Do statistical numbers really tell how great an athlete is in your opinion?

I know of good athletes of all 3 sports where it seemed that the stats didn't support how good the athlete was. I was a statistical nut when it came to stuff like this, probably because I got involved in sport card collecting. However, over the years of getting older I remember there were guys who didn't have the GREAT numbers because of injuries, missed games, slumps but they came through when needed. Examples of Football: Terry Bradshaw, Tony Dorsett, Andre Reed, and Jeff George. Baseball: Ryne Sandberg, Steve Avery, and Von Hayes. Basketball: Eddie Jones, Dwayne Wade(Because of missed games), Tim Duncan (Doesn't have to score so much because of Ginobuli and Parker), Shaquille O' Neal(Later days of career;aging) However, these people still got a lot of respect as great athletes even though the numbers weren't there or never there. What do you think? Stats don't really mean nothing when it comes to a superstar being created?