I find the methodology behind the original list to be garbage, highlighted by things like Oscar Robertson for #1 (wore #14 in his prime) and Karl Malone for #11 (wore #32 in his prime), a lot of good players getting excluded off the list because of entries like that. Only surprised they didn't include Jordan for #12 too.
That's like putting together a team of greatest Celtics made up of:
G - Gary Payton
G - Pete Maravich
F - Dominique Wilkins
F - Rasheed Wallace
C - Shaquille O'Neal
The question posed was who was the greatest player to ever wear the jersey #, not who accomplished the most wearing the jersey #.
The question Mitchell & Ness asked themselves? That somehow makes it a less terrible question and methodology?
And again, they're saying John Stockton is better than Jordan? Rick Barry better than Kobe? (I threw up in my mouth a little bit writing that, but true still).
And then we get the weird hierarchies:
Rick Barry (who wore 2, 4, 24) is better than Kobe for #24, but not better than Moses Malone (#2) or Dolph Schayes (#4). So does that means Dolph Schayes (who wore 4 and 55) is better than Kobe, but not better than Mutombo (#55)?
Also Moses Malone (who wore 2, 4, 8, 13, 20, 21, 22, 24) is apparently better than Rick Barry at #2, who is better than Kobe Bryant #24, who is worse than Kobe Bryant #8?
So as far as I can tell the Mitchell & Ness hierarchy leads up to the top of Mt. Mutombo.
Mutombo > Schayes > Moses Malone > Rick Barry > Kobe Bryant > Rick Barry > Moses Malone
(Hey, I know the list was all in fun and not that serious, just like it's fun to pick it apart).