The NBA season is upon us! In this era of the NBA there are so many great players to choose from, and they are all great at different things. With that being said, here are the top 10 NBA players overall for 2024-25.
10. Kevin Durant
Durant is one of the greatest scorers of the 2010s and present. Some fans would say the greatest three-level scorer ever. He finds himself at 10 behind nine others because he has taken a step back as a winner. Durant will be playing alongside young guard Devin Booker for the Phoenix Suns again in 2024-25
9. LeBron James
LeBron may be in the greatest-of-all-time debate, but he finds himself in the nine spot. LeBron has proven to be just as good as he was 10 years ago at the current age 39. The reason he is at number nine is because he has been also overtaken as a winner by some of the younger teams. LeBron will be entering year 22 of his career for the Los Angeles Lakers.
8. Anthony Edwards
The NBA’s golden boy/villain finds himself at number eight on this list after making it one playoff series short of the NBA finals at the age of 22. Edwards is mostly known for sending home the defending champions of 2023, the Denver Nuggets in the second round. He has taken a big step as a leader as such a young player for the Minnesota Timberwolves.
7. Stephen Curry
Although Curry’s Warriors team has hit its low this past season, Curry still gets it done from beyond the three point line. Something that Steph does really well is making his teammates better and the average fan will overlook that. Steph also won the title back in 2022 with the Warriors, before his team fell off in 2024.
6. Jayson Tatum
Coming in at number six is the player whose villain era has officially begun. Tatum won the 2024 finals with the Boston Celtics and was snubbed out of a Finals MVP trophy. He has somehow lost the respect of the NBA fanbase for some of his lackluster performances in the playoffs. Tatum won his first ring this past year on just his second NBA Finals appearance. Although Tatum had his struggles this playoffs, he is proven to be the best on his team. The hate on Tatum has gotten out of hand and he deserves respect.
5. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
Shai’s 2024 MVP campaign was special that is why he has cracked the top 5 on this list. He was averaging 31 points per game and was automatic for the mid-range. He also took one of the youngest teams in the NBA to the Western Conference Semi’s during this season. Not often do you see such an inexperienced team contend for a championship. In this case, Shai was the leader on a young Oklahoma City Thunder team.
4. Giannis Antetokounmpo
Giannis Antetokounmpo, also known as the Greek Freak is one of the most dominant players on both sides of the basketball. He is a two time MVP and NBA defensive player of the year. Although Giannis has struggled with injuries the last couple years. When he is healthy he is a winner and arguably the best player in the league. Giannis also won the title in 2021 with his Milwaukee Bucks squad, scoring 50 in a close out game.
3. Joel Embiid
The 2023 NBA MVP is on this list at three. Through the nagging injuries and playoff struggles, Embiid is a seven foot and 280 pound giant that can score at all three levels of the floor. This past season he scored 70 points in a game. Due to his injuries Embiid was never fully healthy this playoffs and found himself going home after just the first round. Besides that Embiid is the best scorer in today’s game while trying to help push his Philadelphia 76ers team over the top and get some playoff success.
2. Luka Doncic
Luka Doncic is as magic as it gets in the NBA. He was just an assist and rebound shy of becoming the third different player in NBA history to average a triple-double in a season. He did all that while averaging a league high 33 points per game. Luka is always making social media headlines for his ridiculous passes to his open teammates and his wild circus shots in the middle of the games. Luka had just helped lead his Dallas Mavericks team to the NBA finals in May at the age of 25, but they came up short.
1. Nikola Jokic
The three time league MVP from Serbia, Nikola Jokic is the number one player in the NBA. Fun fact: he has three of the last four league MVP’s. His play style consists of incredible passing and rebounding, while his scoring is just as impressive because nobody can guard him down low with his 6 ’11 and 280 pound frame. Jokic also won the 2023 NBA title with the Denver Nuggets. He is the clear number one for this list mainly because of his last four dominant seasons in the NBA (2020–21 MVP, 2021–22 MVP, 2022-23 NBA champion and Finals MVP, 2023–24 MVP). As long as Jokic is in the league, the Nuggets are always contenders.
