"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?"
"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."
"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."
A panel of more than 150 reporters, editors, producers and analysts voted on over 20,000 player-vs-player matchups to project each player's 2025-26 contributions. Voters answered which player will be better in 2025-26 and predicted expected quality and quantity of performance. The rankings proceed as a countdown covering players Nos. 100-51, Nos. 50-11 and the final top 10, with complementary predictions of breakout candidates for 2026. Several stars with long-term injuries—Jayson Tatum, Tyrese Haliburton, Damian Lillard, Kyrie Irving, Dejounte Murray and Fred VanVleet—were excluded from this season's rankings. The top-10 reveal compares veterans, reigning MVPs and emerging entrants.
Read at ESPN.com
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