NBA top 30 player rankings 2025-26: Victor Wembanyama's climb, LeBron James falls out of top 10

Who are the top 30 players in the league? Every preseason, our Sporting News staff gets together and debates this question. This year, nine members of our staff collaborated to rank their top 35. From there, the list was whittled down to 30 based on average ranking.

There has been plenty of movement since last year's exercise. Four of our top 30 from last year (Jayson Tatum, Tyrese Haliburton, Damian Lillard, Kyrie Irving) are off due to injuries that will keep them out of most or all of the year. That made room for seven newcomers on our list.

There is one constant. For the second year in a row, Nikola Jokic was our unanimous No. 1 player. That was pretty much the only thing that we all agreed on. Here's where our collective expertise landed. 

MORE: Ranking all 150 NBA starters

Click here for the full list.

NBA player rankings 2025-26

10. Kevin Durant, Rockets

Highest rank: 6

Lowest rank: 14

Durant may be 37 years old, but he's still a top 10 player in the league. He would have made an All-NBA team last season had he not barely missed the minimum games threshold. 

KD's shooting hasn't shown any signs of aging. He was a killer 53 percent from the field and 43 percent from 3 last year in Phoenix. He should continue that in Houston, where he will be the lead scoring option on a team with championship aspirations. 

MORE: Ranking all 30 starting power forwards

9. Donovan Mitchell, Cavs

Highest rank: 8

Lowest rank: 13

Mitchell has spearheaded some great regular season Cavs teams, and he will do it again for the presumptive top seed in the Eastern Conference.

He's a dynamic three-level scorer with the speed and athleticism to get to the rim or stop on a dime for 3. His defense has improved too in recent years, where he's gotten better at leveraging his massive 6-foot-10 wingspan.

MORE; Ranking all 30 starting shooting guards

8. Jalen Brunson, Knicks

Highest rank: 8

Lowest rank: 13

Brunson has been the Knicks' offense for the last several seasons. It's worked well, given that the team made it to the Eastern Conference Finals last season. There should be more balance this year though with new head coach Mike Brown. 

It's easy to see why Brunson was so relied upon. The 2025 Clutch Player of the Year can get to his spots at any time, thanks to one of the deepest bags in the league. He draws the attention of entire defenses with his toughness and scoring. 

MORE: Ranking all 30 starting point guards

7. Stephen Curry, Warriors

Highest rank: 5

Lowest rank: 9

The shooting still hasn't gone away for Curry at the age of 37. He's still keeping opposing coaches up at night figuring out ways to keep up with his perpetual movement. 

Curry is coming off a season in which he led the league with 11.2 3-point attempts per game and hit a respectable 39.7 percent of those looks. He and Jimmy Butler formed a great tandem to close the year, and that should make Curry's looks even better in their first full campaign together this season. 

6. Anthony Edwards, Timberwolves

Highest rank: 5

Lowest rank: 7

Edwards is climbing up these lists every year. Last season, we had him ranked No. 10. He's added to his game, becoming one of the most prodigious 3-point shooters in the league.

He's also worked on a post game this summer, and he grew tremendously as a passer during last year's playoffs. Combine that with his natural explosive athleticism, and he's one of the toughest covers in the league. 

5. Victor Wembanyama, Spurs

Highest rank: 4

Lowest rank: 6

This is Wemby's first year inside of our top 10. He won't be leaving for at least another decade.

He's the league's best defender, and he's added some power to his game that should help him stop settling for so many 3's as he did last year. He worked with legends like Kevin Garnett and Hakeem Olajuwon over the summer, giving him some great moves near the rim. 

MORE: Ranking all 30 starting centers

4. Luka Doncic, Lakers

Highest rank: 3

Lowest rank: 4

Doncic looks like he's in better shape than he's been in to start any season. A motivated Luka should be terrifying for the rest of the league.

Luka remains one of the best scorers and passers that we've ever seen. And the Lakers assembled some improved personnel around him, notably center Deandre Ayton, who gives him a better pick-and-roll partner than he had last year. 

3. Giannis Antetokounmpo, Bucks

Highest rank: 2

Lowest rank: 6

Giannis has had to carry bigger and bigger pieces of the Bucks since their championship run in 2021. That will continue this season after the team traded away Damian Lillard and added Myles Turner. He is going to have to literally drive the entire offense. 

There might not be a player more capable of that role. When Giannis gets downhill, the Bucks are going to get a great shot. He quietly became a deadly midrange shooter last season too, giving a good counterpunch to his drives. And he's still a top defender in the league thanks to his top-tier athleticism. 

2. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Thunder

Highest rank: 2

Lowest rank: 4

SGA is coming off a season in which he won the scoring title, regular season MVP, Finals MVP, and NBA championship. He is bare minimum a top-two player in the league. 

Gilgeous-Alexander is the league's most prodigious driver, and nobody can stop his funky movement. He warps to spots on the floor that would be blocked off for anyone else in the league, finding the narrowest of windows to slither through. That leads to a lot of great shots, scoring from all over the floor (and also a ton of free throws). 

SGA is a two-way player as well. He's finished top-10 in Defensive Player of the Year voting over the past two seasons, getting a ton of steals as part of the Thunder's historically-great defense. 

MORE: Debunking SGA's 'free-throw merchent' tag

1. Nikola Jokic, Nuggets

Highest rank: 1

Lowest rank: 1

There's not much doubt on who the best player in the league is. Joker is the best passer, the best one-on-one scorer, a much-improved 3-point shooter, and the best post player.

Jokic truly is the hardest player in the league to guard. He has remarkable touch on his floaters and Sombor Shuffle fadeaway, making him unstoppable one-on-one. When teams send extra help at him, he always makes the right pass, even if it's one that nobody has ever thought of before. 

The three-time MVP could win No. 4 if the Nuggets experience enough team success. With a better roster around him, don't be surprised if that happens. 

Ranking the best players in the NBA