NBA

The 100 Best NBA Players Going Into 2025–26 according to ESPN, The Ringer, and Sports Illustrated

by stuart Views: 7

Every October, one question unites basketball fans, counting stat nerds, and people who just love to argue online: Who’s really the best player in the NBA? Ranking players is part science, part chaos, and part caffeine. So once again, we’ve taken the player lists from ESPN, The Ringer, Sports Illustrated, and The Bleacher Report and combined them into one master list that’s guaranteed to start fights in group chats everywhere.

This season doesn’t have a clear No. 1. Three outlets went with Nikola Jokic while HoopsHype put Shai Gilgeous-Alexander at the top. It’s a battle between the big man who makes passing look like wizardry and the guard who plays like he’s got cheat codes. Meanwhile, rising stars like Anthony Edwards, Victor Wembanyama, and Cade Cunningham are crashing the elite party, while LeBron, Steph, and KD are starting to understand why “load management” suddenly sounds like a spa treatment.

The 100 Best NBA Players for 2025–26 Season

Below is our consensus list, built by blending player rankings from four major outlets into one definitive (and definitely debatable) list. The final result is part analytics, part gut instinct, and 100 percent guaranteed to annoy at least one fan base before you even reach No. 10. You’ll probably nod in agreement one minute and shout “no way” the next, which is exactly how it should be.

Top 100 NBA Players of 2025-26
Rank Player Team ESPN TheRinger SI HoopHype
1 Nikola Jokic Denver Nuggets 1 1 1 2
2 Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Oklahoma City Thunder 2 2 2 1
3 Giannis Antetokounmpo Milwaukee Bucks 4 3 3 3
4 Luka Doncic Los Angeles Lakers 3 4 4 4
5 Anthony Edwards Minnesota Timberwolves 6 6 6 5
6 Victor Wembanyama San Antonio Spurs 5 11 5 9
7 Stephen Curry Golden State Warriors 7 5 11 11
8 Jalen Brunson New York Knicks 10 9 12 6
9 Donovan Mitchell Cleveland Cavaliers 15 8 10 7
10 Cade Cunningham Detroit Pistons 12 16 9 8
11 LeBron James Los Angeles Lakers 8 12 8 19
12 Anthony Davis Dallas Mavericks 14 13 13 16
13 Kevin Durant Houston Rockets 9 14 15 22
14 Jalen Williams Oklahoma City Thunder 11 20 20 10
15 Evan Mobley Cleveland Cavaliers 13 17 19 13
16 Paolo Banchero Orlando Magic 17 22 21 15
17 Jaylen Brown Boston Celtics 19 21 18 17
18 Devin Booker Phoenix Suns 16 19 22 18
19 Pascal Siakam Indiana Pacers 22 23 24 12
20 Karl-Anthony Towns New York Knicks 27 18 26 14
21 Kawhi Leonard LA Clippers 20 15 14 39
22 James Harden LA Clippers 23 30 27 25
23 Jimmy Butler Golden State Warriors 18 24 23 42
24 Bam Adebayo Miami Heat 21 32 28 35
25 De’Aaron Fox San Antonio Spurs 35 26 30 27
26 Trae Young Atlanta Hawks 29 33 37 20
27 Alperen Sengun Houston Rockets 25 36 38 21
28 Jaren Jackson Jr. Memphis Grizzlies 31 25 35 32
29 Chet Holmgren Oklahoma City Thunder 24 27 25 49
30 Domantas Sabonis Sacramento Kings 34 31 39 24
31 Ivica Zubac LA Clippers 36 35 32 29
32 Tyrese Maxey Philadelphia 76ers 28 39 34 31
33 Darius Garland Cleveland Cavaliers 38 28 36 33
34 Ja Morant Memphis Grizzlies 33 34 44 26
35 Franz Wagner Orlando Magic 32 37 42 28
36 Derrick White Boston Celtics 26 38 46 30
37 Jamal Murray Denver Nuggets 46 29 31 36
38 Scottie Barnes Toronto Raptors 30 46 51 38
39 OG Anunoby New York Knicks 41 40 45 41
40 Joel Embiid Philadelphia 76ers 47 84 17 23
41 Amen Thompson Houston Rockets 37 41 48 45
42 Julius Randle Minnesota Timberwolves 42 52 52 34
43 Aaron Gordon Denver Nuggets 40 42 41 67
44 Desmond Bane Orlando Magic 39 47 50 55
45 Zion Williamson New Orleans Pelicans 61 45 40 46
46 Jalen Johnson Atlanta Hawks 44 48 43 57
47 Rudy Gobert Minnesota Timberwolves 49 55 49 47
48 Tyler Herro Miami Heat 68 51 47 37
49 Lauri Markkanen Utah Jazz 43 53 54 58
50 LaMelo Ball Charlotte Hornets 63 49 53 48
51 Jarrett Allen Cleveland Cavaliers 45 57 68 44
52 Mikal Bridges New York Knicks 48 60 67 40
53 Jayson Tatum Boston Celtics NR 10 7 NR
54 Austin Reaves Los Angeles Lakers 60 54 56 52
55 Tyrese Haliburton Indiana Pacers NR 7 16 NR
56 Dyson Daniels Atlanta Hawks 55 59 61 59
57 Zach LaVine Sacramento Kings 72 68 57 54
58 Deni Avdija Portland Trail Blazers 66 61 69 56
59 Kyrie Irving Dallas Mavericks NR 44 29 79
60 DeMar DeRozan Sacramento Kings 80 67 65 43
61 Draymond Green Golden State Warriors 51 50 55 NR
62 Myles Turner Milwaukee Bucks 57 76 76 50
63 Norman Powell Miami Heat 82 58 60 60
64 Kristaps Porzingis Atlanta Hawks 50 70 79 65
65 Cam Johnson Denver Nuggets 67 75 73 53
66 Isaiah Hartenstein Oklahoma City Thunder 56 65 78 70
67 Coby White Chicago Bulls 71 71 74 61
68 Trey Murphy New Orleans Pelicans 58 56 89 74
69 Damian Lillard Portland Trail Blazers NR 43 33 NR
70 Alex Caruso Oklahoma City Thunder 53 63 63 NR
71 Josh Hart New York Knicks 69 79 86 51
72 Paul George Philadelphia 76ers 54 90 59 82
73 Michael Porter Jr. Brooklyn Nets 70 73 81 63
74 Jaden McDaniels Minnesota Timberwolves 75 77 77 73
75 Luguentz Dort Oklahoma City Thunder 64 78 66 83
76 Jalen Suggs Orlando Magic 59 62 NR 76
77 Brandon Ingram Toronto Raptors 77 72 83 71
78 Naz Reid Minnesota Timberwolves 90 77 71 68
79 Christian Braun Denver Nuggets 62 83 75 87
80 Payton Pritchard Boston Celtics 97 89 62 69
81 Josh Giddey Chicago Bulls NR 81 72 66
82 Brandon Miller Charlotte Hornets 76 NR 58 90
83 Jrue Holiday Portland Trail Blazers 91 69 80 92
84 Andrew Nembhard Indiana Pacers 81 74 93 85
85 Cooper Flagg Dallas Mavericks 52 NR NR 89
86 RJ Barrett Toronto Raptors 100 80 64 99
87 De’Andre Hunter Atlanta Hawks NR 82 87 75
88 Aaron Nesmith Indiana Pacers 65 91 92 NR
89 Fred VanVleet Houston Rockets NR 64 85 NR
90 Nikola Vucevic Chicago Bulls NR 92 97 62
91 CJ McCollum Washington Wizards NR 85 90 77
92 Toumani Camara Portland Trail Blazers 78 95 NR 84
93 Dereck Lively II Dallas Mavericks 73 NR 95 91
94 Jalen Green Phoenix Suns NR 98 NR 64
95 Anfernee Simons Boston Celtics NR 87 NR 78
96 Tobias Harris Detroit Pistons 84 NR NR 81
97 Jalen Duren Detroit Pistons NR 97 NR 72
98 Devin Vassell San Antonio Spurs 94 86 91 NR
99 Klay Thompson Dallas Mavericks NR NR 70 NR
100 Jabari Smith Jr. Houston Rockets 74 NR NR NR

And because fans love turning debates into predictions, some international hoops heads are checking betting sites to see how MVP and scoring-title odds line up with the rankings. We’ll stick to basketball talk here, but if you’re ever curious how Vegas—or Manila—feels about your favorite player, that’s where the numbers live. see how the betting world stacks up, one thing’s clear: basketball’s never been deeper, wilder, or more fun to argue about. The NBA isn’t just about stats—it’s about stories, personalities, and the never-ending debate of who truly runs the league.

How We Calculated the Consensus

Think of this as the world’s nerdiest potluck. We took the rankings from all four outlets, normalized them so one extreme didn’t ruin everything, and averaged the results. If a player was unranked somewhere, we gave them a gentle penalty instead of tossing them out. Some lists included injured stars, some didn’t, which explains the rollercoaster placements for Jayson Tatum, Tyrese Haliburton, and Damian Lillard. We also noticed generational bias at play. The young guns got the bump (Anthony Edwards, Cade Cunningham, Alperen Sengun) while veterans took the classic “respect, but not top-ten” treatment.

If you read this whole list without yelling once, we salute you. The 2025–26 season looks stacked with emerging talent and shifting hierarchies. Jokic still controls games like a human metronome, SGA keeps making step-backs look effortless, and Wemby is basically redefining gravity. The kids are alright—and possibly unstoppable. The veterans, meanwhile, are proving that age plus savvy can still hang with anyone. Rankings like these remind us that greatness comes in many forms, from triple-doubles to pure chaos energy.

Visited 32 times, 1 visit(s) today

Leave a Comment