Ranking top 25 NBA players of the 21st century, from LeBron to Russ: Kobe misses top five, Jokić over Shaq

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The foundation for 2000s NBA basketball was laid in the late 90s, when the Lakers traded for Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant and the Spurs drafted Tim Duncan. As Michael Jordan and the Bulls took their last dance, those two teams, on the backs of those three players, won five of the first six titles of this century, and together those three players have won a combined 14 titles. 

Add in four each for LeBron James and Stephen Curry, and that’s 22 championships over the last 25 years spread among just five players.

Sure, there’s overlap in that number, but it illustrates just how dominant these guys were — and in some cases still are — as we take a look back at the NBA’s top 25 players 25 years into the 21st century. Keep in mind, this ranking only accounts for basketball played after Jan. 1, 2000. Nothing Shaq did in Orlando, or in his first few years with L.A., counts. Technically, neither does Duncan’s first title in 1999, though in spirit that one still resonates as the true beginning of the Spurs dynasty.

This ranking, arrived at by way of our CBS Sports NBA staff voting, is sure to be debated. I can already hear the cries of the Kobe contingent for what does, in all fairness, feel like too low a ranking to accurately capture his greatness, even though I agree with all the players ranked above him. Such is life in what has been by far the most collectively talented era in NBA history. To crack the top half of this list, you had to be an all-time great, and even the guys on the lower half are headed straight for the Hall of Fame, if they’re not already there.

So, let the arguing begin. Just try to keep it civil.

1. LeBron James

• Years in NBA: 2003-present
• Teams: Cavaliers (twice), Heat, Lakers

LeBron was crowned “The Chosen One” on the cover of Sports Illustrated before he played a single NBA game. It was an impossible level of hype to live up to, and yet, somehow, James has actually exceeded the expectations in becoming arguably the greatest player to ever live. The guy has played 22 seasons and was a top-10 MVP finisher in the first AND the last. In between, he’s won four MVPs (in a five-year span) and four championships — and oh, by the way, he has long passed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as the NBA’s all-time leading scorer. In terms of peak performance, only a few players in history are even arguably in LeBron’s class. In terms of longevity and consistency, nobody has, or likely ever will, come close. — Brad Botkin

2. Stephen Curry

• Years in NBA: 2009-present
• Team: Warriors

There’s a case that Curry’s peak was higher than LeBron’s: Four championships, three of which came over LeBron and two of which came without the help of a true second superstar. Six Finals appearances. Eleven All-NBA selections in a 12-year span. Best player on an NBA-record 73-win team. All-time 3-point leader. Two-time MVP, including the only unanimous selection in history in 2015-16, when he put together arguably the greatest single season ever at 30 PPG while shooting a positively preposterous 45% from 3 on over 11 attempts per game. If anyone even tries to claim a player other than LeBron has been better than Curry this century, report them to the proper authorities. — Brad Botkin

3. Tim Duncan

• Years in NBA: 1997-2016
• Team: Spurs

Duncan is less appreciated, or at least less celebrated, than his glitziest contemporaries (i.e. Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant), but he was better than both of them. The better comparisons are Tom Brady And Stephen Curry in that detractors of both those greats tried, for as long as possible, to categorize them as products of their respective systems, but in the end everyone came to realize that they were the system. Same with Duncan and the Spurs. You think LeBron took the league by storm? Duncan won MVP honors in 2001 and 2002 and finished top 10 in the voting in each of the first eight years of the century. While he didn’t enjoy quite the longevity of LeBron, he was an elite player for nearly two decades — winning his fifth and final championship in his 16th season and finishing top-10 in MVP voting at 39 years old. — Brad Botkin

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4. Nikola Jokić

• Years in NBA: 2015-present
• Team: Nuggets

This one is sure to spark some controversy, but I stand in full support of the cumulative findings of this poll — Nikola Jokić is a better basketball player now than Shaquille O’Neal ever was. That’s not a knock on Shaq, an obvious all-time great and the next guy on this list. Jokić is just another level in terms of everything he brings and overall impact. Five straight years Jokic has finished either first or second in MVP voting; he won three of them and has been the best player in the world, unequivocally, for the last half decade. The championship he won with the Nuggets, sans a single All-Star teammate, is a greater accomplishment than any championship Shaq ever won alongside Kobe Bryant or Dwyane Wade. By the time Jokić’s career is over, he will be largely regarded as the greatest big man to ever play. — Brad Botkin

5. Shaquille O’Neal

• Years in NBA: 1992-2011
• Teams: Magic, Lakers, Heat, Suns, Cavaliers, Celtics

Superman. Diesel. The Big Aristotle. Call him what you want, but Shaq was one of the most dominant basketball players to ever take the floor. His grace and agility were unprecedented for a man of his massive 7-foot-1, 300-plus pound frame, and the fearsome combination led to four NBA championships, three Finals MVPs, one regular-season MVP, two scoring titles, three All-Defensive selections and 14 All-NBA appearances. This all came from a player who many believe didn’t necessarily dedicate himself 100% toward basketball. He’d be higher on this list if it encompassed his early career with the Orlando Magic, but his most impressive accomplishments came after the turn of the century as a member of the Los Angeles Lakers and Miami Heat. He is fifth all-time in career player efficiency rating, according to Basketball Reference, trailing Anthony Davis, LeBron James, Michael Jordan and Nikola Jokić. — Colin Ward-Henninger

6. Kobe Bryant

• Years in NBA: 1996-2016
• Team: Lakers

A sizable and vocal contingent of NBA fans consider Kobe Bryant to be the best basketball player who ever lived. Analytics don’t exactly support that case, making him the premier test case in the ongoing battle of numbers versus the eye test. Playing all 20 of his NBA seasons with the Lakers, Bryant was a five-time champ, two-time Finals MVP, one-time league MVP, 12-time All-Defensive selection and 15-time All-NBA choice. It speaks to his lasting impact that those incredible accomplishments pale in comparison to his legacy of “Mamba Mentality,” which has only grown stronger following his tragic death in 2020. People shout “Kobe!” as they hurl balled up wads of paper toward garbage cans. In his 2015 poem, “Dear Basketball,” which later served as the screenplay for an Oscar-winning short film, Bryant perfectly encapsulated what the game meant to him and, correspondingly, what he meant to so many fans: “You asked for my hustle/ I gave you my heart/ Because it came with so much more.” — Colin Ward-Henninger

7. Giannis Antetokounmpo

• Years in the NBA: 2013-present
• Team: Bucks

Antetokounmpo is one of the greatest development stories in league history. Rising from obscurity in Greece, he’s won all there is to win: Most Improved Player, Defensive Player of the Year, MVP (twice), Finals MVP and a championship. Along the way he’s made nine All-Star appearances, nine All-NBA appearances and five All-Defensive appearances, all with the Milwaukee Bucks. One-team superstars are rare these days, and Antetokounmpo may eventually take his name off that list. But whatever happens down the line, what he’s done in Milwaukee will never be forgotten. He arrived as a skinny teenager with big dreams and accomplished them all as he grew into one of the most imposing two-way forces the game has ever seen. — Jack Maloney

8. Kevin Durant

• Years in NBA: 2007-present
• Teams: Thunder, Warriors, Nets, Suns, Rockets

Throughout Durant’s 17-year career he’s continuously been on a very short list of the game’s best players. It didn’t take long for him to establish himself as one of the greatest scorers the league has ever seen, thanks to the fact he’s able to pull up from just about anywhere on the floor while standing at 6-foot-11. He ushered in a wave of modern forwards, and now every year we’re seeing guys enter the league with a KD-like build doing things we’d never expect them to do. — Jasmyn Wimbish 

9. Kevin Garnett

• Years in NBA: 1995–2016
• Teams: Timberwolves (twice), Celtics, Nets

Before “positionless basketball” and “unicorn” entered the basketball lexicon, Garnett was a superstar big man who moved like a wing and had guard skills. All the stories about his intensity and trash talk are true, as is all the lore about him setting the tone for the Boston Celtics’ 2008 title run. He was not, however, just one of basketball’s all-time great screaming maniacs. He was one of basketball’s all-time greats, and he happened to be a screaming maniac. The defense-first version of Garnett was exactly what Boston needed, but the guy that carried the Wolves to multiple 50-win seasons — and won MVP on a 58-win team that made the conference finals the one time Minnesota put together a decent supporting cast — could do everything, on both ends. — James Herbert

10. Dirk Nowitzki

• Years in NBA: 1999-2019
• Team: Mavericks

If Nowitzki’s peak was in today’s NBA, he’d be one of the best active players. He entered a league where it was frowned upon for 7-footers to be playing away from the basket, and yet he proved that not only is it possible, but showed that this is how basketball can be played. Nowitzki was revolutionary during the 2000s, a 7-footer with elite efficiency from everywhere on the floor and an iconic shot that is arguably the most unguardable in league history. A shot that many have tried to duplicate, but nobody does a one-legged fadeaway like Dirk. — Jasmyn Wimbish

11. Dwyane Wade

• Years in NBA: 2003-2019
• Teams: Heat (twice), Bulls, Cavaliers

Prime Dwyane Wade was the closest thing to Kobe Bryant. Wade was probably the better athlete, The skills — particularly the footwork and array of shotmaking — were highly comparable. He was unstoppable the year he won the scoring title (2009) on a team without one other player the defense was concerned about. Stan Van Gundy never trusted young players, but he put the ball in Wade’s hands as a rookie for a game-winning shot in the playoffs and he delivered. And he never stopped over a 16-year career that saw him win three championships (one as the No. 1 guy in just his third season) and finish in the top 10 of MVP voting seven times. — Brad Botkin

12. Chris Paul

• Years in NBA: 2005-present
• Teams: Hornets, Clippers (twice), Rockets, Thunder, Suns, Warriors, Spurs

Pay no mind to the no-ring absolutists out there. Paul, who is second only to John Stockton in career assists, is one of the five greatest point guards to ever play. He’s made 12 All-Star teams, 11 All-NBA teams and eight All-Defense teams. Six times he led the league in steals. Ten times he finished top-10 in MVP voting, including four in the top five. Most importantly: Paul has played for seven teams in his career, and those seven teams have improved by a combined 64 wins in the first year he arrived. That tells you everything you need to know. — Brad Botkin

13. Kawhi Leonard

• Years in NBA: 2011–present
• Teams: Spurs, Raptors, Clippers

Leonard arrived in the NBA as an elite defensive prospect, a 6-foot-7 forward with a 7-3 wingspan, enormous hands and the speed and strength to stay in front of anybody. Instead of merely turning out to be one of the best one-on-one defenders who has ever lived, though, he also became one of the best one-on-one scorers who has ever lived. On more than one occasion, he had a legitimate claim to the title of Best Player on the Planet. Guys who shoot 25% from 3-point range in college aren’t supposed to become unguardable jump shooters in the pros, but Leonard is an anomaly in many ways. One of them, unfortunately, is that, while he has accomplished more than anyone could have imagined — he’s been an All-NBA lock when healthy since 2016 and he won two Finals MVPs five years apart — his list of accolades has been severely shortened by injuries. Curse Zaza Pachulia’s foot. — James Herbert

14. Steve Nash

• Years in NBA: 1996-2014
• Teams: Suns, Mavericks, Lakers

Generally speaking, Nash’s career is underrated. His shooting numbers were historically elite, as he’s the only player in league history to have more than two 50-40-90 seasons (he has four). His assist numbers were also historic, as there’s only two other players to average 11+ assists in a single season five or more times, the other two are John Stockton and Magic Johnson. There haven’t been many players in the last 25 years who have been more impactful to their team’s success than Nash, and his two MVP trophies are a testament to that. — Jasmyn Wimbish

15. James Harden

• Years in NBA: 2009–present
• Teams: Thunder, Rockets, Nets, 76ers, Clippers

Daryl Morey was right: Peak Harden is arguably the best offensive player ever. His ability to be the engine of an offense became obvious as soon as he got to Houston in 2012, but, when Mike D’Antoni showed up in 2016, the Rockets began something of an experiment: If surrounded by stationary shooters (and screen-setters, at least at first), how much could one team ask of one brilliant playmaker before the efficiency suffers? The answer, it turned out, was a hell of a lot: For four straight seasons, Harden had a usage rate above 33% (topping out at 39.6% in 2018-19) and a true shooting percentage between 61.3% and 62.6%. Harden has some has some duds on his playoff résumé and his ball-dominant style isn’t for everybody, but even his biggest detractors must acknowledge that, when he mastered the stepback 3, he broke conventional NBA defense — opposing coaches decided to effectively guard him from behind to prevent the stepback and, later, simply trap him in the backcourt to get the ball out of his hands. — James Herbert

16. Luka Dončić

• Years in NBA: 2018-present
• Teams: Mavericks, Lakers

Dončić ranking this high with only seven seasons under his belt should tell you everything you need to know about where his career is headed. This is a guy who has more All-NBA First Team selections than Stephen Curry, has finished in the top five of MVP voting in three of the last five seasons, and is an absolute wizard on the basketball floor. You’d be hard pressed to find many other players who can control a game as well as Dončić can offensively, and the ones who can are ranked incredibly high on this list. His IQ, clutch shot making, and ability to completely rip the soul out of an opponent with his scoring make him someone no team wants to face. The fact he’s only 26 and probably hasn’t reached his peak should be terrifying for everyone else. — Jasmyn Wimbish

17. Jason Kidd

• Years in NBA: 1995-2013
• Teams: Mavericks (twice), Suns, Nets, Knicks

Look up “point guard” in the basketball dictionary and you’ll find a photo of Kidd — probably looking to the right as the words fly swiftly and accurately to the left. The Bay Area product ranks third all-time in career assists, and you’d be more comfortable with the ball in his hands than arguably any player in basketball history. His impact on this century largely came in two phases — first as the engine of a New Jersey Nets team that made consecutive Finals appearances in the early 2000s, and then as the elder statesman on the 2011 champion Dallas Mavericks. A testament to his work ethic, Kidd went from a virtual non-shooter early in his career to the top 10 in career 3-pointers made at the time of his retirement. Whatever your team needed, on either end, Kidd gave it to you with maximum effort and precision. — Colin Ward-Henninger

18. Dwight Howard

• Years in NBA: 2004 – 2022
• Teams: Magic, Lakers (three times), Rockets, Hawks, Hornets, Wizards, 76ers

It’s easy to forget because of the lackluster conclusion to his career and his jovial personality, but prime Dwight Howard was a PROBLEM. In five seasons from 2007-2012, he averaged 21 points, 14 rebounds and 2.5 blocks per game on 59% shooting while winning three straight Defensive Player of the Year awards. His combination of size and athleticism might be the most impressive in league history, putting him on par — physically, at least — with the likes of Shaquille O’Neal and Wilt Chamberlain. Howard was basically the ideal version of a versatile, rim-running, shot-blocking center — a skill set which virtually every NBA team is still hunting — and he simplified his game while winning a title with the Lakers in 2020. His lasting legacy likely will be his beaming smile and his unforgettable Dunk Contest performances, but Howard is undeniably one of the most dominant big men of the century. — Colin Ward-Henninger

19. Anthony Davis

• Years in NBA: 2012-present
• Teams: Pelicans, Lakers, Mavericks

Whenever Davis has been healthy he has been one of the best players in the league, equally dominant on both ends and impossibly skilled for a man of his size. Peak Davis was 2016-18 in New Orleans before he forced his way out, when he was a 28 and 11 guy and probably the best defender on the planet. He had some huge years with the Lakers, too, highlighted by the 2020 championship run in which he turned into Kevin Durant inside the bubble, making an absurd 55% of his mid-range jumpers beyond 16 feet. That was one of the craziest outlier shooting performances in history, but it happened, and it largely led the Lakers to their only championship in the LeBron era. — Brad Botkin

20. Allen Iverson

• Years in NBA: 1996-2010
• Teams: 76ers (twice), Nuggets, Pistons, Grizzlies

There probably isn’t a more fearless basketball player in the last 25 years than Iverson. Standing at just 6-foot with shoes on, Iverson never was scared to drive into the lane despite the likes of Shaquille O’Neal or Kevin Garnett lurking under the basket. The fact he managed to lead the league in scoring on four separate occasions and win NBA MVP despite his small stature alone makes his place on this list valid. He might not have been the most efficient scorer, but Iverson’s quick first step and athleticism made him difficult to bottle up. He had great balance despite getting knocked around every time he penetrated the lane, and possessed a never-quit attitude that made him someone you’d want on your team. Basketball aside, there arguably isn’t a more impactful player to the culture of basketball than Iverson in the last 25 years. — Jasmyn Wimbish

21. Tracy McGrady

• Years in NBA: 1997–2012
• Teams: Raptors, Magic, Rockets, Knicks, Pistons, Hawks

It is impossible not to play the what-if game with McGrady. What if his knees, shoulder and back hadn’t betrayed him? What if he’d stayed with Vince Carter in Toronto or Tim Duncan had come with him to Orlando or he’d just gotten a few chances to chase a championship with a healthy version or Grant Hill or Yao Ming as a co-star? What if he’d been born later and empowered to play a James Harden- or Luka Dončić-like role in the pace-and-space era? By virtue of McGrady’s immense talent, he could/should have finished his career with more than his seven All-Star selections, seven All-NBA Team selections and two scoring titles. During his regrettably short prime, he was always the smoothest scorer on the court, often the best athlete and, though he appeared nonchalant at times, he could absolutely explode at any moment. — James Herbert

22. Damian Lillard

• Years in NBA: 2012-present
• Teams: Blazers, Bucks (twice)

Lillard burst onto the scene as an unexpected Rookie of the Year in 2012. By Year 2 he was an All-Star. Beginning in his fourth season, he ran off five top-eight MVP finishes in a six-year span. There was a time when Lillard was absolutely the most feared shooter in the world not named Stephen Curry, and he’ll also go down as one of the most clutch players the league has ever seen. Another guy who will likely finish his career without a championship, but anyone with an even halfway objective viewpoint knows he was never on a team that was capable of winning a championship, to say nothing of the fact that his prime coincided with the rise of Curry and the Warriors in the West. You can’t hold that against him. — Brad Botkin

23. Jayson Tatum

• Years in the NBA: 2017-present
• Team: Celtics

In Tatum’s eight seasons, he’s made six All-Star appearances, five All-NBA Teams, including four consecutive First Teams, won a title and never missed the playoffs. One of the most versatile and consistent players of his generation, he was also one of the most durable until an Achilles tendon tear during the 2025 playoffs that will cost him the 2025-26 season and forever alter his career. No matter what happens once he returns to the court, though, Tatum has already established himself as a Celtics great and boasts a Hall of Fame résumé. — Jack Maloney

24. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander

• Years in NBA: 2018-present
• Teams: Clippers, Thunder

The man with the longest last name in NBA history also had some of the longest odds to superstardom of anyone on this list. Drafted 11th overall in 2018, Gilgeous-Alexander showed promise as a rookie with the Clippers, who reluctantly included him in a trade to the Thunder in order to land Paul George and Kawhi Leonard in the same summer — but you can’t find a single person outside of the Gilgeous-Alexander household who expected him to blossom into an MVP, the league’s leading scorer and an NBA champion before his 27th birthday. His positional size and unique basketball cadence make him virtually unguardable, and he’s an anomaly in the modern game as a guard who does most of his scoring damage inside the 3-point line. — Colin Ward-Henninger

25. Russell Westbrook

• Years in NBA: 2008-present
• Teams: Thunder, Rockets, Wizards, Lakers, Clippers, Nuggets

Westbrook has always had his flaws, but to let the latter third of his career paint a disproportionate picture of the player he’s been on the whole is a major mistake. This is a guy who averaged a triple-double in four different seasons. He has an MVP and finished in the top four in voting four times. Only prime Derrick Rose (and maybe Ja Morant) has a case over Westbrook as the most athletic point guard to ever play. Dwyane Wade once said: “There was a stretch when Russell Westbrook was the greatest player on the planet hands down.” That might be a stretch, but it’s not that big of a stretch. Prime Westbrook, as the kids say, was a problem. — Brad Botkin

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