Lakers: Ranking LeBron James and the 10 best players in the NBA

By Jason Reed | Apr 13, 2022

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - FEBRUARY 08: LeBron James #6 of the Los Angeles Lakers and Giannis Antetokounmpo #34 of the Milwaukee Bucks at Crypto.com Arena on February 08, 2022 in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images) /

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(Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images) – Los Angeles Lakers /

7. Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors

This might seem a bit low for Stephen Curry, who almost won the MVP award for the Golden State Warriors last season. While it is undeniable that Steph is the hardest player in the league to slow down when he is on fire, he cannot do as many things as the players ahead of him on this list.

That is by no means meant to discredit what Curry has done as he is still going to go down as one of the most influential basketball players in league history. But when you combine his defense, ability to stay healthy and his cold shooting (for his standards) this season, then it is hard to rank him higher than seventh on this list.

It will be interesting to see how the second half of Curry’s career treats him. LeBron James has defied conventional wisdom when it comes to aging but Curry is different. He is an undersized guard who has a lot of miles on his body from the multiple title runs with the Golden State Warriors.

While it might not be happening yet, Curry is a lot older than many realize as he just turned 34. There is a chance that the 2020-21 season was the last in which Curry will be at an elite level, and that is fine. He is already a first-ballot Hall of Famer.

As a basketball fan, you have to hope that Curry has a few more of these prime seasons left in him.