📈 NBA Rank: Top 100 players for 2025-26

26.09.2025, 21:37 espn.com

Our 2025 NBA Rank wraps up as we break down the final top 10 players in the league!

A longtime staple in our final rank, where did LeBron James fall this year ahead of his 23rd season in the NBA? Which MVP, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander or Nikola Jokic, landed higher? Do the new faces in the top 10 deserve a higher spot in the rank, or will they fall out next year?

• Nos. 10-1: Who's No. 1?• Nos. 50-11: Who just missed the top 10?• Nos. 100-51: Flagg's debut ranking• Picks for 2026: Pelton's 10 players to watch• Roundtable: Biggest snubs and surprises from the new top 100

To get the final NBA Rank, we asked our expert panel to vote on player vs. player matchups from more than 20,000 possible pairings. Voters were asked, "Which player will be better in 2025-26?" and had to predict how each player would perform this season.

Our countdown kicked off with our ranking of players Nos. 100-51 on Tuesday alongside Kevin Pelton's predictions of which players can enter the ranks next year. They continued on Wednesday with Nos. 50-11 paired with our NBA experts debating the final results. We come to a close today with the top 10, including who our panel deemed to be the best player entering the 2025-26 NBA season and what questions loom large for the superstars.

Check out the results below.

Note: ESPN's NBA Rank panel, made up of more than 150 reporters, editors, producers and analysts, was asked to rank players based on their predicted contributions -- quality and quantity -- for the 2025-26 season only. Due to their long-term injuries, Jayson Tatum, Tyrese Haliburton, Damian Lillard, Kyrie Irving, Dejounte Murray and Fred VanVleet are not part of this season's rankings.

NBA Rank: Nos. 100-51 | 50-11 | Insiders: NBA Rank debate | Pelton: Who's next in 2026?

2024 NBA Rank: 12

Last season brought Brunson's second consecutive All-Star and All-NBA second-team selections. In just three years, Brunson has moved himself onto the short list of the best players ever to wear the blue and orange. That also included leading the Knicks to the Eastern Conference finals for the first time in 25 years and to a third straight year with at least one playoff series victory, which hadn't happened since the glory days of the 1990s and early 2000s. The only acceptable outcome for Brunson and the Knicks this season, though, is to fully break through and reach the NBA Finals for the first time this century.

Biggest question: How will Brunson adjust to new head coach Mike Brown?

For the past three years, Brunson's meteoric ascent to superstardom in New York has been associated with Tom Thibodeau, with whom there was a clear bond of trust and admiration. Thibodeau has had a long run of success with building offenses around small guards and Brunson took the chance to become the leader of his own team with the Knicks and ran with it.

Brunson is a tremendous player, of course, and will remain a focal point of the Knicks' offense. However, Brown has talked about both playing much faster and incorporating more ball movement into his offense in New York, much like he did with Sacramento the past few seasons. Brunson, on the other hand, has seemed to prefer playing at a slower pace, and the ball has constantly been in his hands under Thibodeau.

It will be interesting to see how this relationship manifests itself over the coming months. But make no mistake: Brunson is still the straw that stirs the drink in Gotham, and he, more than anyone else, will be the one to determine whether the Knicks can break their 26-year Finals drought next spring. -- Tim Bontemps

Signature stat: Brunson averaged a career-high 7.3 assists last season. He also became the first player to average 25 points and seven assists in a season in Knicks history.

Fantasy projection: 26.3 PTS, 3.0 REB, 7.2 AST

2024 NBA Rank: 9

The Rockets entered last postseason pondering whether they needed to acquire a go-to offensive engine and received an answer resoundingly by way of a first-round exit. Enter Durant, who heads into 2025-26 ranked eighth all time in scoring (30,571 points) just behind Wilt Chamberlain (31,419). Even as he's about to turn 37, Durant remains an efficient and elite scorer who brings championship experience and IQ to go with a relentless work ethic, which is sure to rub off on Houston's relatively young roster.

Biggest question: Does Durant's arrival make the Rockets legitimate contenders?

Yes, but only if Houston's supporting cast does its part in helping Durant find his fit within the group. Having worked with Durant during his tenure in Brooklyn, Rockets head coach Ime Udoka knows the 15-time All-Star isn't the type of player who wants teammates to defer to him unnecessarily. Durant wants to be integrated into the group naturally, which in turn diversifies Houston's options for attacking opponents.

So, the best way to maximize Durant's potential impact is continued growth from players such as Amen Thompson, Reed Sheppard, Jabari Smith Jr. and Alperen Sengun, who spent a good chunk of the summer in Istanbul, Turkey, working with Rockets developmental staffers on whittling down his post moves to focus on what's most effective.

Durant has already told teammates to be themselves, and he'll find a way to fit in that best helps the team. Durant's vast experience in a variety of systems over the years ensures he'll find his way; it's just a matter of how quickly. -- Michael C. Wright

Signature stat: Kevin Durant has averaged at least 25 points, 50% shooting and 40% on 3-pointers in three straight seasons, the longest streak in NBA history.

Fantasy projection: 24.9 PTS, 5.8 REB, 4.2 AST

2024 NBA Rank: 7

James dropped one spot from No. 7 to No. 8 after a very strong 22nd season during which he averaged 24.4 points, 8.2 assists and 7.8 rebounds, was named to the All-NBA second team and finished sixth in MVP voting. He has already shown unprecedented late-career production and will become the first player ever to play 23 seasons when he steps on the floor this fall. His NBA Rank prominence is unprecedented, too: fellow all-time great Kobe Bryant fell to No. 93 at the start of his 20th and final season in 2015-16.

Biggest question: Is this the last we see of James in a Lakers uniform?

While James has built his career following a personal ethos to "become comfortable being uncomfortable," the tension between James and the Lakers ratcheted up to another level this summer when his agent, Rich Paul of Klutch Sports, told ESPN's Shams Charania, "We do want to evaluate what's best for LeBron at this stage in his life and career," after the four-time MVP opted into his $52.6 million contract for next season.

The statement opened the door for a wave of speculation about whether James wanted to be in L.A., despite the contract decision -- teams such as Dallas, Cleveland and New York were tossed around as potential trade destinations. Paul clarified to ESPN that he never addressed a trade with the Lakers on James' behalf and since the 40-year-old veteran has a no-trade clause in his contract, it would require his side to initiate the dialogue. The rhetoric has died down in the months since as James posted about crack-of-dawn workouts and cheering on Luka Doncic at EuroBasket on his Instagram account.

James enters into an unprecedented NBA season with Doncic there to pass the Lakers torch to; his son, Bronny, as his teammate to relish the time with; and four titles and 40,000 points already on his résumé. The better question might be if this is the last we'll see of James in the league at all, and what's left for him to accomplish? -- Dave McMenamin

Signature stat: James is heading into his 23rd season, passing Vince Carter for the most in NBA history. With 50 games played, he will pass Robert Parish for the most games played all time.

Fantasy projection: 24.9 PTS, 7.7 REB, 8.2 AST

2024 NBA Rank: 6

Despite defenses selling out to an abnormal degree to give him zero space and keep the ball out of his hands, Curry hit 311 3s in 70 games last season. It was Curry's sixth career season with at least 300 makes from deep. Nobody else in league history has done it more than once. So he still possesses the perimeter power that has made him one of the greats in the sport's long history. He will bend coverages and be the center of every defensive game plan when he is on the floor this season. The Warriors' success also remains tied to him. When he was on the floor last season, they outscored opponents by a team-best 299 points. When he was off the floor, they were outscored by a team-high 28 points. With him, they eliminated the 52-win Rockets in the first round and took a 1-0 lead on the Timberwolves in the semis. After he injured his hamstring in Game 1 and sat out, the Warriors lost four consecutive games and were eliminated.

Biggest question: What is a potential concern for the 16-season veteran?

The hamstring strain was Curry's first soft tissue injury since an adductor strain in November 2018. After healing relatively quickly, Curry even thought he could return for Game 6 of the series, had it been extended that long. He competed in a celebrity golf tournament in Lake Tahoe two months later and reported his body feeling 100 percent. He is known for having a disciplined workout routine and an obsession with keeping his body in shape for the season. But Curry will also turn 38 in March, and everyone around the Warriors knows his workload must be closely monitored if they want him fresh come playoff time. However, that's always difficult when chasing every win for seeding purposes. -- Anthony Slater

Signature stat: Curry made at least 300 3-pointers in a season for the sixth time in his career in 2024-25. All other players in NBA history have four combined seasons with at least 300 3-pointers.

Fantasy projection: 25.1 PTS, 4.5 REB, 5.8 AST

2024 NBA Rank: 10

By almost every measure, Anthony Edwards got better last season. He led the league with 320 made 3-pointers at a career-high 39.5% clip. He raised