The Best NBA Player Every Year Since 2000

The conversation about the best basketball player in the NBA is one that takes over all platforms as the season wears on. For years, NBA fans have gotten into heated debates about whether their favorite players are in that discussion. There are many factors that go into crowning the best player in the NBA for a particular season or certain stretch of time. By far, the most important of these factors is leading a team to an NBA championship as the clear best player on that team. 

Since 2000, there have only been a few players that can lay claim to the title of best in the world for a season or stretch of seasons. This list includes some of the greatest players to ever play the game, including those who delivered championships to some of the winningest franchises in NBA history. A season or two may be up for debate here and there, but for the most part, it was clear at the time and still now who exactly was the best player in the NBA. Let us help you relive these conversations and dominant seasons with the progression of the best player in the world over the last 23 years. 

These are the best players in the NBA every year since 2000.

2000-2002 – Shaquille O’Neal

Awards And Achievements During That Time: 3x Finals MVP, 1x MVP, 3x All-Star, 1x All-Star Game MVP, 3x All-NBA Team Selection, 2x All-Defensive Team Selection

If anybody was watching NBA basketball at the beginning of the 2000s, then they have zero doubts about Shaq as the clear best player in the NBA. This was the absolute apex of O’Neal’s career as he took center stage with the Los Angeles Lakers. Shaq would lead the Lakers to three straight NBA championships from 2000 thru 2002 and claim all three Finals MVP awards along the way. He dominated every center who opposed him along the way and left teams clueless as to how to slow him down.

It all started in 2000 when O’Neal registered a near-perfect season with the Lakers. He won the NBA’s All-Star Game MVP award to kick things off, but that was only the start. He would also be named the MVP for the 2000 season with 29.7 PPG, which led the league, 13.6 RPG, and 3.0 BPG. To cap it off, he would lead the Lakers to their first NBA championship since 1988 and win the Finals MVP award with a dominating win over the Indiana Pacers.

In 2001, O’Neal and the Lakers were now unstoppable with the emergence of Kobe Bryant as a star alongside Shaq, who was still the best player on the team. The Lakers would lose just one game for the entirety of the 2001 playoffs, with O’Neal claiming his second straight Finals MVP. In 2002, Shaq and the Lakers were looking to become the first team since the Chicago Bulls to three-peat as NBA champions. They would achieve this goal behind another MVP-caliber season from O’Neal. In the end, the Lakers dismissed the Nets for their third straight NBA title. O’Neal claimed his third straight Finals MVP award with 36.3 PPG, 12.3 RPG, and 2.8 BPG.

2003 – Tim Duncan

Awards And Achievements During That Time: 1x Finals MVP, 1x MVP, 1x All-Star, 1x All-NBA Team Selection, 1x All-Defensive Team Selection

If you remember correctly, Tim Duncan had already achieved best player in the world status once before, in 1999, when he led the Spurs to their first NBA championship and took home the Finals MVP award. Duncan had struggled to get the Spurs back to the promised land since that great run in the final year of the 90s. That is, until 2003, when he had one of the best individual seasons in Spurs and NBA history.

Duncan was never what most fans would call a dominant scorer, but he absolutely was when he needed to be. Duncan would be named the MVP of the league in 2003 with a season of 23.3 PPG, 12.9 RPG, and 2.9 BPG while leading San Antonio to 60 wins. Duncan also shot 51.3% from the field overall and 71.0% from the foul line. His defensive impact earned his All-Defensive First Team honors, and his overall game earned him All-NBA First Team honors.

In the playoffs, things were no different as Duncan, and the Spurs defeated the Suns and Lakers in six games each over their first two rounds of action. They would defeat the Mavericks in six games as well and be set to take on the Nets in the NBA Finals. Duncan had the series of his life when he led the Spurs to their second title with Finals MVP honors. He averaged 24.2 PPG, 17.0 RPG, and 5.3 BPG for the series to become one of the few players in NBA history to win MVP, Finals MVP, and an NBA championship in the same season.

2004 – Kevin Garnett

Awards And Achievements During That Time: 1x MVP, 1x All-Star, 1x All-NBA Team Selection, 1x All-Defensive Team Selection

For most of his early career, Kevin Garnett was considered to already be a Top 10 player in the league, stuck on a bad team with the Minnesota Timberwolves. Although great on both ends of the floor, he hadn’t yet entered the same conversations as Shaq and Tim Duncan for consideration as the best player in the NBA. With one miraculous season, that was all about to change.

One season after leading the Timberwolves to 50 wins, Garnett would have his best overall and all-around season in his entire 21-year career. Garnett would lead the Timberwolves to 58 wins in 2004 while leading the NBA in total points scored and winning his first career rebounding title. He averaged 24.2 PPG, 13.9 RPG, 5.0 APG, 1.5 SPG, and 2.2 BPG. He was the best defensive player in the game as well as one of the most versatile on offense.

In the NBA playoffs, Garnett continued to have success as the Timberwolves downed the Nuggets in the first round behind 25.8 PPG and 14.8 RPG from Garnett. In the second round, Minnesota took out the Kings in seven games, with Garnett going for 23.9 PPG, 15.4 RPG, and 3.4 BPG. This set up a matchup with the three-time champion Lakers in the Conference Finals. Garnett and Minnesota would push the Lakers to six games in the series, but it was not enough to overcome the duo of Shaq and Kobe. Garnett would fall just short of his NBA championship goal but had clearly established himself as the best in the world for one season.

2005-2010 – Kobe Bryant

Awards And Achievements During That Time: 2x Finals MVP, 1x MVP, 6x All-Star, 2x All-Star Game MVP, 6x All-NBA Team Selection, 5x All-Defensive Team Selection

The 2003-05 season is when we truly began to enter the era of Kobe Bryant. We already knew that Kobe was a star and could win alongside elite help, but now he was to be put through an even more challenging gauntlet. Bryant was handed the keys to the Lakers franchise when they shipped Shaq to Miami prior to the 2005 season. Now, it was time for Kobe to show the world he was ready to take that leap into superstar status, and that is exactly what he would do.

The first few years of this process were tough on Bryant and the Lakers as they struggled to have much of any team success. In 2006, Bryant would average 35.4 PPG and win the NBA scoring title dragging the Lakers to the NBA playoffs with a core of himself, Chris Mihm, and Smush Parker. Bryant would win another scoring title in 2007, but it wouldn’t be until the following season, when the team acquired Pau Gasol, that they would be real contenders.

In 2008, Kobe would win the only MVP award of his career and lead the Lakers to their first NBA Finals appearance since 2004. They would fall to the Celtics, but it was clear that Bryant was back on top as the best in the world. In 2009, He led the Lakers to their first NBA championship since 2002 and earned the first Finals MVP award of his career with 32.4 PPG, 5.6 RPG, and 7.4 APG. In 2010, Bryant would exact his revenge on the Celtics team that defeated them in 2008 with a seven-game series win for their second straight NBA title. Bryant grabbed Finals MVP honors once again with 28.6 PPG, 8.0 RPG, and 3.9 APG.

2011-2016 – LeBron James

Awards And Achievements During That Time: 3x Finals MVP, 2x MVP, 6x All-NBA Team Selection, 4x All-Defensive Team Selection

As the 2010s came to a close, it was time for Kobe to pass the baton to another superstar who had been on his heels for a few years at that point. LeBron James had already been named MVP in both 2009 and 2010 with the cavaliers, plus had been to an NBA Finals in 2007. In the summer of 2010, James announced he was leaving Cleveland to join the Miami Heat and form a Big 3 with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh. The next six seasons were set to be his.

In their first year together, James and the Heat experienced disappointment when James let them down in the NBA Finals, and they were upset by the Dallas Mavericks. Not to be kept down long, James would take home the next two MVP awards averaging 26.9 PPG, 8.0 RPG, 6.8 APG, and 1.8 SPG over those two years. He would also lead the heat to two NBA championships with two Finals MVP wins. After a fourth straight appearance in the Finals with the Heat in 2014 and two NBA championships, James decided it was time to go back home.

James quickly formed another stellar team with Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love with the Cavaliers. James and Cleveland would go to the 2015 NBA Finals but fall to the Golden State Warriors. In 2016, James would have them back in the NBA Finals with the tall task of the 73-9 Warriors standing in their way. After falling down 3-1 in the series, James led an epic comeback to win three straight games and the NBA title in one of the biggest upsets in NBA playoff history. James would claim Finals MVP honors for the third time with 29.7 PPG, 11.3 RPG, and 8.9 APG.

2017-2018 – Kevin Durant

Awards And Achievements During That Time: 2x Finals MVP, 2x All-NBA Team Selection

Much like LeBron did seven years earlier, Kevin Durant decided to take his career into his own hands during the 2016 offseason. After weeks of being courted by numerous teams, Durant turned the NBA upside down when he announced that he was set to join the Golden State Warriors on a short-term deal. What this did was form one of the greatest and most unstoppable rosters in NBA history.

Now armed with the most potent offense in the NBA, Golden State demolished all of those who stood in their path. In 2017, Durant would finish ninth in MVP voting when he averaged 25.1 PPG and 8.3 RPG for the 67-15 Warriors. They would proceed to annihilate the competition en route to a berth in the NBA Finals for a rematch with Cleveland. This time, it would be all about Durant and the Warriors as they took home the championship in five games. Durant won his first Finals MVP with 35.2 PPG, 8.2 RPG, 5.4 APG, 1.0 SPG, and 1.6 BPG.

Heading into the 2018 season, the Warriors now had the largest target on their backs that they ever had. Durant would have an even better season with 26.4 PPG, 6.4 RPG, 5.4 APG, and 1.8 BPG. The Warriors would win 58 games and looked primed to defend their title. They would advance to their fourth straight NBA Finals against LeBron and the Cavaliers. This time, Durant and his teammates were far too much for Cleveland, and they dominated the series in a four-game sweep. Durant was named Finals MVP for the second year in a row with 28.8 PPG, 10.8 RPG, and 7.5 APG.

2019 – Kawhi Leonard

Awards And Achievements During That Time: 1x Finals MVP, 1x All-Star, 1x All-NBA Team Selection, 1x All-Defensive Team Selection

As we entered the 2019 season, Kawhi Leonard was at a turning point in his career. Earlier in the 2010s, Leonard had been named Defensive Player of the Year twice and Finals MVP once in 2014, all with the San Antonio Spurs. In the 2017 playoffs against the Warriors, Kawhi suffered an injury that would lead to a series of events leading to his departure from the team in a trade during the 2018 offseason.

Leonard was now a member of the Toronto Raptors, and at first, Toronto had no idea which version of him they were about to see on the court. Leonard quickly dashed those doubts with an All-Star season in which he played 60 games and averaged 26.6 PPG, 7.3 RPG, 3.3 APG, and 1.8 SPG. Leonard would lead the Raptors to 58 wins and a trip to the NBA playoffs, a spot the team had fallen apart in the past.

Leonard would not be denied. In their second-round matchup against the 76ers, Leonard and Toronto would find themselves in a decisive Game Seven. As the clock expired in the fourth quarter, Leonard hit a shot to sink the 76ers that bounced around a few times before falling. This lucky bounce would be a sign of things to come. Leonard and the Raptors would head to the NBA Finals to take on the Warriors. With injuries to Kevin Durant and Klay Thompson, the Warriors stood no chance, and Toronto would win the series in six games. Kawhi would be named Finals MVP for the second time with 28.5 PPG, 9.8 RPG, 4.2 APG, 2.0 SPG, and 1.2 BPG.

2020-2021 – Giannis Antetokounmpo

Awards And Achievements During That Time: 1x Finals MVP, 1x MVP, 1x Defensive Player Of The Year, 2x All-NBA Team Selection, 2x All-Defensive Team Selection

Just as Kawhi Leonard was reaching the top of the NBA once again with the raptors, another superstar was emerging in Milwaukee. Giannis Antetokounmpo burst onto the scene in 2017 with a Most Improved Player award and his first MVP award in 2019. Giannis had led Milwaukee to the Eastern Conference Finals in 2019 but fell to Leonard and the Raptors in the end.

As we entered 2020, Giannis had a lot to prove, including that his MVP in 2019 wasn’t a fluke and that he could win in the playoffs. Antetokounmpo would go out and have another MVP season leading Milwaukee to 56 wins in a pandemic-shortened season. He averaged 29.5 PPG, 13.6 RPG, 5.6 APG, 1.0 SPG, and 1.0 BPG. Unfortunately for Milwaukee, they would fall to the eventual Eastern Conference champion Miami Heat in the second round of the playoffs.

After back-to-back MVP awards followed by playoff exits, the pressure on Giannis was mounting to deliver more than just individual awards. Giannis would not win the MVP award but was still his usual dominant two-way self. The Bucks cruised to the NBA layoffs as one of the hottest teams in the league. Despite a scary injury to Giannis in the process, the Bucks made the NBA Finals against the Suns. After falling down 2-0, Giannis would lead Milwaukee to four straight wins and their first championship in 50 years. Giannis won Finals MVP with 35.2 PPG, 13.2 RPG, and 5.0 APG. His performance included a 50-point game to close out the series in six games.

2022 – Stephen Curry

Awards And Achievements During That Time: 1x Finals MVP, 1x All-Star, 1x All-Star Game MVP, 1x All-NBA Team Selection

By the time 2022 had rolled around, there wasn’t much left for Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors to prove. He had already won three NBA championships and was known as the greatest shooter in NBA history as well as the greatest player in Warriors history. Now, the narrative was that the Warriors dynasty was dead or dying, and they no longer had what it takes to win an NBA championship. Curry took the disrespect personally.

The Warriors had an up-and-down season for the most part but remained among the top five seeds in the West for most of the year. Curry had a great season in which he averaged 25.5 PPG, 5.2 RPG, and 6.3 APG. The Warriors would go on to win 53 games and head back to the playoffs for the first time since 2019. This time, they wouldn’t let anything stop them from getting back to the top of the league.

In the first three rounds of the playoffs, the Warriors took down the Nuggets, Grizzlies, and Mavericks to advance to their sixth Finals in eight seasons. They took on the young Boston Celtics in the series led by their duo of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. Curry was not going to be disappointed in the NBA Finals for a third time as he led them to an NBA championship for the fourth time. Curry would finally take home the Finals MVP award that had alluded him his entire career with 31.2 PPG, 6.0 RPG, and 5.0 APG while shooting 48.2% overall and 43.7% from three.

2023 – Nikola Jokic

Awards And Achievements During That Time: N/A

The story of Nikola Jokic is still being written, as less than 20 games remain in the 2022-23 season. The picture is pretty clear, though, as Jokic seems to be cruising toward his third straight MVP award. The narratives have been both positive and negative surrounding his play, with many citing his lack of playoff success as a reason to disqualify Jokic from another MVP.

They must not be watching or paying attention. For the last two seasons, Jokic has been without either one or two of his best teammates and has still dragged a sub-par roster to playoff berths. He has already established himself as the greatest passing big man we have ever seen and is currently the third player in NBA history to average a triple-double in a season if all remains the same. He has the Nuggets with a comfortable lead in the Western Conference as the first seed and is having one of the most efficient seasons in NBA history again.

So what will it take for people, and I mean everybody, to stop questioning Jokic’s greatness? Clearly, an NBA championship and Finals MVP would do the trick, as many point to that as a reason not to win a regular season award which is absurdity at its finest. If the Nuggets fall short again, are we to automatically assume Jokic is not the best player in the world because his team most likely fell short? Either way, it will be an exciting time as we watch either one of these narratives unfold before our very eyes.

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