ESPN does the right thing, ranks Nikola Jokic as top NBA player

ESPN rolled out its top-10 players in the NBA on Thursday, and thankfully Denver Nuggets superstar Nikola Jokic was ranked No. 1 in the league.

After winning three of the last four MVPs, this felt like a no-brainer, but then again Jokic was No. 2 on this list a season ago, trailing Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo. Remember, this was after Jokic had just led Denver to its first title and been named NBA Finals MVP.

Jokic being first is good to see for Nuggets fans, especially because Michael Porter Jr. and Jamal Murray took tumbles in the top-100 rankings this week. Aaron Gordon also made the list, moving up two spots from No. 51 to No. 49 in the league.

Here’s how ESPN compiled these rankings and landed with Jokic at No. 1: “We asked our expert panel to vote on player vs. player matchups from more than 15,000 possible pairings. Voters were asked, “Which player will be better in 2024-25?” and had to predict how each player will perform this season.”

That seems fair, and it’s hard to arguet you can put Jokic head-to-head against anyone in the NBA and not put him in the top slot. Mavericks star Luka Doncic was No. 2, Antetokounmpo No. 3, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander from the Thunder was No. 4 and Jayson Tatum with the Celtics rounded out the top-5.

“After winning three of the past four MVP trophies, Jokic has a chance to reach legendary status by becoming only the sixth player to win four or more MVP awards should he repeat this season. Considering that only Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Michael Jordan, Bill Russell, Wilt Chamberlain and LeBron James have accomplished that, it’s easy to see why Jokic is the best player in the world right now,” ESPN’s Ohm Youngmisuk wrote.

It’s refreshing to read Jokic is the consensus top player on Earth. We’ve known it for quite some time, but everyone else has officially caught up.

To check out ESPN’s full rankings of the top-10 players, click here.

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