With how much talent there is in today's NBA, establishing a list of the top five players a few years from now would be impossible without a little debate, especially when you take into account the different factors that go into players based on their play and potential.

As a way to generate a top 5 ranking while eliminating certain biases, we tapped ChatGPT to give us another glimpse into the future and list the top 5 players in the NBA by 2030.

5. Cooper Flagg (San Antonio Spurs)

What's more surprising about this ranking is not that Flagg is expected to be the 5th best player in the NBA even though he's still in college. It's that AI thinks Flagg will go to the Spurs and form a dynamic duo with Victor Wembanyama.

In ChatGPT's defense, Flagg did bag just about every award the ACC could offer his freshman season. He won Freshman of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year, and of course, Player of the Year.

4. Scoot Henderson (Los Angeles Lakers)

This ranking will spark a bit of debate since Henderson has only made marginal improvements to his game in year two stats-wise. In ChatGPT's defense, Henderson is still only 20 years old and hasn't seen the floor as much as people expected.

Perhaps that's why it thinks Henderson will bolt Portland once his contract is over and form a lethal backcourt duo in LA where Luka Doncic and JJ Redick can unlock his potential.

3. Anthony Edwards (Minnesota Timberwolves)

We're pretty sure there won't be a lot (or any debate for that matter) with this ranking. In the 2024-25 season, Edwards is averaging career-highs in points, rebounds, and 3-point percentage. Add that to the fact that he's still 23 years old, Edwards' stock is only going to get higher the more years he plays in the NBA.

Article Continues Below

2. Luka Doncic (Los Angeles Lakers)

When you've been in the top 5 for voting in the MVP race for 5 straight seasons, you can understand why ChatGPT thinks Doncic will be the second-best player in the NBA by 2030. Now that he has added motivation after the Mavericks traded him because of his lack of conditioning and effort on defense, you can even make a solid case for Doncic to be number one on this list.

1. Victor Wembanyama (San Antonio Spurs)

This is probably the safest choice you can ask any NBA fan about who'll be the best player five years from now.

After all, not a lot of people get dubbed an alien and actually live up to the hype. Wembanyama already has, and he's only in his sophomore season.

Before the blood clot injury on his shoulder that ended up cutting his second season short, Wembanyama was the odds-on favorite to win DPOY, had the Spurs in the playoff mix, and was named an All-Star.

If this list does hold come 2030, expect the future of the NBA to be in good hands. And with half of the players here as teammates, expect the Larry O'Brien trophy to revolve between the Lakers and the Spurs.