The Greatest NBA Players of All Time, Ranked
All 32 players here, ranked by 145 players. Michael Jordan leads: it wins 85.1% of its matchups (n = 478) and was champion in 51 of 145 brackets. Disagree? Your first pick is right here. No sign-up.
Size
LeBron James76ers / Lakers / Cavaliers / Heat
Dirk NowitzkiMavericks
Tap a poster to make your pick. Crowd numbers appear after you choose.
NBA Players: the community’s best
Win rate across 3,751 head-to-head picks from 145 finished brackets. n is the number of matchups behind each win rate; only entrants with 30 or more are listed.
| # | NBA player | W–L | Win rate | vs .500 | Titles | n |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Michael JordanBulls / Wizards | 407–71 | 85.1% | 51 | 478 | |
| 2 | LeBron James76ers / Lakers / Cavaliers / Heat | 425–78 | 84.5% | 47 | 503 | |
| 3 | Stephen CurryWarriors | 265–114 | 69.9% | 8 | 379 | |
| 4 | Kobe BryantLakers | 245–115 | 68.1% | 6 | 360 | |
| 5 | Kareem Abdul-JabbarLakers / Bucks | 193–117 | 62.3% | 4 | 310 | |
| 6 | Shaquille O'NealLakers / Magic / Heat | 175–111 | 61.2% | 4 | 286 | |
| 7 | Magic JohnsonLakers | 155–116 | 57.2% | 2 | 271 | |
| 8 | Tim DuncanSpurs | 145–116 | 55.6% | 3 | 261 |
NBA Players: the community tier list
From 3,751 head-to-head picks in 145 finished brackets. Placed by win rate, steadied toward 50% for entrants with few matchups: S is 75% or more, A 60%, B 50%, C 40%, D 25%.
Stier, win rate 75% or more
- Michael Jordan
- LeBron James
Atier, win rate 60% or more
- Stephen Curry
- Kobe Bryant
- Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
- Shaquille O'Neal
Btier, win rate 50% or more
- Magic Johnson
- Tim Duncan
- Larry Bird
- Kevin Durant
Ctier, win rate 40% or more
- Giannis Antetokounmpo
- Nikola Jokic
- Hakeem Olajuwon
- Wilt Chamberlain
- Kevin Garnett
- Bill Russell
- James Harden
- Allen Iverson
Dtier, win rate 25% or more
- Dirk Nowitzki
- Dwyane Wade
- Luka Doncic
- Kawhi Leonard
- Russell Westbrook
- Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
- Chris Paul
- Jerry West
- + 4 more
Ftier, win rate 0% or more
- Anthony Davis
- Isiah Thomas
How the NBA Players bracket works
This NBA player ranking is played, not dragged into rows. You get one matchup at a time — LeBron James or Michael Jordan? Stephen Curry or Kobe Bryant? — and after 15 picks the bracket has a champion, with everything else placed by how far it got. A straight list invites you to hedge. A matchup does not, and that is what makes the final 32-deep order worth screenshotting.
This bracket runs 4 rounds at the default 16-slot size (Round of 16, Quarterfinals, Semifinals, Final), drawn from a pool of 32 contenders. The draw is seeded: the same for everyone today, different tomorrow, and different again whenever you press New draw. You can also play it at 8 or 32 slots for a shorter or longer run.
15 picks, 4 rounds
- Round of 168 matchups
- Quarterfinals4 matchups
- Semifinals2 matchups
- Final1 matchup
Roughly 1-2 minutes start to finish at the default size.
All 32 entrants
All 32 entrants are listed below, including LeBron James, Michael Jordan, Stephen Curry and Kobe Bryant. Updated
- LeBron James76ers / Lakers / Cavaliers / HeatPhoto: Erik Drost / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 2.0
- Michael JordanBulls / Wizards
- Stephen CurryWarriors
- Kobe BryantLakersPhoto: Keith Allison / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 2.0
- Magic JohnsonLakersPhoto: Daniel Benavides / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 2.0
- Larry BirdCelticsPhoto: Kurt Shimala / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 2.0
- Kareem Abdul-JabbarLakers / BucksPhoto: Yahoo / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 2.0
- Shaquille O'NealLakers / Magic / HeatPhoto: TechCrunch / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 2.0
- Tim DuncanSpursPhoto: Geoff Livingston / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 2.0
- Kevin DurantRockets / Suns / Nets / Warriors / ThunderPhoto: Clément Bardot / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0
- Giannis AntetokounmpoHeat / BucksPhoto: Erik Drost / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 2.0
- Wilt ChamberlainWarriors / 76ers / Lakers
- Bill RussellCeltics
- Hakeem OlajuwonRockets
- Allen Iverson76ersPhoto: Keith Allison / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 2.0
- Dirk NowitzkiMavericksPhoto: Keith Allison / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 2.0
- Dwyane WadeHeatPhoto: Flickr user Keith Allison / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 2.0
- Kevin GarnettTimberwolves / CelticsPhoto: Keith Allison / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 2.0
- Nikola JokicNuggetsPhoto: All-Pro Reels / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 2.0
- Luka DoncicLakers / MavericksPhoto: Erik Drost / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 2.0
- Julius Erving76ers / NetsPhoto: Ash Carter / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 2.0
- Charles Barkley76ers / Suns / RocketsPhoto: Chensiyuan / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0
- Karl MaloneJazz
- Oscar RobertsonRoyals / Bucks
- Jerry WestLakers
- Isiah ThomasPistonsPhoto: Keith Allison / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 2.0
- Kawhi LeonardRaptors / Clippers / Spurs
- James HardenCavaliers / Clippers / 76ers / RocketsPhoto: Erik Drost / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 2.0
- Russell WestbrookThunder / LakersPhoto: Erik Drost / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 2.0
- Chris PaulHornets / Clippers / Rockets / SunsPhoto: Erik Drost / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 2.0
- Anthony DavisWizards / Mavericks / Lakers / PelicansPhoto: Erik Drost / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 2.0
- Shai Gilgeous-AlexanderThunderPhoto: Sandro Halank, Wikimedia Commons / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0
Tier list instead?
Load all 32 into the tier list maker and sort them into S through F yourself: same entrants, no matchups.
Open the tier list makerMissing something?
Build your own NBA player bracket with exactly the entrants you want, then share the link.
Open the bracket makerGetting a ranking you actually agree with
- Decide your criteria before you start — peak, longevity or trophies — and hold to it all the way through.
- Start at 16 slots. If the result feels too obvious, replay at 32 so more of the 32 contenders make the field.
- Use undo the moment you regret a pick. One reflex answer in an early round can knock out a favourite before it gets going.
Questions people ask
What is the best NBA player?
According to 145 BracketRanker players, Michael Jordan (Bulls / Wizards). It wins 85.1% of its head-to-head matchups (n = 478) and was champion in 51 of 145 brackets (35.2%).
How many contenders are in the NBA Players bracket?
The pool holds 32 contenders. A default run uses 16 of them and takes 15 picks across 4 rounds: Round of 16, Quarterfinals, Semifinals, Final. Other field sizes are available too — 8, 16, 32 slots.
Which contenders are included?
LeBron James, Michael Jordan, Stephen Curry, Kobe Bryant, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Shaquille O'Neal, Tim Duncan, Kevin Durant, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Wilt Chamberlain, plus 20 more. Every entrant is listed further down this page with its artwork.
How long does the NBA Players bracket take?
About 1-2 minutes — 15 choices at the default size, or 7 if you drop to an 8-slot bracket. There is no sign-up, and your progress is saved on this device after every pick.
Is this a nba players tier list or a ranking?
Both are here, and the bracket is closer to a tier list than it looks. It ends with a champion, a runner-up and then every other contender grouped by the round it went out in — which is exactly a set of tiers, decided by 15 direct comparisons rather than by your first guess at a layout. What it deliberately does not do is claim a precise gap between two contenders that never met. If you would rather place the contenders into S through F rows yourself, the tier list maker loads all 32 of them at bracketranker.com/tier-list-maker.
Is there a community nba players ranking?
Every completed bracket feeds the NBA Players community results page, which aggregates win rates across all plays and tracks how often each of the 32 entrants takes the title. It updates continuously, so it moves as more people play.
Can I change which contenders are included?
Use the bracket maker: add your own contenders, name it, and share the link so other people play the same field. That is the route to take when this pool of 32 is missing something you would have picked, or when you want a version scoped to one era, label or franchise.