Who Is the Best Basketball Player Right Now? The GOAT Debate

Ask any 20 NBA fans who the best basketball player right now is, and you’ll get four names and a fight. The debate has never been healthier. The league has at least three players with serious MVP cases in any given week, and the answer depends entirely on what you weight. Peak production, playoff impact, defensive value, or longevity. This guide walks through the current contenders, the case for and against each, and how the picture is likely to shift over the next 18 months.

The current top tier of contenders

Three players hold the top of the conversation in 2026, and the order between them shifts depending on the week.

Nikola Jokic remains the most complete player on the floor. His passing from the high post is unprecedented for a centre, his offensive rebounding extends possessions in ways defenders cannot counter, and his post scoring punishes any single coverage. Three MVPs, a championship in 2023, and four consecutive years of historically rare advanced metric peaks. His critics point to defensive activity and conditioning, both legitimate concerns, but neither has slowed him down enough to drop him from the top.

Luka Doncic sustains the heaviest offensive load in the league. Scoring volume that touches Wilt Chamberlain era averages, with playmaking and rebounding to match. His playoff performances have moved beyond curious to historic, and he’s still in his mid 20s. The argument against Luka is conditioning and defensive engagement, both of which have improved sharply in the last 18 months.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has crossed from rising star to consensus top three player in 2026. His scoring efficiency, free throw drawing, and defensive engagement put him at the front of the guard conversation. Oklahoma City has built a roster around him that gives him a real path to multiple championship appearances.

The international wave at the top

One of the most striking facts about the modern best player debate is that the top three names all grew up outside the United States. Jokic from Serbia. Doncic from Slovenia. Add Giannis Antetokounmpo from Greece and Victor Wembanyama from France in the broader top tier. The era of US-only MVPs is over.

The MVP awards over the last seven seasons have gone to players from Greece, Cameroon, Serbia, and Slovenia. The pipeline of elite international talent is the strongest it has ever been, and the all time list of the best basketball players of all time looks different because of it.

The next layer of contenders

Five players sit in the layer just below the top tier. Each could be the consensus best player right now under slightly different conditions.

Giannis Antetokounmpo continues to combine physical dominance with championship pedigree. Two regular season MVPs, a championship and Finals MVP in 2021, and a paint dominance that defenders still don’t have a clean answer for. The development of his outside shooting has slowly closed the one criticism that held him back at his peak.

Victor Wembanyama is the wildcard whose ceiling may exceed every other name on this list. The combination of size, mobility, shooting range, and defensive instincts has never been produced in basketball before in a single body. He’s still early in his career, but the trajectory points toward serial MVP seasons in his late 20s.

Jayson Tatum has proven himself as a championship level offensive engine, with the 2024 NBA title to back the resume. His playoff scoring efficiency and three point shooting volume make him one of the league’s most reliable star scorers.

Anthony Edwards has crossed from electrifying scorer to legitimate top 10 player. His combination of pull up shooting, rim attacking, and defensive engagement is one of the most complete two way guard profiles in the league.

Joel Embiid, when healthy, produces one of the most dominant individual peaks of the era. The 2023 MVP and a series of historic scoring performances put him firmly in the conversation. The challenge is consistent availability.

Where does defence fit in the debate?

One thing that separates serious from casual best player conversations is how much weight goes to defence. Box score metrics alone undervalue defensive impact significantly. The best player conversations in 2026 increasingly include defensive specialists who don’t pile up scoring averages.

Wembanyama is the obvious example. His combination of length, mobility, and instincts at his size is changing how teams build defences. Bam Adebayo continues to anchor Miami’s defence at All NBA level. Jrue Holiday, despite never being a scoring star, has been one of the most impactful defensive guards in the league for nearly a decade.

The best basketball players in any era have always guarded the other team’s best player. Modern analytics finally measure this in ways box scores never did.

The veterans still playing at high level

Two of the most important players in modern history continue to produce All Star level numbers into their late 30s.

LeBron James remains an All Star in his 22nd season, an achievement no player in any major sport has matched. His scoring efficiency, court vision, and championship pedigree keep him in the conversation despite the age. He’s no longer the best player in the league, but the gap between him and the consensus picks is smaller than most fans expect.

Stephen Curry still has the most gravity of any off ball player in the league. Defenders have to follow him through screens 30 feet from the rim, which opens space for every teammate. His shooting volume and accuracy continue to produce All NBA level numbers.

Both players will eventually drop off the list, but neither is there yet. For a longer view across the history of the sport, our deeper writeup on the best basketball players of all time places both LeBron and Curry firmly in the upper tier.

How to actually compare across positions

Box score stats alone don’t capture full impact. Three advanced metrics give a fuller picture, and the league’s analytics teams use blended versions of these.

Box Plus Minus, or BPM, estimates a player’s per 100 possession impact relative to a league average player on a neutral team. Top players typically post BPM marks above plus 7.

Estimated Plus Minus, or EPM, blends box score data with on court impact data. It’s one of the most predictive single stats for team success.

On court differentials measure how the team performs with the player on the floor versus off. This captures defensive impact and intangibles that traditional stats miss.

Combine those three with playoff performance and championship results, and a clearer picture emerges. For a deeper dive on PER and how it works, our NBA Player Efficiency Rating explained guide breaks down what each number means.

The honest current answer

If you had to win one game tomorrow, the safest pick is Jokic. His passing elevates every teammate, his floor is higher than anyone else in the league, and his playoff performances over the last four years have been historically strong.

If you’re choosing for the next five years, the answer might be Wembanyama. His ceiling has no clear precedent, and his health has held up well so far.

If you’re choosing for raw scoring excellence in one playoff series, Luka is the answer. His ability to carry an offense in a hostile playoff environment is rarer than the regular season numbers suggest.

If you’re choosing the best two way guard, Shai is the pick, with Edwards close behind. If you’re choosing for championship clutch performance, Tatum is the safest bet of the modern stars.

Reader questions about the best player debate

Is LeBron still in the top 5? Not quite. Top 10, comfortably. The age curve has finally caught some of his explosive game, even though his court vision and finishing remain elite.

Could Wemby be the GOAT eventually? Possible, on a long enough timeline. His ceiling has no real comparison in the sport’s history. But possible and likely are different things, and many would be GOATs have fallen short before.

Why is Jokic so high if he’s not athletic? Basketball isn’t an athleticism contest. It’s a skill, IQ, and team impact contest. Jokic ranks at the top of all three, and his career advanced metrics are the highest in NBA history.

What about Kawhi Leonard? Two Finals MVPs on two different teams put him in the all time conversation. The challenge in 2026 is consistent availability. When healthy, he’s still a top 10 player.

Best defender right now? Wembanyama, with Bam Adebayo and Jrue Holiday close behind. Wemby’s combination of length, mobility, and instincts at his size is changing how teams build defences.

Final thoughts and your turn

The fun of the best basketball player debate is that it has no permanent answer. June will likely write a different version of this list, after another playoff run produces new winners. The names above represent the consensus tier, but the order keeps shifting, which is part of why this is one of the best eras of basketball ever played.

Who’s your pick for best player right now? Drop a comment below with the player and one stat or moment that supports your case.