25 Best and Most Famous Basketball Players of All Time

Our ranking of the 25 best basketball players of all time, led by Michael Jordan, LeBron James and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, with stats and titles.

Each profile lists position, teams, birth date and the titles that matter, followed by what made the player stand out. The list covers the NBA, the ABA and the WNBA, and it includes players from Europe, Africa and Australia. Below the ranking you will find the best player at every position, the records these players still hold and the names that just missed the cut.

How We Ranked the Basketball Players

• Peak: how far ahead of the competition the player was at his or her best.
• Longevity: how many seasons the player stayed at that level.
• Titles and awards: championships, MVP and Finals MVP awards, All-NBA and All-WNBA teams, Olympic medals and the Hall of Fame.
• Impact: whether the player changed how the position is played or how the game is coached and defended.

Players are measured against their own era rather than against modern statistics, which is why Bill Russell and Wilt Chamberlain sit alongside stars of the 2000s. The four women on the list are placed by what they did in the WNBA, in college and for their national teams. The order is our own judgment, not an official one.

The 25 Best Basketball Players at a Glance

#	Player	Position	Career
1	Michael Jordan	Shooting guard	1984 to 2003
2	LeBron James	Forward	since 2003
3	Kareem Abdul-Jabbar	Center	1969 to 1989
4	Bill Russell	Center	1956 to 1969
5	Magic Johnson	Point guard	1979 to 1996
6	Larry Bird	Forward	1979 to 1992
7	Wilt Chamberlain	Center	1959 to 1973
8	Tim Duncan	Power forward / Center	1997 to 2016
9	Kobe Bryant	Shooting guard	1996 to 2016
10	Shaquille O’Neal	Center	1992 to 2011
11	Hakeem Olajuwon	Center	1984 to 2002
12	Stephen Curry	Point guard	since 2009
13	Oscar Robertson	Point guard	1960 to 1974
14	Jerry West	Guard	1960 to 1974
15	Julius Erving	Forward	1971 to 1987
16	Kevin Durant	Forward	since 2007
17	Dirk Nowitzki	Power forward	1998 to 2019
18	Karl Malone	Power forward	1985 to 2004
19	Kevin Garnett	Power forward	1995 to 2016
20	Nikola Jokić	Center	since 2015
21	Giannis Antetokounmpo	Forward	since 2013
22	Diana Taurasi	Guard	2004 to 2024
23	Lisa Leslie	Center	1997 to 2009
24	Sue Bird	Point guard	2002 to 2022
25	Lauren Jackson	Power forward / Center	1997 to 2024

#1 Michael Jordan

• 🏀 Position: Shooting guard
• 🎂 Born: February 17, 1963, in Brooklyn, New York
• 👕 Teams: Chicago Bulls (1984 to 1993, 1995 to 1998), Washington Wizards (2001 to 2003)
• 🏆 Career Highlights: 6× NBA champion (1991 to 1993, 1996 to 1998), 6× Finals MVP, 5× NBA MVP (1988, 1991, 1992, 1996, 1998), 10× scoring champion, Defensive Player of the Year (1988), 14× All-Star, 2× Olympic gold (1984, 1992)
• 🏛️ Hall of Fame: Inducted 2009

Jordan won six titles with the Bulls, was Finals MVP every time and never played a Game 7 in the Finals. His 30.1 points per game is the highest career average in NBA history, and he led the league in scoring ten times. In 1988 he won both MVP and Defensive Player of the Year.

The Bulls went 72 and 10 in 1995 and 1996, then won the title. Jordan also scored 63 points in a playoff game against Boston in April 1986, still the postseason record. He retired in 1993, spent two seasons in minor league baseball, came back in March 1995 and won three more titles. He later bought a stake in the Charlotte franchise and sold his majority share in 2023.

#2 LeBron James

• 🏀 Position: Forward
• 🎂 Born: December 30, 1984, in Akron, Ohio
• 👕 Teams: Cleveland Cavaliers (2003 to 2010, 2014 to 2018), Miami Heat (2010 to 2014), Los Angeles Lakers (2018 to 2026), Philadelphia 76ers (since 2026)
• 🏆 Career Highlights: 4× NBA champion (2012, 2013, 2016, 2020), 4× Finals MVP, 4× NBA MVP (2009, 2010, 2012, 2013), 22× All-Star, 13× All-NBA First Team, NBA all-time leading scorer, Olympic gold (2008, 2012, 2024)
• 🏛️ Hall of Fame: Active

James was the first pick of the 2003 draft, straight out of high school in Akron. He has kept playing at a star level for 23 seasons. He is the NBA’s all-time leading scorer, passing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar on February 7, 2023, and he holds the records for All-Star selections (22) and All-NBA First Team selections (13).

He is the only player with at least 10,000 career points, rebounds and assists, and the first to win Finals MVP with three different teams. His 2016 title with Cleveland came after the Cavaliers trailed Golden State, a 73 win team, three games to one. In July 2026, at 41, he signed with the Philadelphia 76ers after eight seasons with the Lakers.

#3 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

• 🏀 Position: Center
• 🎂 Born: April 16, 1947, in New York City
• 👕 Teams: Milwaukee Bucks (1969 to 1975), Los Angeles Lakers (1975 to 1989)
• 🏆 Career Highlights: 6× NBA champion (1971, 1980, 1982, 1985, 1987, 1988), 6× NBA MVP (1971, 1972, 1974, 1976, 1977, 1980), 2× Finals MVP (1971, 1985), 19× All-Star, 10× All-NBA First Team, 3× NCAA champion
• 🏛️ Hall of Fame: Inducted 1995

Born Lew Alcindor, he won three straight NCAA titles at UCLA from 1967 to 1969. He then took the Bucks to the 1971 title in his second season. His six MVP awards are a record, and so were his 38,387 career points, which stood from 1984 until LeBron James passed him in 2023.

The skyhook, a shot he could take with either hand and that defenders could not block, was the most dependable shot of his era. He played 20 seasons and won five more titles after the move to the Lakers, where he paired with Magic Johnson. He changed his name after converting to Islam and has since become a best-selling author.

#4 Bill Russell

• 🏀 Position: Center
• 🎂 Born: February 12, 1934, in Monroe, Louisiana (died July 31, 2022)
• 👕 Teams: Boston Celtics (1956 to 1969)
• 🏆 Career Highlights: 11× NBA champion (1957, 1959 to 1966, 1968, 1969), 5× NBA MVP (1958, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1965), 12× All-Star, Olympic gold (1956), 2× NCAA champion
• 🏛️ Hall of Fame: Inducted 1975

Russell won 11 championships in 13 seasons, the most any player has won in the NBA, including eight in a row from 1959 to 1966. He averaged 22.5 rebounds per game and finished with 21,620. His shot blocking and defense built the Celtics dynasty even though blocks were not counted at the time.

He won two NCAA titles at San Francisco and an Olympic gold in 1956 before joining Boston. In 1966 he became the first Black head coach in the NBA, as a player-coach, and he won two more titles in that role. He was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2011, and the Finals MVP trophy carries his name. Russell died in 2022 at 88.

#5 Magic Johnson

• 🏀 Position: Point guard
• 🎂 Born: August 14, 1959, in Lansing, Michigan
• 👕 Teams: Los Angeles Lakers (1979 to 1991, 1996)
• 🏆 Career Highlights: 5× NBA champion (1980, 1982, 1985, 1987, 1988), 3× NBA MVP (1987, 1989, 1990), 3× Finals MVP, 12× All-Star, 9× All-NBA First Team, Olympic gold (1992)
• 🏛️ Hall of Fame: Inducted 2002

Johnson was a 6 foot 9 point guard who changed what the position could be. He averaged 11.2 assists per game, still the highest career average in the NBA, and led the Showtime Lakers to five titles. As a rookie in the 1980 Finals he started Game 6 at center in place of the injured Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and scored 42 points with 15 rebounds.

He won the NCAA title in 1979 against Larry Bird’s Indiana State, which began the rivalry that carried the league through the 1980s. On November 7, 1991, he announced that he was HIV positive and retired. He played in the 1992 All-Star Game, won Olympic gold with the Dream Team that summer and returned for 32 games in 1996.

#6 Larry Bird

• 🏀 Position: Forward
• 🎂 Born: December 7, 1956, in West Baden Springs, Indiana
• 👕 Teams: Boston Celtics (1979 to 1992)
• 🏆 Career Highlights: 3× NBA champion (1981, 1984, 1986), 3× NBA MVP (1984, 1985, 1986), 2× Finals MVP, 12× All-Star, 9× All-NBA First Team, Rookie of the Year (1980), 3× Three-Point Contest champion, Olympic gold (1992)
• 🏛️ Hall of Fame: Inducted 1998

Bird won the MVP award three years in a row from 1984 to 1986, something only Bill Russell and Wilt Chamberlain had done before him. He was a forward who passed like a guard, shot well from distance and won the first three Three-Point Contests, from 1986 to 1988. His career high was 60 points against Atlanta in March 1985.

At Indiana State he took an unbeaten team to the 1979 NCAA final, where it lost to Magic Johnson’s Michigan State. Back problems shortened his career, and he retired in 1992. He later won Coach of the Year with Indiana in 1998 and Executive of the Year in 2012.

#7 Wilt Chamberlain

• 🏀 Position: Center
• 🎂 Born: August 21, 1936, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (died October 12, 1999)
• 👕 Teams: Philadelphia/San Francisco Warriors (1959 to 1965), Philadelphia 76ers (1965 to 1968), Los Angeles Lakers (1968 to 1973)
• 🏆 Career Highlights: 2× NBA champion (1967, 1972), 4× NBA MVP (1960, 1966, 1967, 1968), 13× All-Star, 7× scoring champion, 11× rebounding champion, Rookie of the Year (1960)
• 🏛️ Hall of Fame: Inducted 1978

Chamberlain scored 100 points against the Knicks on March 2, 1962, in Hershey, Pennsylvania, a record that no one has come close to. That season he averaged 50.4 points per game. He also holds the career rebounding record with 23,924, an average of 22.9 per game.

He won seven scoring titles in a row and 11 rebounding titles, and in 1968 he led the league in assists as a center. Critics noted that he won only two titles while Russell won 11, but his 76ers ended the Celtics’ run in 1967 and his Lakers won in 1972. He died in 1999 at 63.

#8 Tim Duncan

• 🏀 Position: Power forward / Center
• 🎂 Born: April 25, 1976, in Saint Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands
• 👕 Teams: San Antonio Spurs (1997 to 2016)
• 🏆 Career Highlights: 5× NBA champion (1999, 2003, 2005, 2007, 2014), 3× Finals MVP, 2× NBA MVP (2002, 2003), 15× All-Star, 10× All-NBA First Team, 8× All-Defensive First Team
• 🏛️ Hall of Fame: Class of 2020

Duncan was the first pick of the 1997 draft and spent all 19 of his seasons with the Spurs. He won titles in 1999 and in 2014, 15 years apart, and he retired with 26,496 points and 15,091 rebounds. The Spurs never missed the playoffs with him.

He grew up as a competitive swimmer in the Virgin Islands and took up basketball only after Hurricane Hugo destroyed the island’s pool. His game was built on the bank shot and sound defense, and he rarely drew attention to himself. He was named to the All-Defensive First Team eight times.

#9 Kobe Bryant

• 🏀 Position: Shooting guard
• 🎂 Born: August 23, 1978, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (died January 26, 2020)
• 👕 Teams: Los Angeles Lakers (1996 to 2016)
• 🏆 Career Highlights: 5× NBA champion (2000, 2001, 2002, 2009, 2010), NBA MVP (2008), 2× Finals MVP (2009, 2010), 18× All-Star, 11× All-NBA First Team, 2× scoring champion (2006, 2007), 2× Olympic gold (2008, 2012)
• 🏛️ Hall of Fame: Class of 2020

Bryant came into the league in 1996 as the 13th pick, straight from high school, and spent all 20 seasons with the Lakers. He scored 81 points against Toronto on January 22, 2006, the second-highest game total in NBA history behind Wilt Chamberlain’s 100. He finished with 33,643 career points and scored 60 in his final game in April 2016.

He won three titles next to Shaquille O’Neal and two more after O’Neal left, the second pair as the clear leader of the team. After retiring he won an Academy Award in 2018 for the animated short Dear Basketball. Bryant died in a helicopter crash in Calabasas, California, on January 26, 2020, along with his daughter Gianna and seven others.

#10 Shaquille O’Neal

• 🏀 Position: Center
• 🎂 Born: March 6, 1972, in Newark, New Jersey
• 👕 Teams: Orlando Magic (1992 to 1996), Los Angeles Lakers (1996 to 2004), Miami Heat (2004 to 2008), Phoenix Suns (2008 to 2009), Cleveland Cavaliers (2009 to 2010), Boston Celtics (2010 to 2011)
• 🏆 Career Highlights: 4× NBA champion (2000, 2001, 2002, 2006), 3× Finals MVP, NBA MVP (2000), 15× All-Star, 8× All-NBA First Team, Rookie of the Year (1993), 2× scoring champion (1995, 2000), Olympic gold (1996)
• 🏛️ Hall of Fame: Inducted 2016

O’Neal was the first pick of the 1992 draft and was the most overpowering center of his generation. In 2000 he won MVP with all but one first-place vote, and in the same year he won the first of three straight Finals MVP awards as the Lakers began a three-peat. He finished with 28,596 career points.

He won a fourth ring with Miami in 2006 next to Dwyane Wade. Opponents often resorted to deliberately fouling him because of his free throw shooting, a tactic that became known as Hack-a-Shaq. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2016.

#11 Hakeem Olajuwon

• 🏀 Position: Center
• 🎂 Born: January 21, 1963, in Lagos, Nigeria
• 👕 Teams: Houston Rockets (1984 to 2001), Toronto Raptors (2001 to 2002)
• 🏆 Career Highlights: 2× NBA champion (1994, 1995), 2× Finals MVP, NBA MVP (1994), 2× Defensive Player of the Year (1993, 1994), 12× All-Star, 6× All-NBA First Team, Olympic gold (1996), NBA career leader in blocks
• 🏛️ Hall of Fame: Inducted 2008

Olajuwon came to Houston from Nigeria to play college basketball, was the first pick of the 1984 draft ahead of Michael Jordan and became a US citizen in 1993. He is the NBA’s career leader in blocked shots with 3,830. In 1994 he was MVP, Defensive Player of the Year and Finals MVP in the same season, which no one else has done.

His footwork, the Dream Shake, gave centers a new template for scoring with their back to the basket. He recorded a quadruple-double against Milwaukee on March 29, 1990, one of only a handful in league history. His Rockets won back-to-back titles in 1994 and 1995 while Jordan was away from the Bulls.

#12 Stephen Curry

• 🏀 Position: Point guard
• 🎂 Born: March 14, 1988, in Akron, Ohio
• 👕 Teams: Golden State Warriors (since 2009)
• 🏆 Career Highlights: 4× NBA champion (2015, 2017, 2018, 2022), 2× NBA MVP (2015, 2016), Finals MVP (2022), 4× All-NBA First Team, NBA all-time leader in three-pointers made, Olympic gold (2024)
• 🏛️ Hall of Fame: Active

Curry was the seventh pick of the 2009 draft after a run at Davidson. He changed how the game is played from long range. In 2015 and 2016 he won MVP, the second time as the first unanimous winner in league history. He made a record 402 threes in 2015 to 16 as the Warriors went 73 and 9, the best regular season record ever.

He passed Ray Allen as the league’s career leader in three-pointers made during the 2021 to 22 season and was the first player to reach 4,000. That season he won his only Finals MVP in a six-game win over Boston. He won Olympic gold with the United States at the 2024 Games in Paris.

#13 Oscar Robertson

• 🏀 Position: Point guard
• 🎂 Born: November 24, 1938, in Charlotte, Tennessee
• 👕 Teams: Cincinnati Royals (1960 to 1970), Milwaukee Bucks (1970 to 1974)
• 🏆 Career Highlights: NBA champion (1971), NBA MVP (1964), 12× All-Star, 9× All-NBA First Team, Olympic gold (1960), averaged a triple-double in 1961 to 62
• 🏛️ Hall of Fame: Inducted 1980

In 1961 to 62 Robertson averaged 30.8 points, 12.5 rebounds and 11.4 assists, the first time anyone averaged a triple-double over a full season. He finished with 181 career triple-doubles, 26,710 points and 9,887 assists. He was an All-NBA First Team selection in each of his first nine seasons.

Cincinnati never built a champion around him, and he won his only title in 1971 after a trade to Milwaukee, where he played next to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Off the court, the Robertson v. NBA lawsuit, filed in 1970 and settled in 1976, helped bring free agency to the league.

#14 Jerry West

• 🏀 Position: Guard
• 🎂 Born: May 28, 1938, in Chelyan, West Virginia (died June 12, 2024)
• 👕 Teams: Los Angeles Lakers (1960 to 1974)
• 🏆 Career Highlights: NBA champion (1972), Finals MVP (1969), 14× All-Star, 10× All-NBA First Team, scoring champion (1970), Olympic gold (1960)
• 🏛️ Hall of Fame: Inducted 1980

West averaged 27.0 points per game over his career and was nicknamed Mr. Clutch. In 1969 he won Finals MVP even though the Lakers lost to Boston, the only time a player on the losing team has received the award. In Game 3 of the 1970 Finals he hit a 60 foot shot to force overtime against the Knicks.

He won only one title as a player, in 1972, after losing in the Finals several times to the Celtics. The NBA logo is based on a silhouette of him. As an executive he helped build the Lakers teams of the 1980s and 2000, and he later worked for Memphis, Golden State and the Clippers. West died in 2024 at 86.

#15 Julius Erving

• 🏀 Position: Forward
• 🎂 Born: February 22, 1950, in East Meadow, New York
• 👕 Teams: Virginia Squires (1971 to 1973), New York Nets (1973 to 1976), Philadelphia 76ers (1976 to 1987)
• 🏆 Career Highlights: NBA champion (1983), 2× ABA champion (1974, 1976), 3× ABA MVP (1974 to 1976), NBA MVP (1981), 16× All-Star (5 ABA, 11 NBA), 5× All-NBA First Team, 3× ABA scoring champion
• 🏛️ Hall of Fame: Inducted 1993

Dr. J turned the dunk into an art form. He won the ABA’s 1976 slam dunk contest by taking off from the free throw line, and in the 1980 Finals he made a swooping reverse layup behind the backboard against the Lakers that is still replayed as one of the great plays of the era.

He won two ABA titles with the Nets and three straight ABA MVP awards, then took the 76ers to the 1983 championship and won the NBA MVP award in 1981. His combined ABA and NBA total is 30,026 points. His success helped bring credibility to the ABA before the 1976 merger.

#16 Kevin Durant

• 🏀 Position: Forward
• 🎂 Born: September 29, 1988, in Washington, D.C.
• 👕 Teams: Seattle SuperSonics/Oklahoma City Thunder (2007 to 2016), Golden State Warriors (2016 to 2019), Brooklyn Nets (2019 to 2023), Phoenix Suns (2023 to 2025), Houston Rockets (since 2025)
• 🏆 Career Highlights: 2× NBA champion (2017, 2018), 2× Finals MVP, NBA MVP (2014), 4× scoring champion (2010, 2011, 2012, 2014), 16× All-Star, 6× All-NBA First Team, 4× Olympic gold (2012, 2016, 2020, 2024)
• 🏛️ Hall of Fame: Active

Durant was the second pick of the 2007 draft and was Rookie of the Year in 2008. At 6 foot 10 with the shooting touch of a guard, he won four scoring titles in five seasons from 2010 and was MVP in 2014. He is the leading scorer in the history of the US Olympic men’s team and has four gold medals.

He joined Golden State in 2016 and won two titles and two Finals MVP awards. He tore his Achilles tendon in the 2019 Finals and missed the following season. As of 2026 he plays for the Houston Rockets.

#17 Dirk Nowitzki

• 🏀 Position: Power forward
• 🎂 Born: June 19, 1978, in Würzburg, West Germany
• 👕 Teams: Dallas Mavericks (1998 to 2019)
• 🏆 Career Highlights: NBA champion (2011), Finals MVP (2011), NBA MVP (2007), 14× All-Star, 4× All-NBA First Team, 2005 EuroBasket MVP
• 🏛️ Hall of Fame: Inducted 2023

Nowitzki was the ninth pick of the 1998 draft and played all 21 of his seasons with Dallas. In 2007 he became the first European-born player to win the MVP award, in a season in which he shot 50 percent from the field, 40 percent from three and 90 percent on free throws. He retired with 31,560 points, sixth on the all-time list at the time.

His one-legged fadeaway was nearly impossible to block for a 7 footer. In 2011 he led the Mavericks past Miami and its big three in the Finals and was named Finals MVP. He also took Germany to a silver medal at EuroBasket 2005, where he was named MVP.

#18 Karl Malone

• 🏀 Position: Power forward
• 🎂 Born: July 24, 1963, in Summerfield, Louisiana
• 👕 Teams: Utah Jazz (1985 to 2003), Los Angeles Lakers (2003 to 2004)
• 🏆 Career Highlights: 2× NBA MVP (1997, 1999), 14× All-Star, 11× All-NBA First Team, 36,928 career points, 2× Olympic gold (1992, 1996)
• 🏛️ Hall of Fame: Inducted 2010

Malone was the Jazz’s power forward for 18 seasons and scored 36,928 points, third on the all-time list. The Mailman made 11 straight All-NBA First Teams from 1989 to 1999. His pick-and-roll partnership with John Stockton was one of the most reliable plays in the league.

He never won a title. Utah lost the 1997 and 1998 Finals to Michael Jordan’s Bulls, and a third Finals with the Lakers in 2004 also ended in defeat. He played in 193 playoff games without a championship, the most of any player.

#19 Kevin Garnett

• 🏀 Position: Power forward
• 🎂 Born: May 19, 1976, in Greenville, South Carolina
• 👕 Teams: Minnesota Timberwolves (1995 to 2007, 2015 to 2016), Boston Celtics (2007 to 2013), Brooklyn Nets (2013 to 2015)
• 🏆 Career Highlights: NBA champion (2008), NBA MVP (2004), Defensive Player of the Year (2008), 15× All-Star, 4× All-NBA First Team, 9× All-Defensive First Team, Olympic gold (2000)
• 🏛️ Hall of Fame: Class of 2020

Garnett was the fifth pick of the 1995 draft and the first player taken directly out of high school in 20 years. He carried Minnesota to eight straight playoff trips. He was MVP in 2004, averaging 24.2 points and 13.9 rebounds that season.

After 12 seasons in Minnesota he was traded to Boston in 2007. He anchored the defense that won the 2008 title, his only one, and was named Defensive Player of the Year. He made the All-Defensive First Team nine times and finished with 26,071 points and 14,662 rebounds.

#20 Nikola Jokić

• 🏀 Position: Center
• 🎂 Born: February 19, 1995, in Sombor, Serbia
• 👕 Teams: Denver Nuggets (since 2015)
• 🏆 Career Highlights: NBA champion (2023), Finals MVP (2023), 3× NBA MVP (2021, 2022, 2024), 8× All-Star, 6× All-NBA First Team, Olympic silver (2016), Olympic bronze (2024)
• 🏛️ Hall of Fame: Active

Jokić was the 41st pick of the 2014 draft and became the first center to be a true point forward at the top of the game. He won three MVP awards in four years and led Denver to its first title in 2023, averaging 30.2 points in the Finals. He is second on the all-time list for career triple-doubles.

He averaged a triple-double in 2024 to 25, with 29.6 points, 12.7 rebounds and 10.2 assists, and again in 2025 to 26. In the latter season he became the first player to lead the league in both rebounds and assists per game. He finished second in the MVP voting both years and has won Olympic silver and bronze for Serbia.

#21 Giannis Antetokounmpo

• 🏀 Position: Forward
• 🎂 Born: December 6, 1994, in Athens, Greece
• 👕 Teams: Milwaukee Bucks (2013 to 2026), Miami Heat (since 2026)
• 🏆 Career Highlights: NBA champion (2021), Finals MVP (2021), 2× NBA MVP (2019, 2020), Defensive Player of the Year (2020), 10× All-Star, 7× All-NBA First Team
• 🏛️ Hall of Fame: Active

Antetokounmpo was born in Athens to Nigerian parents and was the 15th pick of the 2013 draft. He won MVP in 2019 and 2020, and in 2020 he was also named Defensive Player of the Year. In Game 6 of the 2021 Finals he scored 50 points with 14 rebounds and five blocks to give Milwaukee its first title in 50 years.

His career high is 64 points, scored against Indiana on December 13, 2023. That is a Bucks franchise record. After 13 seasons in Milwaukee he was traded to the Miami Heat on July 6, 2026.

#22 Diana Taurasi

• 🏀 Position: Guard
• 🎂 Born: June 11, 1982, in Glendale, California
• 👕 Teams: Phoenix Mercury (2004 to 2024)
• 🏆 Career Highlights: 3× WNBA champion (2007, 2009, 2014), WNBA MVP (2009), 2× Finals MVP (2009, 2014), 11× All-Star, 5× scoring champion, 6× Olympic gold (2004 to 2024), 3× NCAA champion
• 🏛️ Hall of Fame: Not yet eligible

Taurasi won three NCAA titles at UConn from 2002 to 2004 and was the first pick of the 2004 WNBA draft. She spent all 20 of her WNBA seasons with the Phoenix Mercury, won titles in 2007, 2009 and 2014, and is the league’s all-time leading scorer with 10,646 points. In August 2023 she became the first player to reach 10,000.

She has six Olympic gold medals, the most of any basketball player. She also won six EuroLeague titles while playing in Russia and Turkey during the WNBA off-season. She announced her retirement in February 2025.

#23 Lisa Leslie

• 🏀 Position: Center
• 🎂 Born: July 7, 1972, in Compton, California
• 👕 Teams: Los Angeles Sparks (1997 to 2009)
• 🏆 Career Highlights: 2× WNBA champion (2001, 2002), 3× WNBA MVP (2001, 2004, 2006), 2× Finals MVP, 2× Defensive Player of the Year (2004, 2008), 8× All-Star, 4× Olympic gold (1996 to 2008)
• 🏛️ Hall of Fame: Inducted 2015

Leslie scored 101 points in a half of a high school game in 1990, before the other team stopped playing. In the WNBA she won three MVP awards and two titles with the Sparks, and in 2001 she took the MVP, All-Star Game MVP and Finals MVP awards in the same year. She finished with 6,263 points and 3,307 rebounds.

On July 30, 2002 she threw down the first dunk in WNBA history. She won four Olympic golds in a row, from 1996 to 2008, and two FIBA World Championship golds in 1998 and 2002. She was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2015.

#24 Sue Bird

• 🏀 Position: Point guard
• 🎂 Born: October 16, 1980, in Syosset, New York
• 👕 Teams: Seattle Storm (2002 to 2022)
• 🏆 Career Highlights: 4× WNBA champion (2004, 2010, 2018, 2020), 13× All-Star, 5× Olympic gold (2004 to 2020), 4× FIBA World Cup gold, 5× All-WNBA First Team, 2× NCAA champion
• 🏛️ Hall of Fame: Inducted 2025

Bird won two NCAA titles with UConn in 2000 and 2002, went first in the 2002 draft and played her whole WNBA career for Seattle. She became the league’s all-time assists leader in 2017 and finished with 3,234. She was named an All-Star 13 times and won four WNBA titles.

She also won five Olympic gold medals with the United States and four FIBA World Cup titles. She won five EuroLeague championships while playing overseas. She retired after the 2022 season, the Storm retired her number 10 in 2023 and the team unveiled a statue of her in 2025, the first of any WNBA player.

#25 Lauren Jackson

• 🏀 Position: Power forward / Center
• 🎂 Born: May 11, 1981, in Albury, New South Wales, Australia
• 👕 Teams: Seattle Storm (2001 to 2012), Canberra Capitals and Opals (Australia)
• 🏆 Career Highlights: 2× WNBA champion (2004, 2010), 3× WNBA MVP (2003, 2007, 2010), Finals MVP (2010), Defensive Player of the Year (2007), 7× All-Star, 3× Olympic silver, FIBA World Championship gold (2006)
• 🏛️ Hall of Fame: Inducted 2021

Jackson was the first pick of the 2001 WNBA draft and won three MVP awards with Seattle, in 2003, 2007 and 2010. She led the league in scoring three times and averaged 23.8 points and 9.7 rebounds in 2007, when she was also named Defensive Player of the Year.

She led Australia to the 2006 FIBA World Championship title and won Olympic silver in 2000, 2004 and 2008. Injuries cut her WNBA career short in 2012, and she kept playing in Australia for years afterwards. She was inducted into the Naismith Hall of Fame in 2021.

Best Basketball Player at Every Position

If you want one name per position or role, these are our picks. For what each position does on the court, see our guide to the positions in basketball.

Position	Player	Why
Point guard	Magic Johnson	Five titles and the highest career assist average in the NBA
Shooting guard	Michael Jordan	Six titles, six Finals MVPs and ten scoring titles
Small forward	LeBron James	The NBA’s all-time leading scorer with four titles
Power forward	Tim Duncan	Five titles and ten All-NBA First Teams
Center	Kareem Abdul-Jabbar	Six MVP awards and the skyhook
Best shooter	Stephen Curry	The career leader in three-pointers made
Best defender and winner	Bill Russell	11 titles in 13 seasons
Best international player	Nikola Jokić	Three MVPs and the 2023 title
Best woman	Diana Taurasi	The WNBA scoring record and six Olympic golds

Records Held by These Players

Several of the players above still hold the headline records of the NBA and the WNBA at the time of writing.

Record	Player	Mark
Points in a game	Wilt Chamberlain	100 (1962)
Points per game in a season	Wilt Chamberlain	50.4 (1961 to 62)
Career rebounds	Wilt Chamberlain	23,924
NBA titles by a player	Bill Russell	11
NBA MVP awards	Kareem Abdul-Jabbar	6
Career points (NBA)	LeBron James	All-time leader since February 7, 2023
Career blocks	Hakeem Olajuwon	3,830
Career assists per game	Magic Johnson	11.2
Threes in a season	Stephen Curry	402 (2015 to 16)
WNBA career points	Diana Taurasi	10,646

Honorable Mentions

Nine more players who came close and could make a top 25 on another day.

• Moses Malone: Won three MVP awards (1979, 1982, 1983) and the 1983 title and Finals MVP with the 76ers.
• John Stockton: Retired as the NBA career leader in assists and steals, records that still stand.
• Charles Barkley: Won the 1993 MVP award with the Phoenix Suns and an Olympic gold with the 1992 Dream Team.
• Elgin Baylor: Scored 71 points against the Knicks in November 1960, a record at the time.
• Scottie Pippen: Won six titles with the Bulls and two Olympic golds.
• Allen Iverson: Won the 2001 MVP award and four scoring titles with the Philadelphia 76ers.
• Steve Nash: Won back-to-back MVP awards in 2005 and 2006 with the Phoenix Suns.
• Kawhi Leonard: Won Finals MVP in 2014 with San Antonio and in 2019 with Toronto.
• Sheryl Swoopes: Won three WNBA MVP awards (2000, 2002, 2005) and four straight titles with Houston.

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