[ESPN] 21世纪NBA 25大球星排名

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由生成式人工智能翻译，译文内容可能不准确或不完整，以原文为准。

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ESPN百大运动员：科比·布莱恩特(Kobe Bryant)的精彩集锦 (2:59)

观看NBA超级巨星科比·布莱恩特的十大职业生涯精彩集锦，他在ESPN 21世纪百大运动员中排名第十。(2:59)

  • ESPN

2024年7月25日，美国东部时间上午8:00

当勒布朗·詹姆斯(LeBron James)作为2003年选秀大会的状元秀进入NBA时，他面临着看似不可能的期望。

詹姆斯已经登上了《体育画报》的封面，标题是“天选之子”。他的高中比赛已经在国家电视台转播了一年多。他是这项运动历史上最受期待的新秀之一。

20多年过去了，詹姆斯不仅达到了这些期望，还超越了它们。

今天，这位39岁的超级巨星——正带领美国队征战巴黎奥运会，力争连续第五次获得奥运金牌——仍然是这个星球上最优秀的球员之一。

詹姆斯是NBA历史上的总得分王。他连续八次进入NBA总决赛，总共十次。他四次举起拉里·奥布莱恩奖杯，包括在2016年带领克利夫兰骑士队获得俄亥俄州东北部半个世纪以来的第一个职业体育冠军，以及在2020年奥兰多泡沫中带领洛杉矶湖人队夺冠。他获得了四次NBA最有价值球员奖和同样数量的总决赛MVP。

这一切都使詹姆斯成为21世纪初最伟大的男子篮球运动员，这是一个非常容易做出的选择。

那么，在“国王”詹姆斯之后呢？

事情就复杂多了。

科比·布莱恩特(Kobe Bryant)应该排在蒂姆·邓肯(Tim Duncan)之前吗？德维恩·韦德(Dwyane Wade)排在凯文·加内特(Kevin Garnett)之前？科怀·伦纳德(Kawhi Leonard)排在克里斯·保罗(Chris Paul)之前？德雷蒙德·格林(Draymond Green)和克莱·汤普森(Klay Thompson)都能上榜吗？雷·阿伦(Ray Allen)和保罗·皮尔斯(Paul Pierce)呢？

除了排名第一的詹姆斯之外，其他任何排名都不是不可动摇的。然而，它们很有趣。

在ESPN专家小组对此进行投票后，以下是最终入选的25名球员名单。

– 蒂姆·邦唐(Tim Bontemps)

1. 勒布朗·詹姆斯(LeBron James)

主要成就： NBA 75周年纪念球队成员，NBA历史总得分王，20次入选全明星，19次入选NBA最佳阵容，6次入选最佳防守阵容，4次MVP，4次总决赛MVP，4次NBA总冠军，3次全明星赛MVP

“48分特别赛”发生在17年前的春天。在那场比赛中，詹姆斯在东部决赛第五场对阵底特律活塞队的比赛中，在第二个加时赛中独得29分，带领克利夫兰骑士队在客场爆冷获胜。这场48分的比赛是一场令人着迷的表演，是本世纪的经典比赛之一……它甚至可能排不进詹姆斯季后赛表演的前十名。这甚至可能不是他东部决赛前三名的比赛之一。这就是詹姆斯伟大的地方：从来没有人能像他这样优秀地打了这么久。很久以前在奥本山宫的那一晚，仅仅是詹姆斯在季后赛中29场40+得分比赛中的一场而已。

这场胜利为他铺平了第一次进入总决赛的道路，开始了14年10次总决赛之旅。在那段时间里，他带领三支不同的球队赢得了四次NBA总冠军，四次MVP和四次总决赛MVP，以及两枚奥运金牌。他还连续29个季后赛系列赛中至少赢得了一场客场比赛。他在连续1222场常规赛中得分上双——上一次他没有做到这一点时，他的儿子布朗尼(Bronny)（现在是他的湖人队队友）才2岁。在NBA，数量已经不再是一种衡量成就的流行方式，这也为那些想把詹姆斯从历史排行榜上拉下来的人提供了佐证。这是反对詹姆斯的唯一论据，他基本上为自己改写了NBA的纪录册。—— 布莱恩·温德霍斯特(Brian Windhorst)

  • 勒布朗通往40000分的道路

2. 科比·布莱恩特

主要成就： NBA 75周年纪念球队成员，篮球名人堂成员，5次总冠军，2次总决赛MVP，2007-08赛季MVP，18次入选全明星，15次入选NBA最佳阵容，12次入选最佳防守阵容，4次全明星赛MVP

尽管布莱恩特取得了所有成就，其中最主要的是五次总冠军，以及所有超凡脱俗的得分壮举——2003年连续九场40+得分，2007年连续四场50+得分，对阵多伦多的81分之夜，对阵犹他的60分告别赛——但他持久的成就是鼓舞人心。这位湖人传奇人物自称的“曼巴精神”已经超越了篮球，乃至体育，成为一种品牌化的生活方式，布莱恩特的球迷和崇拜者都渴望达到这种境界。它承诺，只要有足够的动力，足够的努力，足够的意志和足够的专注，你也可以像布莱恩特那样塑造你的生活。

2020年，一场可怕的直升机事故夺走了布莱恩特、他的女儿吉安娜(Gianna)和其他七人的生命，此后，布莱恩特的影响力仍在持续。他的名字在NBA中一如既往地响亮，无数球员通过身穿8号和24号球衣向这位得分后卫致敬，联盟还以他的名字重新命名了全明星赛MVP奖杯。布鲁克林篮网队后卫卡姆·托马斯(Cam Thomas)上赛季告诉ESPN：“他就像我们这一代的乔丹(Jordan)。”“就像其他人喜欢乔丹一样，我们也是这样对待科比的。”—— 戴夫·麦克梅纳明(Dave McMenamin)

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ESPN百大运动员：科比·布莱恩特的精彩集锦

观看NBA超级巨星科比·布莱恩特的十大职业生涯精彩集锦，他在ESPN 21世纪百大运动员中排名第十。

  • 缅怀科比·布莱恩特

3. 斯蒂芬·库里(Stephen Curry)

主要成就： NBA 75周年纪念球队成员，4次NBA总冠军，2022年总决赛MVP，10次入选全明星，9次入选NBA最佳阵容，2022年全明星赛MVP，2次得分王，职业生涯三分球命中数领先者

库里一直不愿意称自己为有史以来最伟大的射手，直到他打破了职业生涯三分球得分纪录。自从他在2021年12月实现了这一里程碑后，他就没有那么害羞了。库里改变了篮球的比赛方式——在篮球运动的各个层面。如今，你会发现高中体育馆里的孩子们都在进行库里赛前的投篮训练。而在NBA，进攻围绕着三分球的建立是前所未有的。

如果说他改变比赛的方式还不足以巩固他在NBA——以及全世界伟大运动员中——的地位，那么他的履历就足以说明问题。在2022年赢得他的第一个总决赛MVP之后，库里问道：“现在他们要说什么呢？”他还有四次总冠军，10次全明星赛，9次入选NBA最佳阵容和两次MVP。—— 肯德拉·安德鲁斯(Kendra Andrews)

  • 库里追逐三分球霸主地位的历程

4. 蒂姆·邓肯

主要成就： NBA 75周年纪念球队成员，篮球名人堂成员，4次NBA总冠军，13次入选NBA最佳阵容，13次入选最佳防守阵容，14次入选全明星，2次MVP，2次总决赛MVP

邓肯辉煌职业生涯的前两个半赛季是在世纪之交之前，但这并没有阻止他在这份榜单的榜首附近占据一席之地。即使没有最佳新秀和他的第一个NBA总冠军，邓肯在21世纪初的比赛也为他赢得了两座MVP奖杯。他在2001-02赛季获得了第一个MVP，场均得到职业生涯最高的25.5分，以及12.7个篮板，3.7次助攻和2.5次盖帽。这位“石佛”也是联盟中最好的防守者之一，他在2015年38岁时获得了他的最后一个最佳防守阵容的荣誉。—— 安德鲁·洛佩兹(Andrew Lopez)

  • 邓肯和波波维奇(Popovich)，NBA的模范夫妻

5. 沙奎尔·奥尼尔(Shaquille O’Neal)

主要成就： NBA 75周年纪念球队成员，篮球名人堂成员，4次总冠军，3次总决赛MVP，1999-2000赛季MVP，9次入选全明星，8次入选NBA最佳阵容，2次入选最佳防守阵容

在1999-2000赛季湖人队训练营开始前，菲尔·杰克逊(Phil Jackson)带着当时27岁的奥尼尔出去吃饭，这位“禅师”用一个崇高的目标挑战了这位中锋。杰克逊在2016年写道：“我告诉他，他应该把成为MVP作为自己的目标。”“事实上，我向他建议，到他退役的时候，他们应该把这个奖杯改名为沙克奖！”

奥尼尔在接下来的赛季中赢得了三次MVP：他在全明星赛中与蒂姆·邓肯一起被评为全明星赛MVP，因为他在西部队的胜利中得到了22分、9个篮板和3次盖帽；在常规赛场均得到29.7分、13.8个篮板、3.8次助攻和3.0次盖帽后，他获得了常规赛MVP；在总决赛中，他以61.1%的命中率场均得到38分、16.7个篮板和2.7次盖帽，帮助湖人队在六场比赛中战胜印第安纳步行者队，获得了他在湖人队的三个总冠军中的第一个，也是他个人的第四个总冠军。联盟从未以奥尼尔的名字命名这个奖杯，但他确实获得了“史上最具统治力球员”的称号，这也不失为一个安慰奖。—— 戴夫·麦克梅纳明

  • 奥尼尔如何帮助改变NBA格局

6. 凯文·加内特

主要成就： NBA 75周年纪念球队成员，篮球名人堂成员，2008年NBA总冠军，2003-04赛季MVP，2007-08赛季最佳防守球员，13次入选全明星，12次入选最佳防守阵容，8次入选NBA最佳阵容，2003年全明星赛MVP

加内特以忠诚于明尼苏达而闻名，当他带领森林狼队进入2004年西部决赛时，他带领球队取得了他们的第一个季后赛系列赛的胜利。但是，尽管他在那个赛季赢得了自己唯一的MVP奖项，但他却是在波士顿载入史册的。他和雷·阿伦与保罗·皮尔斯(Paul Pierce)联手，在NBA ushered in a new big three era，并带领凯尔特人队获得了2008年的总冠军，并在两个赛季后再次进入NBA总决赛。加内特在凯尔特人队第六场比赛战胜他们的宿敌洛杉矶湖人队后，高呼“一切皆有可能！”，这已经成为总冠军时刻中不可磨灭的一幕。—— 蒂姆·邦唐

  • 凯文·加内特的残酷教诲

7. 尼古拉·约基奇(Nikola Jokic)

主要成就： 2023年NBA总冠军，2023年总决赛MVP，3次MVP，6次入选全明星，5次入选NBA最佳阵容，2023年西部决赛MVP。

在快船队在2020年季后赛第二轮对阵掘金队的比赛中以3-1的领先优势被逆转之前，道格·里弗斯(Doc Rivers)被问及约基奇最像谁。里弗斯无法只选择一位传奇大个子。“他有哈基姆·奥拉朱旺(Hakeem Olajuwon)所有的步法和动作，”里弗斯说。“凯文·麦克海尔(Kevin McHale)那种瘦长的身材和古怪的智慧……我认为，他是我们见过的传球最好的大个子，是有史以来最好的。”里弗斯可能实际上低估了约基奇。这是在这位掘金超级巨星赢得三次MVP、一次总冠军和一次总决赛MVP之前。29岁的约基奇每年都在创造着联盟自威尔特·张伯伦(Wilt Chamberlain)以来从未见过的大个子数据，而且他还远未结束。—— 奥姆·扬米苏克(Ohm Youngmisuk)

  • 关于约基奇夺冠之路的故事

8. 德维恩·韦德

主要成就： NBA 75周年纪念球队成员，篮球名人堂成员，3次NBA总冠军，2006年总决赛MVP，13次入选全明星，8次入选NBA最佳阵容，3次入选最佳防守阵容，2010年全明星赛MVP。

谁能忘记韦德在总决赛中的那四场比赛呢？他在2011年NBA总决赛中场均得到30分、8个篮板和4次助攻，命中率高达60%……最终迈阿密热火队输给了达拉斯小牛队。韦德职业生涯的辉煌也许被稍微掩盖了，因为他是在自己巅峰时期与勒布朗·詹姆斯和克里斯·波什(Chris Bosh)联手的。2011年的总决赛将永远被人记住的是詹姆斯的失误，而不是韦德被浪费的个人才华。但他的职业生涯是辉煌的，他在2006年总决赛中连续四场——39.3分和8.3个篮板，命中率为50%（以及73次罚球）——带领热火队获得了三连冠中的第一个，这是传奇。

在詹姆斯来到迈阿密之前的两个赛季里，韦德赢得了得分王的称号，并两次进入MVP投票的前五名。他心甘情愿地为詹姆斯退居二线，这一举动无疑帮助热火队团结一致，并连续两次获得总冠军，即使这意味着他在这些榜单上领先时代

点击查看原文：Ranking the top 25 NBA players of the 21st century

Ranking the top 25 NBA players of the 21st century

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ESPN’s Top 100 Athletes: Kobe Bryant’s top plays (2:59)

Check out the top 10 career plays from NBA superstar Kobe Bryant as he lands at No. 10 in ESPN’s Top 100 athletes of the 21st century. (2:59)

  • ESPN

Jul 25, 2024, 08:00 AM ET

When LeBron James entered the NBA as the top pick in the 2003 draft, he did so in the face of seemingly impossible expectations.

James already had graced a Sports Illustrated cover with the headline “The Chosen One.” His high school games had been broadcast on national television for more than a year. He was one of the most anticipated rookies in the history of the sport.

More than 20 years later, James has not only met those expectations; he has exceeded them.

Today, the 39-year-old superstar – in the middle of trying to lead Team USA to a fifth straight Olympic gold medal at the Paris Games – is still among the best players on the planet.

James is the NBA’s all-time leading scorer. He reached eight consecutive NBA Finals and 10 in total. He has hoisted four Larry O’Brien Trophies, including leading the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2016 to Northeast Ohio’s first pro sports championship in a half-century and the Los Angeles Lakers to the 2020 title inside the Orlando bubble. He has four NBA Most Valuable Player Awards and a like number of Finals MVPs.

Add it all up and it makes James an extremely easy choice as the top men’s basketball player of the 2000s.

After King James, though?

Things get a lot more complicated.

Should Kobe Bryant rank ahead of Tim Duncan? Dwyane Wade ahead of Kevin Garnett? Kawhi Leonard ahead of Chris Paul? Do Draymond Green and Klay Thompson both make the list? What about Ray Allen and Paul Pierce?

None of these rankings – other than James at the top – is unassailable. They are, however, fun.

And after a panel of ESPN experts voted on the subject, here’s the list of 25 players who ultimately made the cut.

– Tim Bontemps

1. LeBron James

Key accomplishments: NBA 75th Anniversary team, NBA’s all-time scoring leader, 20-time All-Star, 19-time All-NBA selection, six-time All-Defense, four-time MVP, four-time Finals MVP, four-time NBA champion, three-time All-Star Game MVP

The “48 special” game happened 17 years ago this spring. That’s when James scored 29 of the last 30 points for the Cleveland Cavaliers in a double-overtime upset Game 5 road win against the Detroit Pistons in the Eastern Conference finals. The 48-point game was a mesmerizing performance that stands as one of the classic games of this century … and it probably doesn’t even rank in the top 10 of James’ playoff performances. It might not be one of his top three conference finals games. This is what James’ greatness rests on: No one has ever been this good for this long. That long-ago night in the Palace of Auburn Hills is merely one of 29 40-point games James has in the playoffs alone.

That win paved the way to his first Finals, starting a run of 10 appearances in 14 years. During that stretch he won four NBA titles, four MVPs and four Finals MVPs with three different teams, as well as two Olympic gold medals. He also won at least one road game in 29 consecutive playoff series. He has scored in double figures in 1,222 consecutive regular-season games – the last time he didn’t, his son Bronny, now his Laker teammate, was 2 years old. Volume isn’t a vogue way to measure achievement in the NBA anymore, and it lends credence to those who want to push James down all-time lists. It’s the only side of the argument to take against James, who has essentially renamed the NBA’s record book for himself. – Brian Windhorst

  • LeBron’s path to 40,000 points

2. Kobe Bryant

Key accomplishments: NBA 75th Anniversary team, Basketball Hall of Famer, five-time champion, two-time Finals MVP, 2007-08 MVP, 18-time All-Star, 15-time All-NBA selection, 12-time All-Defense, four-time All-Star Game MVP

For all of the accomplishments Bryant amassed, the five championships chief among them, and all of the otherworldly scoring feats – nine straight 40-point games in 2003, four straight 50-point games in 2007, the 81-point night against Toronto, the 60-point send-off against Utah – his lasting achievement was inspiration. The Lakers legend’s self-described “Mamba mentality” has transcended basketball, and sports for that matter, a branded way of life that fans and admirers of Bryant aspire to reach. It promises that with enough drive, enough work, enough will and enough focus, you too can shape your existence the way Bryant did.

After a horrific helicopter crash in 2020 killed Bryant, his daughter Gianna and seven others, Bryant’s impact continues to be felt posthumously. His name is as relevant as ever in the NBA, with countless players paying homage to the shooting guard by wearing Nos. 8 and 24 and the league renaming the All-Star MVP trophy in his honor. “He’s like our generation’s Jordan,” Brooklyn Nets guard Cam Thomas told ESPN last season. “How the other guys liked Jordan, that’s how we are with Kobe.” – Dave McMenamin

play2:59

ESPN’s Top 100 Athletes: Kobe Bryant’s top plays

Check out the top 10 career plays from NBA superstar Kobe Bryant as he lands at No. 10 in ESPN’s Top 100 athletes of the 21st century.

  • Remembering Kobe Bryant

3. Stephen Curry

Key accomplishments: NBA 75th Anniversary team, four-time NBA champion, 2022 Finals MVP, 10-time All-Star, nine-time All-NBA, 2022 All-Star Game MVP, two-time scoring leader, career leader in 3-pointers made

Curry had been reluctant to call himself the greatest shooter of all time until he broke the career 3-point scoring record. Once he achieved that milestone in December 2021, he wasn’t so shy about it anymore. Curry has changed the way basketball is played – at every level of the sport. Nowadays you’ll find kids in high school gyms going through the same pregame shooting routine Curry does. And in the NBA, offenses are built around 3-point shooting like never before.

If the way he revolutionized the game isn’t enough to solidify his standing in the NBA – and among great athletes around the world – his résumé is. After winning his first Finals MVP in 2022, to go along with his four titles, 10 All-Star appearances, nine All-NBA teams and two MVPs, Curry asked: “What are they going to say now?” – Kendra Andrews

  • Inside Curry’s quest for 3-point supremacy

4. Tim Duncan, basketball

Key accomplishments: NBA 75th Anniversary team, Basketball Hall of Famer, four-time NBA champion, 13-time All-NBA selection, 13-time All-Defense, 14-time All-Star, two-time MVP, two-time Finals MVP

The first 2½ seasons of Duncan’s stellar career came before the turn of the century, but that didn’t stop him from cementing his spot near the top of this list. Even without a Rookie of the Year and his first NBA title, Duncan’s run in the early 2000s banked him both of his MVP awards. He earned the first in 2001-02 with a career-best average of 25.5 points, along with 12.7 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 2.5 blocks per game. The Big Fundamental was also one of the best defenders the league has seen, earning his final All-Defensive team nod in 2015 at 38 years old. – Andrew Lopez

  • Duncan and Popovich, the NBA’s power couple

5. Shaquille O’Neal, basketball

Key accomplishments: NBA 75th Anniversary team, Basketball Hall of Famer, four-time champion, three-time Finals MVP, 1999-2000 MVP, nine-time All-Star, eight-time All-NBA, two-time All-Defense

When Phil Jackson took a then 27-year-old O’Neal out to dinner during training camp ahead of the 1999-2000 Lakers season, the Zen Master challenged the center with a lofty objective. “I told him that he should make it his goal to be the MVP,” Jackson wrote in 2016. “In fact, I suggested to him that, by the time he retired, they should rename the trophy the Shaq Award!”

O’Neal went on to win three MVPs during the ensuing campaign: He was named co-MVP of the All-Star Game along with Tim Duncan for posting 22 points, 9 rebounds and 3 blocks in a win for the West; he was regular-season MVP after averaging 29.7 points, 13.8 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 3.0 blocks; and he was NBA Finals MVP after averaging 38 points on 61.1% shooting, 16.7 rebounds and 2.7 blocks in a six-game series win over the Indiana Pacers to capture the first of his three titles with the Lakers and four overall. The league never named the trophy after O’Neal, but he did pick up the moniker “Most Dominant Ever,” which isn’t a bad consolation prize. – Dave McMenamin

  • How Shaq helped alter the NBA landscape

6. Kevin Garnett

Key accomplishments: NBA 75th Anniversary team, Basketball Hall of Famer, 2008 NBA champion, 2003-04 MVP, 2007-08 Defensive Player of the Year, 13-time All-Star, 12-time All-Defense team, eight-time All-NBA selection, 2003 All-Star Game MVP

Garnett was famously loyal to Minnesota, leading the Timberwolves to their first playoff series victories when he piloted them to the 2004 Western Conference finals. But despite winning his lone MVP award that season, it was in Boston where he would cement himself in history. He and Ray Allen teamed up with Paul Pierce to usher in a new big three era in the NBA and lead the Celtics to the 2008 title, plus another NBA Finals appearance two seasons later. Garnett bellowing “Anything is possible!” in the aftermath of the Celtics’ Game 6 victory over their archrivals, the Los Angeles Lakers, has become an indelible championship moment. – Tim Bontemps

  • The cruel tutelage of Kevin Garnett

7. Nikola Jokic

Key accomplishments: 2023 NBA champion, 2023 Finals MVP, three-time MVP, six-time All-Star, five-time All-NBA selection, 2023 Western Conference finals MVP.

Before the Clippers would blow a 3-1 lead in the second round against Denver inside the bubble in 2020, Doc Rivers was asked who Jokic reminded him most of. Rivers couldn’t pick just one legendary big man. “He has all the footwork and the moves of an [Hakeem] Olajuwon,” Rivers said. “The lanky and goofy intelligence of Kevin McHale. … He’s the best passing big that I’ve seen, I think, ever. [And] I know [Bill] Walton was one of [the best ever].” Rivers might have actually undersold Jokic. This was before the Nuggets superstar won three MVP awards, a championship and a Finals MVP. At 29, Jokic continues to annually put up numbers the league hasn’t seen from a big man since Wilt Chamberlain, and he’s far from done. – Ohm Youngmisuk

  • Tales of Jokic’s journey to a title

8. Dwyane Wade

Key accomplishments: NBA 75th Anniversary team, Basketball Hall of Famer, three-time NBA champion, 2006 Finals MVP, 13-time All-Star, eight-time All-NBA selection, three-time All-Defense, 2010 All-Star Game MVP.

Who could forget that four-game Finals run Wade had? He averaged 30 points, 8 rebounds and 4 assists on 60% shooting … in the 2011 NBA Finals the Miami Heat lost to the Dallas Mavericks. The brilliance of Wade’s career was perhaps dimmed a tad because he teamed up with LeBron James and Chris Bosh at the peak of his powers. And the 2011 Finals will always be remembered for James’ stumbles and not Wade’s singular brilliance that was essentially wasted. But his career was spectacular and his 2006 Finals four-game run – 39.3 points and 8.3 rebounds on 50% shooting (and 73 free throws) – to lead the Heat to the first of three titles is legendary.

In the two seasons before James arrived in Miami, Wade won the scoring title and twice finished in the top five of the MVP voting. He willingly took a step back for James, an act that undoubtedly helped the Heat jell and win back-to-back titles even if it meant the end of his time at the top of those lists. It was a team-first act he paired with a willingness to come off the bench in the 2008 Olympics for the Redeem Team. He still stands as one of the greatest shooting guards of all time, the best shot-blocking guard in NBA history and a flag-carrying member of the iconic 2003 draft class. – Brian Windhorst

  • The Heat found their icon in Dwyane Wade

9. Kevin Durant

Key accomplishments: NBA 75th Anniversary team, two-time champion, two-time Finals MVP, 14-time All-Star, two-time All-Star Game MVP, 2013-14 MVP, 10-time All-NBA, four-time scoring leader, 2007-08 Rookie of the Year.

“I’m Kevin Durant. You know who I am. Y’all know who I am.” That was Durant’s conclusion to a lengthy answer about pesky Patrick Beverley’s defense against him (with a whole lot of help, as Durant noted) early in a 2019 playoff series. Durant’s point: He had proved himself as one of the best scorers to ever play the game, a four-time scoring champion who had won the previous two NBA Finals MVPs, a blend of size and skill that had never been seen before. Then he averaged 41.5 points the rest of that series as the Warriors finished off the Clippers. As he has bounced from team to team, there has been one constant about KD’s identity: When he’s healthy, he has always been impossible to guard. – Tim MacMahon

  • What fueled Kevin Durant’s return

10. Dirk Nowitzki

Key accomplishments: NBA 75th anniversary team, Basketball Hall of Famer, 2011 NBA champion, 2011 Finals MVP, 2006-07 MVP, 14-time All-Star, 12-time All-NBA selection.

Nowitzki revolutionized the way the NBA game is played, a pioneer as a sweet-shooting 7-footer who thrived as a perimeter threat. But the big German is best remembered for an iconic post move he developed midway through his career. It was his most lethal weapon when Nowitzki shattered “soft Euro” stereotypes by leading the Dallas Mavericks to their lone title. His one-legged fadeaway is captured on the statue that stands outside the American Airlines Center and has the inscription “Loyalty never fades away” – a nod to Nowitzki’s record-setting 21-year run with one franchise. “The Dirk fade,” as it’s commonly called, is recreated by stars throughout the league on a regular basis. – Tim MacMahon

  • The moment Dirk announced himself to the world

11. Giannis Antetokounmpo

Key accomplishments: NBA 75th anniversary team, 2021 NBA champion, 2021 Finals MVP, two-time MVP, 2019-20 Defensive Player of the Year, eight-time All-Star, 2021 All-Star Game MVP, seven-time All-NBA selection, five-time All-Defense, 2016-17 Most Improved Player.

When the Milwaukee Bucks selected a skinny kid from Greece who had been playing basketball for only two years with the 15th pick in the 2013 draft, it was impossible to predict how his arrival would alter the franchise’s trajectory for the next decade. Antetokounmpo transformed himself from an unknown but promising prospect into one of the most dominant power forwards in history at both ends of the floor – culminating in a 50-point game in the 2021 NBA Finals to clinch the franchise’s first championship in 50 years. The fact that he ordered 50 chicken nuggets the next day to celebrate only endeared him to Milwaukee fans even more. – Jamal Collier

  • The evolution of Giannis, from little known prospect to an NBA champion

12. Steve Nash

Key accomplishments: NBA 75th Anniversary team, Basketball Hall of Famer, two-time MVP, eight-time All-Star, seven-time All-NBA, five-time assists leader.

Before words like “efficiency” and “pace” became as common part of the NBA parlance as “slam dunk” and “pick-and-roll,” there was a diminutive guard from Canada who, as a contemporary of Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal in the late 1990s through early 2000s, ended up with as many regular-season MVPs as the two of them combined. Under the revolutionary tutelage of coach Mike D’Antoni with the Phoenix Suns, Nash won the award in 2005 and 2006 as the point guard on the heralded “7 Seconds or Less” teams that made it to three Western Conference finals in six years. While Nash never won a ring, he maximized his talents as a 6-foot-3 point guard, shooting 50% overall, 40% from 3 and 90% from the free throw line in four seasons and leading the league in assists five times. – Dave McMenamin

  • What if Steve Nash had turned up the volume?

13. James Harden

Key accomplishments: NBA 75th Anniversary team, 2017-18 MVP, 10-time All-Star, seven-time All-NBA selection, three-time scoring leader, two-time assists leader, 2011-12 Sixth Man of the Year.

Harden will go down as one of the most prolific scorers in NBA history, but The Beard and his step-back were nearly unstoppable from 2017 to 2020. He started his scoring spree with an MVP season in 2017-18, averaging 30.4 points, 8.8 assists and 5.4 rebounds. And he was even better the following season, averaging 36.1 points in 2018-19 – the eighth-highest average in NBA history. Only Wilt Chamberlain, Elgin Baylor and Michael Jordan have averaged more points in a single season. He then averaged 34.3 points in 2019-20 to win his third consecutive scoring title. His scoring overshadows his other elite skill as a passer. Harden is the only player in NBA history to win three scoring titles and two assist titles. – Ohm Youngmisuk

  • The ‘final straw’ of the Harden-Morey era

14. Jason Kidd

Key accomplishments: NBA 75th Anniversary Team, Basketball Hall of Famer, 2011 NBA champion, eight-time All-Star, eight-time All-Defense, five-time All-NBA selection, four-time assists leader.

If not for Shaquille O’Neal and Tim Duncan and the Lakers and Spurs dynasties of the early 2000s, Kidd might’ve had another championship and an MVP on his illustrious résumé. During his first two seasons in New Jersey, Kidd was at the peak of a career that saw him finish as one of the game’s most elite passers and versatile triple-double threats. Kidd made teammates better everywhere he went, which was never more evident than during his first season in New Jersey in 2001-02, when he turned the Nets around from 26 wins the season before to 52 wins, leading to the franchise’s first Finals appearance.

Kidd, though, finished second in MVP voting to Duncan before being swept in the Finals by O’Neal and Kobe Bryant. The following season, Kidd got the Nets back to the Finals only to lose in six games to Duncan and the Spurs. He would finally get a championship ring playing alongside Dirk Nowitzki in Dallas in 2011. – Ohm Youngmisuk

  • Before LeBron, there was Jason Kidd

15. Chris Paul

Key accomplishments: NBA 75th Anniversary team, 12-time All-Star, 11-time All-NBA selection, nine-time All-Defense, 2013 All-Star Game MVP, 2005-06 Rookie of the Year, six-time steals leader, five-time assists leader.

Paul has run thousands of pick-and-rolls to perfection and dished the ball out for nearly 12,000 assists, but his greatest accomplishment might have been transforming the LA Clippers from annual punching bags to perennial playoff contenders while orchestrating the unforgettable Lob City teams. Before Paul’s arrival in Los Angeles, the franchise had made the postseason just seven times in its history.

Paul’s Clippers made the playoffs six consecutive times as he delivered some of the most scintillating alley-oops in NBA history to Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan. Clippers fans won’t forget Paul’s Game 7-winning running bank shot that capped off a 27-point performance against the defending champion San Antonio Spurs in the first round in 2015. – Ohm Youngmisuk

  • Chris Paul won’t be played by the NBA

16. Kawhi Leonard

Key accomplishments: Two-time Finals MVP, two-time NBA champion, six-time All-Star, five-time All-NBA selection, two-time Defensive Player of the Year.

Not even an LA Clippers tenure marred by injuries can diminish a legacy that only a handful of players in history can match or top. Leonard is one of 12 players to ever win two NBA Finals MVP trophies. None of them, however, led a Canadian team to the country’s first NBA championship. In leading Toronto to the title in 2019, Leonard cemented himself as one of the game’s most clutch players when healthy in the playoffs. He delivered one of the most legendary buzzer-beaters in playoff history when his twisting corner jumper softly bounced on the rim four times and in to eliminate Philadelphia in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference semifinals that season.

Even during his five-year Clippers tenure, Leonard has shown signs of dominance when healthy. He just has to finish a postseason healthy again, something he hasn’t done since the 2020 bubble. – Ohm Youngmisuk

  • Who is Kawhi Leonard?

17. Manu Ginobili

Key accomplishments: Basketball Hall of Famer, NBA 75th Anniversary team, four-time NBA champion, two-time All-Star, two-time All-NBA, 2007-08 Sixth Man of the Year

A starter early in his career for San Antonio, Ginobili later embraced a sixth man role for the Spurs and thrived. He finished in the top eight in Sixth Man of the Year voting nine times in his career. “He didn’t love it in the beginning and probably to this day he’ll tell you he didn’t love it totally because he’s a competitor,” Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said in December about Ginobili. “He wants to start. It’s just a typical human reaction. But he did the right thing because of his character.” Ginobili also gets a nod for his international accolades: He was the EuroLeague Finals MVP in 2001 and led Argentina to a gold medal – along with MVP honors – during the 2004 Olympic Games. – Andrew Lopez

  • The five legacies of Manu Ginobili

18. Allen Iverson

Key accomplishments: Basketball Hall of Famer, NBA 75th Anniversary Team, 2000-01 MVP, 11-time All-Star, three-time scoring champ, six-time All-NBA, two-time All-Star MVP

In a sport dominated by giants, Iverson’s ability to consistently be one of the league’s elite scorers - while playing through injuries virtually every night - made him an iconic figure for a generation of players to follow. LeBron James, among others, has cited his importance to them as a basketball role model. And while he and the Philadelphia 76ers lost the NBA Finals in five games in 2001, Iverson stepping over Tyronn Lue in Philadelphia’s Game 1 victory became the signature moment of the four-time scoring champion’s career - and was the only time that legendary Lakers team lost en route to that year’s championship. – Tim Bontemps

  • For Iverson, it was never just about practice

19. Anthony Davis

Key accomplishments: NBA 75th Anniversary team, one-time NBA champion, nine-time All-Star, 2017 All-Star MVP, four-time All-NBA, four-time All-Defense, three-time blocks leader

Once known for his unibrow more than for his unicorn skill set, Davis blossomed from a defensive lynchpin in his early days in New Orleans to one of the most polished two-way threats in the league after five seasons spent in L.A. So far, nothing he’s done has topped his first season with the Lakers when he teamed with James to deliver the purple and gold their first title in 10 years under the most trying of circumstances as the franchise was reeling from Bryant’s death and the league was put on hiatus because of a global pandemic. His signature shot from L.A.‘s bubble run – a buzzer-beating, game-winning 3 to go up 2-0 in the Western Conference finals – has cemented him in Laker lore. The fact that he yelled, “Kobe!” right after making it while wearing the Lakers’ special “Black Mamba” uniform in the game only made it more epic. – Dave McMenamin

  • Anthony Davis is building his legacy

20. Ray Allen

Key accomplishments: Basketball Hall of Famer, NBA 75th Anniversary team, two-time NBA champion, 10-time All-Star, two-time All-NBA

Before the modern NBA’s 3-point revolution saw teams launching from deep more than ever before in league history, Allen held the mantle as the game’s greatest outside shooter. Hear it from Stephen Curry, who in 2021 broke Allen’s record for most 3-pointers made in a career, when Curry was asked during an appearance on The Today Show to name the best shooters in NBA history not including himself. “I’d say Ray Allen. His form. His dedication to his craft. He hit big shots in his career.” – Jamal Collier

  • Three the hard way

21. Tony Parker

Key accomplishments: Basketball Hall of Famer, four-time NBA champion, 2007 Finals MVP, six-time All-Star, four-time All-NBA

A 19-year-old Parker, the No. 28 overall pick in the 2001 NBA Draft, was inserted into the starting lineup in his fifth career game with San Antonio and never looked back. By the time he was 25, Parker had three rings and a Finals MVP - becoming the first European to do so - to his name as the floor general for the Spurs. At his jersey retirement ceremony with the Spurs in 2019, fellow Frenchman Boris Diaw said, “You can’t talk about French basketball without Tony coming up.” – Andrew Lopez

  • Inside Tony Parker’s departure from the Spurs

22. Draymond Green

Key accomplishments: Four-time NBA Champion, four-time All-Star, two-time All-NBA, 2016-17 Defensive Player of the Year, eight-time All-Defense.

For a moment – an extended moment – Green’s future both with the Warriors and in the NBA were in question. And for good reason. But everything he has done off of the court doesn’t negate the impact he’s made on the Warriors and the league. For as long as Curry has been the engine in Golden State, Green has been his second-in-command. The defensive anchor, his impact on the game is almost more noticeable when Green is off of the court and has propelled him to be a future hall-of-famer. – Kendra Andrews

  • Can Draymond learn to control the fire?

23. Russell Westbrook

Key accomplishments: NBA 75th Anniversary team, 2016-17 MVP, nine-time All-Star, nine-time All-NBA, three-time assists leader, two-time points leader, all-time leader in triple-doubles.

Even as he came off the bench in limited minutes this past season for the Clippers, Russell Westbrook expressed supreme confidence in his ability, telling ESPN this past season: “Ain’t nobody better than me coming off the bench… Just because I know what I’m able to bring to the game. Nobody’s able to do what I can do since I’ve been in this league.” Westbrook may be a polarizing figure for his aggressive style of play which is beloved by his fans but also criticized by others. But there’s no denying that no one has accomplished what the fiery point guard did during the span of 2016 to 2021.

He became the first player since Oscar Robertson to average a triple-double in a season when he averaged 31.6 points, 10.7 rebounds and 10.4 assists during his MVP season in 2016-17. He then would go on to accomplish that feat four times in five seasons. With 199 triple-doubles, Westbrook remains the triple-double king, leading the next active player on the all-time list, fourth-place Nikola Jokic, by 69 triple-doubles. – Ohm Youngmisuk

  • The moment that transformed Russell Westbrook

24. Pau Gasol

Key accomplishments: Basketball Hall of Famer, two-time NBA champion, six-time All-Star, four-time All-NBA, 2001-02 Rookie of the Year.

The year was 2008, Gasol was a runner up – twice – and Bryant wouldn’t let him forget about it. As if the Lakers losing the deciding Game 6 of the Finals to the Boston Celtics by 39 points in June wasn’t enough, Gasol and Spain lost to Bryant and the U.S. two months later in the gold medal game in the Beijing Olympics. When L.A. opened up training camp not long after, Gasol reported to his locker at the practice facility to find Bryant’s gold medal hanging inside of it, almost mocking the big man for coming up short. He made sure to change the course of his career from there, teaming with Bryant to win two straight titles and turning in a performance for the ages in Game 7 of the 2010 Finals against those same Celtics. Gasol put up 19 points, 18 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 blocks to outduel Kevin Garnett with the title on the line. – Dave McMenamin

  • The role Kobe played in Pau’s transformation

25. Luka Doncic

Key accomplishments: Five-time All-Star, one-time scoring champ, four-time All-NBA, 2018-19 Rookie of the Year.

After Doncic danced and drilled the go-ahead 3 with seconds remaining in Game 2 of the 2024 Western Conference finals, he roared at Rudy Gobert: “You can’t f—ing guard me!” Gobert, a four-time Defensive Player of the Year, has plenty of company in that misery. The 25-year-old Doncic just had one of the most prolific statistical seasons in NBA history, averaging a league-high 33.9 points, 9.8 assists and 9.2 rebounds per game, a combination never before accomplished. And only Michael Jordan has a higher career playoff scoring average than Doncic’s 30.9. – Tim MacMahon

  • The rise of Luka

via ESPN