ESPN Facing Backlash After Reveal of Top 10 NBA Player Rankings

The NBA regular season is quickly approaching and ESPN has officially released its top 10 player rankings for 2024-25.

It finally feels like this new generation is taking over. With players like LeBron James (39), Stephen Curry (36) and Kevin Durant (36) getting older, the question remains: Do they have enough left in the tank to maintain their usual production over another 82-game season

The answer is yes, based on their recent gold medal run at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

In the meantime, fans know players like Luka Doncic (25), Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (26) and Anthony Edwards (23) are in their prime and will only continue to get better.

Here is ESPN's top 10 list :

1. Nikola Jokic
2. Luka Doncic
3. Giannis Antetokounmpo
4. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
5. Jayson Tatum
6. Stephen Curry
7. LeBron James
8. Joel Embiid
9. Kevin Durant
10. Anthony Edwards

Jokic at No. 1 makes sense after winning three of the last four NBA MVP awards.

However, the general consensus amongst fans is that Tatum is listed too high and should not be ahead of James, Curry and Durant.

Also, is Doncic really the second-best player in the world? No one is knocking his offensive game, but his defensive game has been criticized over the years.

Fans could agree on one thing: ESPN's order is debatable.

"Everyone below Tatum is better than him," one fan said.

"Tatum over steph, lebron AND kd?!!!" added another. "Come on now..."

"If i see tatum this high again ........," another fan stated.

"I love Luka in the half court game but after watching him closely in the playoffs I was so disappointed in his defense that I can’t rank him that high," one added.

"Bottom five would kill the top 5 in a series to 7," another fan said.

"Embiid better than 4-7 and ant not top 10," one added. "Let's be real."

"Tatum over LeBron is an all-time delusional take," a fan wrote.

Opening night on Tuesday and will feature two big-time matchups.

The first game starts at 7:30 p.m. ET, as the New York Knicks take on the Boston Celtics. Right after, the Minnesota Timberwolves will face the Los Angeles Lakers at 10 p.m. ET. Both games will air on TNT.

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