Derrick Rose. Dwyane Wade. Candace Parker. Anthony Davis. Which baller from Chicago is the BEST to come outta the Windy City???
Well, there's no one better to ask than Chicago native and Hall of Famer Isiah Thomas ... who's settling the debate with TMZ Sports once and for all.
Of course, there has been a lot of talk about the rich hoops history in Chi-Town after AD declared it "the Mecca of basketball."
We spoke with Zeke about the long list of basketball greats to come out of his hometown ... and asked who ranks at the top of the list -- AND IT AIN'T ISIAH THOMAS!!!
"No one has won more and been as successful as Dwyane Wade. I mean, we all honor him, we love him. Right now, he's the winner."
Thomas says he doesn't mind handing the title over to D-Wade .. saying, "All of us from Chicago, we're all winners. We're all champions. But, Dwyane Wade has a very special place in all our hearts."
It's hard to argue against it -- Wade is a 3-time NBA champ, 13-time All-Star, Finals MVP and is the Miami Heat all-time leading scorer.