Who Are the Top 5 NBA Players?

The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional men’s basketball league in North America. It is widely considered to be the premier men’s professional basketball league in the world. There are currently 30 teams in the NBA, 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada.

LeBron James

LeBron James is an American professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He is widely considered to be one of the greatest players in NBA history. James has won four NBA Most Valuable Player (MVP) Awards, four NBA Finals MVP Awards, and two Olympic gold medals. He has also been selected to 14 NBA All-Star teams, 12 All-NBA First Teams, and six All-Defensive First Teams.

Cleveland Cavaliers

LeBron James is an American professional basketball player for the Cleveland Cavaliers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He has started every game for the Cavaliers since he was drafted in 2003 and has helped them to six conference finals appearances. He is a three-time NBA champion, and was named the NBA Finals MVP in each of his victories. James has also been crowned regular season MVP four times and has been selected to play in 12 All-Star games. He is widely considered to be one of the best players in the NBA, and has been compared to Michael Jordan by many experts.

2003–04 season

In his second season, James averaged 20.9 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 5.9 assists per game, and was selected as an All-Star starter for the first time. The Cavaliers improved by 18 wins from the previous season to finish with a 42–40 record, but they missed the playoffs by one game behind the Chicago Bulls for the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. During the All-Star Game, he became the youngest player ever to score more than 20 points, a record that has since been broken by Dwyane Wade. In just his second season in the league, James helped lead a massive turnaround for a Cavaliers franchise that had finished with an abysmal 17–65 win-loss record just one year before his rookie season. For his accomplishments that season, he was named by Sporting News as its NBA Rookie of the Year, and he also became only the third Cavalier to ever receive NBA All-Rookie First Team honors.

2004–05 season

As a rookie, James quickly became one of the league’s best players. He was named the NBA Rookie of the Year after averaging 20.9 points, 5.9 assists, 5.5 rebounds and 1.6 steals per game, becoming the first Cavalier to ever win the award. The Sporting News and ESPN also named him their Rookie of the Year. James was one of only three rookies (along with Yao Ming and Dwight Howard) to average at least 20 points, five rebounds and five assists per game in their debut season, and one of only two (along with Oscar Robertson) to do so while shooting over 40 percent from three-point range. James was also selected as a starter for the Eastern Conference team in the 2005 NBA All-Star Game, becoming the youngest player ever to start an All-Star Game at age 21 years, 51 days old. He finished second in voting for the All-Star MVP Award behind Shaquille O’Neal; he received 916,993 votes compared to O’Neal’s 1,146,601 votes. In addition to his Rookie of the Year and All-Star selections, James was also named to the All-NBA Second Team and the NBA All-Defensive Second Team. He became just the second rookie in NBA history (afterDavid Robinsonin 1990–91)to be named to an All-NBA or All-Defensive Team.[32][33] His 2,476 points were also second all-time amongst rookies behind only Robinson’s 2,667 in 1990–91.[34] For his accomplishments, he was presented with both the Rookie Challenge MVP Awardand an ESPY Award for Best NBA Player.

Kobe Bryant

Kobe Bryant, also known as the Black Mamba, is one of the greatest players in NBA history. He played for the Los Angeles Lakers for his entire 20-year career and was a 5-time NBA champion. He was also a 2-time Olympic gold medalist. Kobe was one of the most talented and dedicated players the NBA has ever seen.

Los Angeles Lakers

Kobe Bean Bryant is an American former professional basketball player. He played his entire 20-season career in the National Basketball Association with the Los Angeles Lakers, winning five NBA championships. Widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all time, he led the NBA in scoring during two seasons, ranks fourth on the league’s all-time regular season scoring and ranks first on the all-time postseason scoring list. He is also the all-time leading scorer in Lakers franchise history.

2008–09 season

Bryant began the 2008–09 season, his 14th in the NBA, on October 28, 2008, against the San Antonio Spurs. In his first game back from injury, Bryant played 36 minutes and scored 21 points on 7-of-21 shooting in a 108–103 victory over the Spurs. On November 2, he scored a season-high 27 points in a 96–87 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves. On December 3, Bryant scored 19 of his 31 points in the last 12 minutes of the fourth quarter to help the Lakers erase a 21-point deficit and beat the Miami Heat 99–98. Four days later, he had 33 points and eight rebounds against LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers; however, he missed a potential game-tying jumper with three seconds left as the Lakers lost 103–102.

2009–10 season

In the 2009–10 season, Bryant’s production declined slightly. He averaged 27.0 points on 46.3% shooting, 5.4 rebounds, and 4.9 assists per game. Shooting a career-low 43.4% from the field during the first half of the season, Bryant increased his accuracy to 49.7% in February 2010; his 46.3% clip for the season was his lowest since the 1999–2000 season, when he shot 45.2%. On January 7, 2010, against Phoenix, he surpassed Jerry West (25,192) as the Lakers’ franchise scoring leader; he ended the season with 25,obe Brya871 points (17th on the NBA’s all-time scoring list). For his efforts during February 2010—when he averaged 30.4 points on 54% shooting—Bryant was named Western Conference Player of the Month for a record-tying ninth time in his career; only Karl Malone (10) has won more monthly awards in NBA history.

Kevin Durant

Kevin Durant is an American professional basketball player for the Brooklyn Nets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played one season of college basketball for the University of Texas, and was selected as the second overall pick by the Seattle SuperSonics in the 2007 NBA draft. Durant won an NBA championship with the Golden State Warriors in 2017 and was named the NBA Finals MVP. He has also been a nine-time NBA All-Star and a four-time NBA scoring champion.

Oklahoma City Thunder

The Oklahoma City Thunder are an American professional basketball team based in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The Thunder compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league’s Western Conference Northwest Division. The team plays its home games at Chesapeake Energy Arena.

The Thunder were originally established as the Seattle SuperSonics, an expansion team that began play in 1967. The SuperSonics moved to Oklahoma City in 2008 after a settlement was reached between the ownership group led by Clay Bennett and lawmakers in Seattle, Washington following the team’s purchase by Bennett. In Seattle, the SuperSonics qualified for the NBA playoffs 22 times, won their division six times, and won the 1979 NBA Championship. In Oklahoma City, theThunder have qualified for the NBA playoffs eight times since relocating, won their division three times, and advanced to one NBA Finals appearance – losing to Miami Heat 4–1 in 2012.

2010–11 season

In his third season, Durant averaged 30.1 points, 6.2 rebounds, 2.8 assists, and 1.4 steals per game, shooting 47.6 percent from the field and 36.5 percent from three-point range. He became the first player in NBA history to shoot at least 50 percent from the field, 40 percent from three-point range, and 90 percent from the free throw line in a single season (joining Mark Price and Reggie Miller as the only players to shoot at least 40 percent on three-pointers while averaging 10 or more attempts per game). Durant was also selected to his first All-Star team and named to the All-NBA First Team. He helped lead the Thunder to a 55–27 record and their first playoff appearance since moving to Oklahoma City in 2008. In their first round matchup with the Denver Nuggets, Durant averaged 32.0 points en route to a four-game sweep of Denver

2011–12 season

Durant had another excellent season in 2011–12, averaging 28.0 points, 8.0 rebounds, 3.7 assists, and 1.2 steals per game while shooting 47.6% from the field, 36.6% from three-point range, and 90.5% from the free throw line. He led the Thunder to a division title and the second seed in the Western Conference playoffs with a 47–19 record. In the first round of the playoffs, Durant helped his team eliminate the defending champion Dallas Mavericks by scoring 29 points in Game 4 to seal a 99–98 victory and a sweep of the series. He then helped Oklahoma City defeat the Los Angeles Lakers in five games in the second round to become just the third team ever to beat both Kobe Bryant and LeBron James in back-to-back postseasons (joining Jordan’s Bulls and Magic Johnson’s Lakers). In doing so, he became only the fifth player ever to score 30 or more points in each game of a playoff series sweep (joining Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Jerry West, Rick Barry, and Jordan). Durant scored 31 points in Game 1 of the Conference Finals against the San Antonio Spurs, but he struggled for much of the series thereafter and was held to 15 or fewer points three times as Oklahoma City lost in six games.

Dwyane Wade

Dwyane Wade is a shooting guard who has played for the Miami Heat and the Chicago Bulls. He is a 3-time NBA champion and a 13-time NBA All-Star. He is also the all-time leading scorer for the Miami Heat.

Miami Heat

Dwyane Tyrone Wade Jr. (/dweɪn/ dwayn; born January 17, 1982) is an American professional basketball player for the Miami Heat of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Wade played college basketball for the Marquette Golden Eagles, where he was an honorable-mention All-American.

2005–06 season

After Wade’s strong rookie campaign, expectations were high entering the 2005–06 season, Wade was selected as a starter for the 2006 NBA All-Star Game. He played in only 49 games due to injuries, but he still averaged 27.2 points per game on 47.5% shooting, 7.5 assists per game, and 2.2 steals per game. In the 2006 NBA Playoffs, Wade averaged 28.6 points per game and 6.7 assists per game as the Heat were swept in the first round by the Chicago Bulls.[50]

Entering his third season, Wade was still selected to start in the 2007 NBA All-Star Game along with Shaquille O’Neal.[51] On March 3, 2007, Wade recorded his second career triple double against the Los Angeles Clippers with 29 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists.[52] In Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals against the Detroit Pistons, Wade made a jumper at the buzzer to give Miami a 2–1 series lead.[53] Detroit eventually won the series in six games.[54] For his efforts during their playoff run, Wade was named co-MVP of the 2006 NBA Finals along with Dallas Mavericks forward Dirk Nowitzki.[55][56]

2006–07 season

In the 2006–07 season, Wade led the Heat to a 44-win season and their first ever playoff berth in the post-Shaquille O’Neal era. In the playoffs, Miami faced the Chicago Bulls in the first round, where Wade averaged 20.3 points, 7.8 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 2.5 steals in the four-game series sweep. The Cavaliers had swept the Wizards in their first-round matchup. The stage was set for an intriguing Second Round playoff matchup between LeBron James and Wade, with both emerging as MVP candidates that season.

Tim Duncan

Tim Duncan is a retired professional basketball player who spent his entire 19-year career with the San Antonio Spurs of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He is widely considered to be one of the greatest power forwards of all time and is a five-time NBA champion.

San Antonio Spurs

Tim Duncan is a retired professional basketball player who is considered one of the greatest players of all time. He spent his entire 19-year career with the San Antonio Spurs, winning five NBA championships. He is a two-time NBA MVP and a three-time NBA Finals MVP. Tim Duncan is also a 15-time NBA All-Star and a 10-time All-NBA First Team selection.

1997–98 season

As a member of the 1997–98 Spurs team that swept the 1999 NBA Finals, Duncan became the first player in NBA history to be named MVP of the Finals and Rookie of the Year in the same season. He was also only the second rookie to start every game in an NBA Finals series. Along with fellow future Hall of Famers Kobe Bryant, Karl Malone, and Michael Jordan, Duncan is one of only four players to achieve this distinction.

1998–99 season

As a sophomore, Duncan averaged 20.1 points, 11.9 rebounds, 2.7 blocks, and 1.5 assists per game, and was again named First Team All-American and First Team All-Conference USA. He led Wake Forest to a 26–6 record and the Regular Season Conference USA Championship. In the conference tournament semifinals, Duncan scored 20 points and grabbed 15 rebounds in a victory over Marquette, but coach Carlsen suffered a heart attack during the game.