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 Sarah Stier/Getty Images) – Los Angeles Lakers /

2. Kevin Durant, Brooklyn Nets

Kevin Durant is going to go down as one of the 20, if not 15, best players in NBA history. That might not seem like a massive deal with LeBron James going down as the second-best player in league history, but Kevin Durant is a generational superstar.

There has never been anyone in the league like Durant who at his size can score the basketball in any way he wants. When it comes down to overall skill and capabilities, Durant very well could be considered the greatest pure scorer of all time and that is not the only thing he does on the basketball court.

Durant does not get the credit he deserves (even if many still consider him to be elite) because he went to Golden State and has been tied up in this Brooklyn fiasco for the last three seasons. However, when it really boils down to it, he is someone you do not want to play in a Game 7 and is someone who many people would rank no. 1.

Heck, Durant almost led the battered Nets to a playoff series win over last year’s champions, the Milwaukee Bucks. If Durant’s foot was not on the line in the game-tying shot in Game 7 then we might be talking about Durant being a three-time champion, not a four-time champion.

Durant has the seventh-best career BPM in NBA history with at least 20,000 minutes played. That is how special he is.