The 25 Greatest NBA Players of the 21st Century

Who helped write the story of the 21st century NBA the most? Does anyone come close to LeBron James at the top of the list?

The gap between LeBron James and Kobe Bryant among the greatest modern NBA players is larger than you might think. / IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Any list that attempts to answer a question as big as “Who are the greatest basketball players of the century?” is bound to be controversial. Even agreeing on a definition and criteria for the term “greatest” can be a challenge. Anyone can prioritize different things in terms of peak, longevity, team accomplishments, and individual accolades. Before getting into my rankings, I want to make sure I set the table properly in terms of my general philosophy and approach. 

In this exercise, I define “greatness” as impacting winning within the team context. You can think of it this way: If we took each of these players and put them on a random franchise at the start of their careers, who would impact winning the most throughout the course of their careers? 

This takes into account a player’s peak as well as longevity. Leadership, malleability, fit on different teams, and locker room presence also come into play. The context of the teams they spend their careers with matters. Even though team success isn’t the be-all and end-all here, the ability to perform when the stakes are the highest is very important. 

It’s also crucial to clarify the pool of players available to us. I have included every player whose peak occurred during the 2000s. So, players drafted in the 1990s are part of the exercise as long as their best years were in the 21st century. 

Active players are also included as long as they are at least five seasons into their careers. Someone like Victor Wembanyama would have been too difficult to rank because of how little he has played compared to the rest of the players on the list. 

For active players, I accounted for projections for the rest of their careers. I placed them on the list based on realistic projections for the rest of their careers. 

Without further ado, let’s start. 

25. Anthony Edwards

Ant-Man has consistently risen to the occasion ever since he stepped into the league in 2020. Despite having just turned 25, Edwards is a proven playoff riser, making back-to-back conference finals as the top dog in Minnesota. 

Given how much he has improved since coming into the league, if anything, No. 25 might prove to be too low for him before long. 

24. Allen Iverson

If we were taking off-court impact into account, AI would be at least ten spots higher on this list. An era-defining icon, Iverson was one of the earliest heliocentric offensive engines of the modern era. 

There may never be a smaller superstar who will dominate the way Iverson did, but his lack of size, defensive chops, and off-ball ability is also why he is not higher on the list. 

23. Paul Pierce

An underrated offensive player due to a lack of team success earlier in his career, Pierce eventually proved himself as the versatile, efficient scorer that he is once the Celtics built good teams around him. He was a resilient offensive player and an underappreciated defender who had huge playoff moments.    

Paul Pierce overcame the Celtics' lack of success early in his career to become an all-time great. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports / IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

22. Jimmy Butler

A championship has eluded him so far, but very few players have more iconic playoff series than Butler in his generation. He never had a dominant, MVP-caliber regular season, but he has elite two-way impact and unforgettable playoff performances. 

21. Jason Kidd

Kidd was never the unstoppable scorer that many players on this list are, but he redefined the point guard position. An incredible defender and transition player, Kidd impacted the game in non-scoring ways that few players ever had. 

He was the original triple-double machine of this era before another point guard higher on this list took over the title.  

20. Jayson Tatum

The Celtics star can easily be higher on this list depending on how he looks for a full season after his Achilles tear. He might be the most malleable player of his generation, seamlessly able to fit on any team and in any context. He has no weaknesses in his game, and not many players have won as much as he has through their first nine years. 

19. Russell Westbrook

The recently retired triple-double machine, Westbrook, was a force to be reckoned with. He became a polarizing figure and a scapegoat later in his career, but during his OKC years, Westbrook was one of the most exciting players in the league. 

Arguably the most athletic point guard of all time, Russ is a key character in the story of the 21st century NBA. 

18. Anthony Davis

AD was not able to reach his full potential due to nagging injuries and is a fascinating what-if story. If he were able to sustain his peak for longer periods, AD would have been higher on this list. When he was able to stay healthy, he was consistently one of the best big men in the league. The 2020 title run with the Lakers remains the highlight of his career. 

Injuries and a short peak will always leave fans wondering what could have been in Anthony Davis' still-great career. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports / IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

17. James Harden

Harden is an era-defining offensive talent. His Rockets teams centered around his isolation and pick-and-roll ability will never be forgotten. The combination of his scoring and passing is nearly unparalleled, and very few players have reached the ceiling he has in the regular season. 

His underwhelming playoff performances are the reason he is not higher on this list. 

16. Steve Nash

If Harden’s Rockets defined the 2010s NBA, Nash’s Suns teams defined the 2000s. The seven seconds or less teams coached by Mike D’Antoni revolutionized modern NBA offenses and earned Nash two MVP awards. 

An incredible offensive talent as one of the best shooters and passers ever, Nash remains highly underrated despite the individual accolades. 

15. Dirk Nowitzki

Arguably the greatest shooting big man of all-time, Nowitzki had a massive impact on the game. His Mavs teams were consistently some of the best offenses in the league. The 2011 title run is as iconic as it comes. 

14. Kawhi Leonard

At his peak, Kawhi is one of the greatest players ever. The problem is that he has had so few healthy playoff runs. Whenever he is healthy, Leonard is still a playoff riser. His scoring is extremely resilient. No one can get to his spots as easily as he can. In his prime, he was also arguably the best perimeter defender in the league. 

13. Giannis Antetokounmpo

The two-time MVP is not the elite offensive engine that other players at this level are, but he is one of the best defenders on the list. He is an excellent leader who plays with a ton of intensity. At his best, he was an undeniable physical and athletic force. 

He has had bad injury luck over the past few postseasons, but he can still do enough to climb up these rankings. 

12. Dwyane Wade

Wade’s peak between 2005 and 2010 is almost as good as any player on the list. He was one of the best drivers and finishers in the league. He had a lightning-quick first step and was a relentless attacker. Simultaneously, he was an elite defender and remains the best shot-blocking guard ever. 

This peak was, unfortunately, short-lived. He had to deal with a lot of injury problems later in his career and wasn’t a very effective player toward the end of the Heatles run.   

11. Luka Dončić

Dončić might be the best perimeter offensive weapon in the league right now. His skill set on that end of the floor is one of the best ever. The combination of his size, ball-handling, passing, and scoring is unmatched. 

But the defensive concerns remain. In order to be able to win at the highest level, the effort and intensity have to ramp up in the second half of his career. 

10. Chris Paul

Lack of postseason success has made CP3 severely underrated in these discussions. The Point God has made an impact on every team he has played for. One of the greatest floor generals of all-time, Paul could truly do it all on both ends of the floor. He was always efficient and rarely made mistakes. His 2007-2008 campaign remains one of the most underappreciated seasons of the last two decades. 

Don't let a lack of postseason success cloud your view of how great Chris Paul was. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports / IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

9. Kevin Durant

Durant is one of the best scorers ever in terms of the combination of volume and efficiency. However, his elite shot-making makes him a slightly overrated offensive engine. He is not the passer, playmaker, or shot creator that a lot of the players on this list are. Most of the time, it doesn’t matter because he can shoot over anybody and hit shots from anywhere. 

Leadership and locker room concerns have piled up since he left the Warriors, preventing him from being higher on this list. 

8. Kevin Garnett

KG is probably the most versatile player of the century not named LeBron James. He is also arguably the best defender ever who is not named Bill Russell. 

The Minnesota Timberwolves did him dirty by not being able to put quality teams around him in his prime. Between 2002 and 2007, he had a strong argument to be the best player in the NBA. He was at least able to prove himself with the 2008 championship in Boston, where he was clearly the best player despite not winning the Finals MVP. 

7. Kobe Bryant

Similar to KD, Kobe gets slightly overrated because of his elite tough shot-making ability. In fact, no one made difficult shots look easier than Kobe. He was an elite scorer, to be sure, but he was not the offensive engine that players higher on this list are. 

He was an elite defender earlier in his career and an excellent playmaker later in his career, but these never aligned. 

An elite offensive player with a knack for making tough shots look effortless, Kobe didn't put the complete package together often enough to make it higher on the list. Mandatory Credit: Tom Szczerbowski-USA TODAY Sports / IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

6. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander

This could be considered controversial because SGA is only eight years into his career. In those eight years, however, he has already accomplished a ton, including a championship and back-to-back MVPs. He has been the best player in the league over the last two seasons, and there is no reason to think that he can’t continue this for the next several years. 

SGA is the undisputed best player and leader of the team that has won more games than any other team in the NBA over the last three years.  

5. Nikola Jokic

He is arguably the best offensive player ever. The fact that he may have been both the best scorer and the best passer in the league for the past five seasons is absurd. 

He can be a defensive liability, especially in the playoffs. This prevents him from being higher on the list, but his offense more than makes up for it. 

4. Steph Curry

If Jokic is the best offensive player ever, Curry may be the second. No individual has revolutionized the game as much as Curry in the 21st century. Singularly responsible for the three-point revolution, Curry is the face of modern basketball. 

A Steph three-pointer is the greatest offensive threat ever. He has leveraged that into incredibly dominant regular seasons and playoffs. His 2016 season, when he won unanimous MVP, may be the greatest individual campaign anyone has ever had. 

The way Steph Curry revolutionized the modern game is unmatched. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports / IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

3. Shaquille O’Neal

Shaq arguably had the most dominant peak on this list, perhaps trailing only LeBron James. As an individual scorer, he was as unstoppable as they come. He was incredibly efficient and had a ton of on-ball and off-ball gravity, making everything so easy for his teammates. 

His longevity was not elite, free throws were a problem, and his effort level could wax and wane. But when he was on the court, no one could deal with Shaq.  

2. Tim Duncan

The San Antonio Spurs were incredibly dominant in the first decade of the 2000s. The main reason why was Duncan’s two-way ability and leadership. 

Not only was TD one of the best defenders in the league throughout his career, but he was also a highly efficient scorer at his peak in the early 2000s. No one won as much as him during his prime. 

1. LeBron James

LeBron’s story is still not over, but his place in NBA history has been decided. At worst, he is the second-greatest player of all-time. He clearly has the best longevity anyone has ever had, as he is putting together All-NBA-caliber seasons into his early 40s. In terms of peak, he may have challengers in NBA history, but no one in the 21st century comes particularly close.