Many retired NBA players believe Los Angeles Lakers superstar small forward LeBron James is still the best player in the NBA despite being 38.
David Aldridge and Josh Robbins of The Athletic surveyed 101 former players for their annual retired players survey and James beat out Denver Nuggets big man Nikola Jokic and Milwaukee Bucks swingman Giannis Antetokounmpo.
101 former NBA players voted on the best player in today’s NBA:
1. LeBron James – 28.1%
2. Nikola Jokic – 21.2%
3. Giannis Antetokounmpo – 21.0%
4. Kevin Durant – 11.8%
5. Stephen Curry – 6.6%
5. Luka Doncic – 6.6%
7. Kyrie Irving – 2.2%
(via @TheAthletic/@TheNBACentral)
James is averaging 29.5 points, 8.4 rebounds and 6.9 assists this season while shooting 50.1% from the field, 30.8% from beyond the arc and 75.9% from the free-throw line. The four-time MVP and four-time Finals MVP is 15th in the NBA in points, seventh in points per game, 12th in assists per game and 11th in player efficiency rating.
“LeBron James. The body of work and what he is currently doing at his age makes him the best of his time.” – Jumaine Jones, who played for six teams from 1999 to 2007, told The Athletic.
What Did Retired Players Have to Say About Nikola Jokic & Giannis Antetokounmpo?
Jokic and Antetokounmpo have won the last four MVPs. Both stars received high praise from retired players.
“Nikola Jokic, because he dominates the game on both ends of the floor and makes his teammates better.” – Lee Nailon, who played six seasons from 2000 to 2006, told The Athletic.
“Giannis. He affects winning on both sides of the court. He has a determined will to win. His versatile skill package allows him to affect many statistical categories contributing to winning. His physical presence is dominant. It looks like his teammates enjoy playing with him. He seems to will his team to win. He doesn’t come off as a prima donna.” – An anonymous player from the late ’90s told The Athletic.
Jokic, 28, is averaging 24.8 points, 11.7 rebounds and 10.0 assists on the season, while Antetokounmpo, 28, is putting up 31.3 points, 12.0 rebounds and 5.4 assists per game. The Bucks have the best record in the NBA and the Nuggets have the third-best record.
“Last season, Durant topped the retired players’ vote totals in this category by a substantial margin, getting nearly half (44 percent) of the vote,” Aldridge and Robbins wrote. “But KD’s injuries since our last survey 16 months ago and subsequent games lost seem to have reduced his standing. It’s not that James has a higher share of the vote than before; it’s just that KD’s support has apparently splintered into multiple pieces, while LeBron’s has essentially stayed the same (31 percent then, 28 percent now). Jokic’s ascent toward the top of the vote total sticks out. He already had won his first MVP award when we last surveyed players, but he finished in a tie for fifth place, garnering a little less than 2 percent of the vote. Jokic has turned heads since then, winning his second MVP in a row and was averaging close to a triple-double this season — 25.1 points, 11.0 rebounds and 9.9 assists per game — when the NRBPA distributed the survey to its members.”
LeBron James Is Hurt
Shams Charania of The Athletic, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN and Chris Haynes of Bleacher Report are each reporting that James could miss several weeks after injuring his right foot against the Dallas Mavericks on February 26. After James hurt his foot versus the Mavericks, he told his teammates that he heard a “pop.”
The Lakers are in 12th place in the Western Conference standings with a record of 29-32. There are six weeks and 21 games remaining in the regular season for Los Angeles. The Lakers are a half-game out of the 10th spot in the West and 2.5 games out of the sixth spot.
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LeBron James Beats Out Nikola Jokic & Giannis Antetokounmpo in Wild Voting Results