The 2010s in the NBA was an extremely different era from what we have seen in NBA history before. For the first time ever, 2 teams had met in 4 consecutive NBA Finals as the decade was dominated by the rivalry between the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Golden State Warriors.
The first half of the 2010s saw another LeBron James-led team make it to 4 consecutive Finals in the Miami Heat. While LeBron only walked out with 3 rings from these 8 appearances, the players he lost to are arguably some of the greatest of that era.
A fan decided to crown LeBron, Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, and Kawhi Leonard as the 4 best players of the 2010s. Steph, KD, and Kawhi all won championships over LeBron, with Kawhi also beating Steph and KD in 2019. Despite the championship resume of these 4, many fans haven’t agreed with this post and advocated for the likes of James Harden or Giannis Antetokounmpo to be included as well.
When it comes to the 2010s, this is a very clear top 4 in terms of what they achieved individually. Giannis had just come into his prime by 2019 when he won his first MVP award, winning a championship, MVP, DPOY, Finals MVP, and other accolades in the 2020s. His achievements in the decade do not match up to the other 4.
James Harden was a multi-time scoring champion and MVP finalist but failed to get over the playoff hump and did not make the NBA Finals since his time in OKC with Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook.
Some other players that could have been included are Kobe Bryant and Tim Duncan, as they both won championships in the decade as well. But in terms of impact till the end of the 2010s, LBJ, Steph, KD, and Kawhi being the top 4 make for a relatively fair list.
