Top 25 Players of the 21st Century According to U.S. Media: LeBron James Ranks First, Curry Second, Durant Sixth, Harden Fourteenth

On November 10th Beijing time, well-known American media The Athletic compiled a ranking of the top 25 NBA players of the 21st century. What positions did stars such as LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, Stephen Curry, and Kevin Durant achieve? Below is The Athletic’s main interpretation—

Choosing the top 25 players from the first 25 years of the 21st century seems like a challenging endeavor. The game today is vastly different from 25 years ago, but that is exactly what we aimed to address.

This selection was conducted by a panel of 43 writers, podcasters, and editors, each submitting a ranked list of 25 players. The first place received 25 points, second place 24 points, and so forth, down to one point for the twenty-fifth place. The maximum possible score (all 43 voters placing a player first) was 1075 points. All statistics and honors considered for the rankings began from the 2000-01 season onward.

You might notice some names you expected to see are missing. Joel Embiid, Tracy McGrady, and Damian Lillard did receive votes but not enough to make the cut. This underscores the elite roster of NBA stars over the past quarter-century. Our list reflects the evolution of the game: featuring dominant big men who control the paint alongside numerous guards and wings who, through their shooting range and volume, have permanently reshaped the offensive landscape.

The list also highlights the current global nature of the NBA. Players from Canada, Slovenia, Serbia, Greece, Germany, and the U.S. Virgin Islands all made the cut. Today’s NBA brings together the world’s best talents alongside American domestic stars, blending skill with new spatial strategies, shooting philosophies (and some defense), creating countless unforgettable moments—and many more classics are yet to come.

Here are the rankings of the top 25 players of the 21st century, with voting scores in parentheses—

Positions 1-5:1. LeBron James (1073 points), 2. Stephen Curry (997 points), 3. Tim Duncan (982 points), 4. Kobe Bryant (952 points), 5. Nikola Jokic (873 points);

Positions 6-10:6. Kevin Durant (854 points), 7. Shaquille O’Neal (815 points), 8. Giannis Antetokounmpo (755 points), 9. Dirk Nowitzki (709 points), 10. Dwyane Wade (690 points);

Positions 11-15:11. Kevin Garnett (674 points), 12. Kawhi Leonard (544 points), 13. Chris Paul (527 points), 14. James Harden (485 points), 15. Steve Nash (482 points);

Positions 16-20:16. Russell Westbrook (334 points), 17. Allen Iverson (269 points), 18. Dwight Howard (265 points), 19. Luka Doncic (247 points), 20. Paul Pierce (233 points);

Positions 21-25:21. Anthony Davis (205 points), 22. Jason Kidd (183 points), 23. Jayson Tatum (162 points), 24. Carmelo Anthony (128 points), 25. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (119 points).

Do you have any differing opinions on this ranking? Feel free to leave your thoughts in the comments.