When a new NBA season is about to begin, there is always one debate that captivates the minds of fans across the globe:
Who are the top 100 players in the league?
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is coming off a historic MVP and title season with the Oklahoma City Thunder, yet Nikola Jokic, Luka Doncic, and Giannis Antetokounmpo are back to chase their own championship dreams after participating in EuroBasket 2025.
Outside of this grouping of superstars, the ageless LeBron James, Stephen Curry, and Kevin Durant will further enhance their legacies, as they each remain among the most talented players in the league near the end of their respective careers.
Not to mention, plenty of youthful talents, highlighted by Victor Wembanyama and Cooper Flagg, make their mark on the list of the NBA's top 100 players.
With the 2025-26 NBA season right around the corner, it is time to once again dissect the talent that exists and come up with a list of the top 100 players in the league right now. That is exactly what we have done at ClutchPoints.
Now, it is finally time to reveal which players made it into the top 10 of ClutchPoints' 2025-26 NBA Top 100 players rankings, headlined by six different MVP recipients. Check out the gallery.
ClutchPoints' 2025-26 NBA Top 100 players:
Nos. 100-51 | Nos. 50-11 | Nos. 10-1
*NOTE: Notable talents like Jayson Tatum, Kyrie Irving, Tyrese Haliburton, Damian Lillard, Fred VanVleet, and others with significant or season-ending injuries that will sideline them for all of, or a vast majority of, the 2025-26 NBA season were not included in these top 100 rankings.
10. Donovan Mitchell – SG – Cleveland Cavaliers
CP 2024-25 Top 100 Rank: #16
2024-25 stats: 71 games, 24.0 PTS, 4.5 REB, 5.0 AST, 1.3 STL, 44.3 FG%, 36.8 3P%
For some reason out of his control, Donovan Mitchell doesn't get the same respect as other superstars in the league despite consistently producing and leading his team to success.
Perhaps Mitchell's 28-35 playoff record and the fact that he's never advanced to either the Western or Eastern Conference Finals has something to do with the public's idea of him truly being a top-10 talent in the NBA, but the fact of the matter is that he is one of the rare, elite offensive talents who controls the pace of a game.
Mitchell can not only speed things up and push the ball in transition, but he is also never thrown off rhythm when he slows things down with his team in the half-court. The Cleveland Cavaliers star is always in control of what is happening, and you never know when he will get going and explode for 40-plus points on any given night.
Last season, Mitchell ranked 16th in scoring and earned All-NBA First Team honors for the first time in his career after leading the Cavs to a 64-win season. It is quite remarkable that he has averaged over 20 points per game every season he's been in the NBA, and we should expect that trend to continue into the 2025-26 season.
9. Victor Wembanyama – PF/C – San Antonio Spurs
CP 2024-25 Top 100 Rank: #13
2024-25 stats: 46 games, 24.3 PTS, 11.0 REB, 3.7 AST, 3.8 BLK, 47.6 FG%, 35.2 3P%
If Victor Wembanyama had finished the 2024-25 season and didn't have his blood clot issue, then he would've easily won the Defensive Player of the Year award and been named to the All-NBA First or Second Team. The San Antonio Spurs star likely would've received consideration in the MVP voting as well.
As he begins his third season with the Spurs, Wembanyama is entering the year with a clean bill of health and looks every bit like a true MVP candidate. What makes Wemby even scarier than previous years is the fact that the Spurs are claiming he grew in the offseason.
Whether he is 7'4″ or 8'0″, it does not matter because Wembanyama is impossible to stop. We have never seen a big man like him be able to play like a guard, shoot from the perimeter, and practically dunk the ball without jumping from the free-throw line. Wembanyama is simply a freak of nature and is on the path to becoming the best player in the NBA.
Do not be shocked when Wembanyama makes his weekly appearance in ClutchPoints' MVP ladder during the 2025-26 season, as he has all the tools to take San Antonio back to glory.
8. Kevin Durant – SF/PF – Houston Rockets
CP 2024-25 Top 100 Rank: #5
2024-25 stats: 62 games, 26.6 PTS, 6.0 REB, 4.2 AST, 1.2 BLK, 52.7 FG%, 43.0 3P%
No matter what team he is on or who his teammates are, Kevin Durant is still a certified bucket. Despite all of the injury concerns he faced during the 2024-25 season in Phoenix, Durant still managed to finish seventh in scoring and was one of four players to average at least 26 points per game while shooting 50 percent or better from the floor, joining the Nos. 1, 2, and 3 on this top 100 list.
What is crazy about Durant is that even though he is 37 years old and suffered a torn Achilles tendon a handful of years ago, he is still playing at a level where nobody in the league can guard his mid-range shot. When he retires, Durant will go down as one of the best pure scorers in NBA history, and that title will never change.
How good Durant can be this season and whether he can make it eight straight seasons averaging at least 26 points per game depends on what the Houston Rockets look like. Last year, Houston finished as the 2-seed in the Western Conference and looked like one of the up-and-coming teams in the West. Now, they have put their foot down and are all-in on competing for a title right now with Durant leading the way.
7. LeBron James – SF/PF – Los Angeles Lakers
CP 2024-25 Top 100 Rank: #7
2024-25 stats: 70 games, 24.4 PTS, 7.8 REB, 8.2 AST, 1.0 STL, 51.3 FG%, 37.6 3P%
At some point, LeBron James will retire… right? The NBA's all-time leading scorer will turn 41 in December, yet he remains a top-10 player in the league and takes care of his body better than anyone else. Although he will miss the start of the 2025-26 NBA season due to a sciatica problem in his hip/glute, LeBron is all-in on capturing one last championship.
To nearly average 24-8-8 as a 40-year-old and finish sixth in the MVP voting last season is absurd. James continues to redefine longevity in professional sports, and NBA fans should expect nothing different once he is ready to play this season.
Whether or not this will be James' final season in a Los Angeles Lakers uniform is the question at large. He has always wanted to play with Bronny, and he achieved that last season. LeBron has always wanted to play 23 years in the NBA, and he will do that this season.
There is no goal left for LeBron to accomplish other than potentially winning another championship, and as long as he and Luka Doncic are on the Lakers' roster, this team will have a chance to do so.
6. Anthony Edwards – SG – Minnesota Timberwolves
CP 2024-25 Top 100 Rank: #10
2024-25 stats: 79 games, 27.6 PTS, 5.7 REB, 4.5 AST, 1.2 STL, 44.7 FG%, 39.5 3P%
Anthony Edwards really took that next step in his career during the 2024-25 campaign, as he went from being an All-Star to a superstar that the league's best now respect on a whole new level. A large reason why Edwards has turned that corner in his career is because of the time he spent with Team USA at the 2024 Summer Olympics.
The aura and swag Edwards has is unmatched by anyone in the league, and he truly possesses that “don't care” mentality, no matter who he is going up against. Ant knows he is better than virtually everyone in the league, and he proved that last season by leading the league in 3-pointers made, an area of his game that wasn't the best when he first entered the NBA.
What Edwards has done, leading the Minnesota Timberwolves to back-to-back Western Conference Finals appearances, is amazing. Now, the next step is getting over the hump and finding a way to reach the NBA Finals. At 24 years old, Edwards is just reaching the cusp of greatness, and we shouldn't be surprised if he takes another leap forward to lead the league in scoring.
5. Stephen Curry – PG – Golden State Warriors
CP 2024-25 Top 100 Rank: #4
2024-25 stats: 70 games, 24.5 PTS, 4.4 REB, 6.0 AST, 1.1 STL, 44.8 FG%, 39.7 3P%
Even with five players guarding him, Stephen Curry will find enough space to knock down a 3-pointer. Like LeBron and KD, Father Time has yet to get ahold of Steph, and he still has the Golden State Warriors looming as a championship contender. Even after all the records and accolades, Curry is still chasing that fifth ring, something he claims he constantly thinks about.
Curry and the Warriors certainly have a chance to win another title, as they went 23-8 to end the 2024-25 season after trading for Jimmy Butler, and if Steph had remained healthy in the playoffs, there's a strong chance that they would have reached the Western Conference Finals with how well they were playing.
He may not be the most athletic player on this list or the flashiest scorer at the rim, but everyone knows that No. 30 is a walking bucket. As long as he is fresh come March and April, Curry's Warriors will be a team nobody wants to see.
4. Luka Doncic – PG – Los Angeles Lakers
CP 2024-25 Top 100 Rank: #2
2024-25 stats: 50 games, 28.2 PTS, 8.2 REB, 7.7 AST, 1.8 STL, 45.0 FG%, 36.8 3P%
After having a full offseason to get acclimated to Los Angeles and prepare with the Lakers, Luka Doncic may just be ready for his best NBA season ever. The five-time All-NBA performer is still just 26 years old and is coming off a sensational year in which he was one of three players in the league to average at least 28 points, eight rebounds, and seven assists.
However, the most important factor surrounding Luka is that he is healthy and in the best shape of his life after focusing a lot on his diet and workout habits this summer. He also led Slovenia to the quarterfinals of EuroBasket 2025, averaging just under 35 points per game in the tournament.
Doncic wants to win, and he envisions doing so with the Lakers. Regardless of whether LeBron is on the court, Luka understands what it takes to reach the NBA Finals, and he has publicly made it his mission to get back to that spot. There is really hype surrounding Doncic and the fact that the 2025-26 NBA season could be his first MVP year.
3. Giannis Antetokounmpo – PF – Milwaukee Bucks
CP 2024-25 Top 100 Rank: #3
2024-25 stats: 67 games, 30.4 PTS, 11.9 REB, 6.5 AST, 1.2 BLK, 60.1 FG%, 22.2 3P%
Will this be Giannis Antetokounmpo's final year with the Milwaukee Bucks? If Giannis is seriously considering leaving, as all indications suggest, then you better believe that the Bucks superstar will be giving it his all for the city he loves.
What Antetokounmpo has done, averaging at least 30 points and 10 rebounds while shooting over 55 percent each of the last three seasons, is remarkable, and it further proves that he is impossible to contain. He has finished inside the top four of the NBA MVP voting each of the last seven years, including winning the award in 2019 and 2020. Could Giannis do so again in Milwaukee for a third time?
At this point, nothing Antetokounmpo does is surprising anymore, as he has cemented his legacy in NBA lore as one of the most dominant power forwards to ever exist. At 30 years old, only half of Antetokounmpo's basketball story has been written, which is scary for the rest of the NBA.
2. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander – PG – Oklahoma City Thunder
CP 2024-25 Top 100 Rank: #6
2024-25 stats: 76 games, 32.7 PTS, 5.0 REB, 6.4 AST, 1.7 STL, 1.0 BLK, 51.9 FG%, 37.5 3P%
A historic MVP season for Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and one in which he led the league in scoring, was capped off by his first championship and the 2025 Finals MVP award. This was one of the most decorated seasons we have ever seen from a superstar in one year, and Gilgeous-Alexander will be out to prove that everything the Oklahoma City Thunder achieved wasn't a fluke.
Even though the Thunder were one of the youngest teams in league history, SGA led them to a 68-win season, tied for the fifth-best record in NBA history. Not to mention, Gilgeous-Alexander was the driving force behind the Thunder recording the best net rating in NBA history.
As good as he is on offense, Shai's defensive approach doesn't get enough credit, as he is easily an All-Defensive-caliber player like many of his teammates in Oklahoma City.
Last season, Gilgeous-Alexander joined Shaquille O'Neal, Michael Jordan, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as the only players in NBA history to win a championship, the league's scoring title, and the regular season MVP award.
The Thunder are championship favorites once more, and the 27-year-old Canadian guard is ready to add more trophies to his collection.
1. Nikola Jokic – C – Denver Nuggets
CP 2024-25 Top 100 Rank: #1
2024-25 stats: 70 games, 29.6 PTS, 12.7 REB, 10.2 AST, 1.8 STL, 57.6 FG%, 41.7 3P%
And finally, there is no denying that Nikola Jokic reigns supreme at the top of ClutchPoints' top 100 players list entering the 2025-26 NBA season.
What Jokic has achieved over the last several years with the Denver Nuggets is video-game-like, as his numbers continue to increase every year at an insane rate. As good as Gilgeous-Alexander was last year for the Thunder, Jokic would have won the MVP award if he hadn't claimed it three times before.
The Nuggets' big man is so good that media voters are tired of giving him recognition, which is a whole new level of greatness only Michael Jordan really reached during his career.
To be a center in today's NBA and average 29/12/10 while shooting 57 percent from the floor and almost 42 percent from 3-point range is unheard of. It is also unheard of to record 34 triple-doubles and 59 double-doubles in 70 games.
Jokic enters the 2025-26 NBA season as the favorite for the MVP award once again, but he doesn't care about personal accolades. All Jokic wants is another championship to reach a whole new level of basketball immortality. As long as he stays healthy, Denver will be one of the best teams in the NBA.
