Basketball fans love an argument. Honestly, give two guys at a bar a napkin and a pen, and they’ll spend three hours yelling about whether Kobe Bryant belongs in the top five or the top fifteen. It’s basically a national pastime. But when we talk about the top 100 NBA players of all-time, we aren't just looking at a static list of names. It’s a living, breathing thing.
The 2025-26 season has already upended what we thought we knew. Just look at Nikola Jokic. Two years ago, people were hesitant to put him in the top 20. Now? After leading the league in triple-doubles and basically redefining the center position, he's leapfrogging legends like Jerry West or Oscar Robertson on a monthly basis.
The Problem With Ranking Greatness
Most people get it wrong. They think you can just look at a spreadsheet, count the rings, and call it a day. But it's never that simple. How do you compare Bill Russell, who played in an era with eight teams, to LeBron James, who’s still putting up 25 a night in year 23? It’s apples and oranges. Sorta.
We’ve got the old guard—your Wilts and your Kareems. Then you’ve got the modern monsters like Giannis Antetokounmpo and Victor Wembanyama. Yes, Wemby is already entering the conversation. It sounds crazy. But when a guy is leading the league in "stocks" (steals plus blocks) and shooting threes at seven feet tall, the "all-time" trajectory starts early.
The Top 100 NBA Players of All-Time: Breaking Down the Tiers
You can’t just list 1 through 100 without some nuance. It feels wrong. Instead, you have to look at the impact.
The Mount Rushmore Tier
Michael Jordan. LeBron James. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
These three are usually the non-negotiables. MJ has the "perfect" peak—six for six in the Finals. LeBron has the longevity that literally makes no sense. He’s currently at 42,000+ points and counting. Kareem has the resume that looks like a glitch in a video game: six MVPs and 19 All-Star nods.
But then there's the Magic vs. Bird debate. In the 80s, you were one or the other. Magic changed the fast break; Bird was the ultimate trash-talking sniper. Most modern lists have them at 4 and 5, but the order changes depending on if you value Magic’s five rings or Bird’s three straight MVPs.
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The Big Men Who Ruled the Earth
Wilt Chamberlain and Bill Russell are the ultimate Rorschach test for NBA fans.
- Wilt: Averaged 50 points a game once. Fifty.
- Russell: Won 11 rings in 13 years.
If you like stats, you pick Wilt. If you like winning, you pick Russell. Behind them, Hakeem Olajuwon and Shaquille O’Neal fight for the "most dominant" title. Shaq was a physical force of nature, but Hakeem's footwork was like a ballet dancer in size 15 shoes.
The Modern Risers
This is where it gets spicy. Stephen Curry has officially cemented himself in the top 10 for most experts. He changed how the game is actually played. Every kid in every driveway is now shooting from 30 feet because of him.
Then you have Kevin Durant. People forget how effortlessly he scores. Even at 37, playing for Houston in 2026, he’s still a walking bucket. His efficiency hasn't dropped off a cliff like we expected. And let’s talk about Nikola Jokic. He is arguably the greatest offensive engine we’ve ever seen. By the time he retires, he might be top 10. Easily.
Why the Middle of the List is a Total Mess
The gap between the 40th best player and the 70th best player is razor-thin. This is where guys like Chris Paul, Jason Kidd, and John Stockton live.
Stockton has the assists record that will probably never be broken. Like, ever. But he never won a ring. Does that mean he’s worse than Isiah Thomas, who has two? Or what about the "pure" scorers like Carmelo Anthony or Dominique Wilkins? They could give anyone 40 on a given night, but their lack of defensive hardware often pushes them down the top 100 NBA players of all-time rankings.
The New Guard Is Crashing the Party
In 2026, we’re seeing a shift. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander isn't just a "young star" anymore. He’s an MVP winner and a champion. He’s knocking veterans like Ray Allen or Paul Pierce down a peg.
Luka Doncic is another one. He’s already top 30 in terms of pure talent. If he wins a ring with the Lakers—which, let's be real, is the biggest story in the league right now—he’s going to skyrocket. We also have to acknowledge the snubs from the NBA 75 list. Dwight Howard and Klay Thompson were famously left off, but any serious historian knows they belong in the top 100. Dwight’s three DPOYs are no joke.
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Assessing the Criteria
So how do we actually decide? It’s usually a mix of:
- Peak Dominance: How much better were you than everyone else at your best?
- Longevity: How long did you keep it up? (The LeBron Factor)
- Accolades: MVPs, All-NBA First Teams, and DPOYs.
- The Eye Test: Did you change the game?
Kawhi Leonard is the perfect example of the "Peak vs. Longevity" struggle. When healthy, he’s a top 15 player ever. But he’s missed so much time that it’s hard to put him over a guy like Karl Malone, who played every night for two decades.
Actionable Insights for Fans
If you want to build your own list or win an argument, don't just look at the back of a basketball card.
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- Watch the tape. Stats from the 60s are inflated because of the pace. Stats from the early 2000s are deflated because of the "dead ball" era.
- Contextualize the rings. Robert Horry has seven rings. He’s not better than Michael Jordan.
- Follow the evolution. The game is faster and more skilled now. A role player in 2026 might be more skilled than a star in 1970, but you have to judge players against their own peers.
The debate over the top 100 NBA players of all-time will never end. That’s the point. As long as guys like Wembanyama and Anthony Edwards keep pushing the boundaries of what’s possible, we’ll keep moving the goalposts.
To stay ahead of the curve on these rankings, start tracking "advanced impact" metrics like LEBRON or Estimated Plus-Minus (EPM). These tools help strip away the bias of playing on a bad team and show who is actually moving the needle on the court. Comparing eras is hard, but looking at a player's dominance relative to their league average is the most honest way to rank greatness.