Former Nuggets Player Shares Controversial LeBron James Take

In this story:
During a recent podcast episode, former Denver Nuggets guard Austin Rivers was asked for his top-7 players in the NBA right now. Unsurprisingly placing Nikola Jokic first, Rivers rounded out his list with Giannis Antetokounmpo, Steph Curry, Luka Doncic, Joel Embiid, Jayson Tatum, and LeBron James.
Rivers acknowledged that his addition of LeBron could be controversial, and said, "The LeBron one could be questionable for a lot of people, just because of his age right now, but he's just so dominant in the game. He went to the Conference Finals last year just because he decided to will that team there. [The Lakers] had no business going there."
Austin Rivers names his top 7 players in the NBA today:
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) August 15, 2023
1. Nikola Jokic
2. Giannis Antetokounmpo
3. Stephen Curry
4. Luka Doncic
5. Joel Embiid
6. Jayson Tatum
7. LeBron James
Thoughts? 🤔
(via @ringernba)pic.twitter.com/DgT4txYX9m
What has been even more controversial than Rivers adding LeBron James in his top-7, was his omission of Kevin Durant. While Durant has dealt with injuries over the last several seasons that have limited his overall production, he has still been one of the best players in the league when healthy.
At the end of the day, these lists are somewhat subjective, and ultimately depend on what one values most. There is so much talent in the NBA, and the gap between many of these stars often comes down to preference. For Rivers, he has competed against all of these players, and made his ranking based upon who he feels the NBA's best seven players are.
Related Articles
Former NBA Star Destroys Narrative About Nikola Jokic's Playoff Run
Nuggets Broadcaster Reacts to Backlash Over 'Lakers Daddy' Comments

Joey Linn is a credentialed writer covering the NBA and WNBA for On SI. Covering the LA Clippers independently in 2018, then for Fansided and 213Hoops from 2019-2021, Joey joined On SI to cover the Clippers after the 2020-21 season. Graduating from Biola University in 2022 with a Communication Studies degree, Joey served as Biola's play-by-play announcer for their basketball, baseball, softball, and soccer teams. Joey's work on Biola's broadcasts and in the classroom earned him the Outstanding Communication Studies Student of the year award in 2022. Joey covers the NBA full-time, primarily serving as a Clippers beat writer.