James with the top pick. In the first game of landing in the NBA, James proved that he was worthy of this pick with a performance of 25 points, 6 rebounds, 9 assists and 4 steals.
Later, in order to cultivate James, the Cavaliers also sent away Ricky Davis, who averaged 20+ per game the previous year, and James did not live up to the team's trust in him, and after that, he played better and better, and finally handed over an average of 20+5+5 per game in his rookie season. And after his rookie season, James continued to improve at the slightest rate, and soon he became one of the best players in the league, leading the team to the first Eastern Conference championship in 2007 at the age of 22.
Later, he transferred to the Heat, James's strength is far above other players, he won two MVPs and two FMVPs in 4 years, and the success of that Heat team is also based on James's comprehensiveness.
After the success of the Heat, James is the face of the league, and he is the undisputed boss of the team whether it is with the Cavaliers or the Lakers. And James is not only qualified, he has also led the Cavaliers and Lakers to win championships, and even at the age of 39, he averaged 25.7 points, 7.3 rebounds, 8.3 assists and 1.3 steals per game last season.