Nick Wright Reveals His Ranking of the Top 20 NBA Players Since 1970: LeBron James Takes the Crown at No. 1, Michael Jordan Secures No. 3 Spot

By Uddipta Das On Jun 15, 2023 0

Following the conclusion of the 2023 NBA Finals, Nick Wright, an NBA analyst, turned to Twitter to reveal his ranking of the Top 20 greatest players in the league since 1970. Notably, he placed LeBron James at the pinnacle of his list, which came as no surprise.

In order to ensure the inclusion of prominent figures, Nick Wright acknowledged that Bill Russell, Wilt Chamberlain, and Jerry West would also make his all-time list. Notably, he ranked Michael Jordan at No. 3, placing former Lakers star Kareem Abdul-Jabbar ahead of the iconic Bulls player. Here is his Top 20 in the specified order.

Nick Wright reveals his greatest NBA players list

Here is an updated list of the Top 20 players since 1970:

1- LeBron

2- Kareem

3- MJ

4- Magic

5- Duncan

6- Kobe

7- Bird

8- Hakeem

9- Shaq

10- Steph

11- Dr. J

12- Moses

13- Durant

14- Giannis

15- Isiah

16- Dirk

17- Mailman

18- Barkley

19- Wade

20- Jokic

When considering the all-time greatest players, it is evident that Bill Russell, Wilt Chamberlain, and Jerry West would unquestionably be included.

The Top 20 Since 1970, Updated:

1- LeBron
2- Kareem
3- MJ
4- Magic
5- Duncan
6- Kobe
7- Bird
8- Hakeem
9- Shaq
10- Steph
11- Dr. J
12- Moses
13- Durant
14- Giannis
15- Isiah
16- Dirk
17- Mailman
18- Barkley
19- Wade
20- Jokic

All time, Russell, Wilt & West obviously would be in

— nick wright (@getnickwright) June 13, 2023

This recent list follows Nick Wright’s playoffs pyramid from April, where he ranked LeBron James at No. 3. In that pyramid, Giannis Antetokounmpo claimed the top spot, with Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant in the second tier. Notably, it raised eyebrows when James was considered a superior player to Durant and Antetokounmpo. It seems that James’ postseason performance and his current success may have propelled him back to the top of Wright’s list.

Wright on why LeBron James should be on top

Wright emphasizes that LeBron James’ notable performances in the past two years are viewed as the primary factor for placing him as the top choice on many lists.

“This was a reminder, and it was a reminder of this. So, there was a point early in the year when LeBron got hurt, and I was like ‘Oh boy! Am I going to have to retool the player pyramid? Where Giannis is 1, and then there’s LeBron and KD right beneath him. Is LeBron going to have to drop?’ And the answer is, no I’m not,” he said.

“It’s a reminder that LeBron still has an argument that if you were to pick any player in the league for a series or a game, that somehow it’s still him. It’s a reminder, Wildes, that in year 19, where the most points ever scored for a game in year 19 was Kareem at 14 a game, and LeBron is currently second in the league in scoring, at nearly 29 a game, that the King somehow stays the King,” he added.

Despite LeBron James’ exceptional greatness, which reached new heights as he surpassed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as the NBA’s all-time leading scorer this season, the Lakers have not yet achieved a championship run. Although James and the Lakers came close this season, they ultimately fell short in the Conference Finals.