Shai Gilgous-Alexander, Luka Doncic, and Stephen Curry have all been voted as starters for the 2026 NBA All-Star Game, but none of them crack Shaquille O’Neal’s list of the four best players in the league right now. O’Neal was actually asked to give his top five during an appearance on Fox 26, but couldn’t decide on the fifth spot.
“[Nikola Jokic] would be one,” O’Neal said. “[Victor Wembanyama] would be two. You got Giannis [Antetokounmpo]. You still got to put LeBron [James] in there. And I’m not sure on the fifth spot, but listen, the league is in good hands. It’s a lot of great players… I don’t really like answering because you leaving people out.”
You are never going to make everyone happy with your list. With there being so much talent in the NBA today, some big names will inevitably get snubbed, as is the case here. Let’s first look at the players O’Neal mentioned.
Nikola Jokic took top spot, and he is generally regarded as the best player in the NBA. Jokic is averaging 29.6 points, 12.2 rebounds, 11.0 assists, 1.4 steals, and 0.8 blocks per game for the Denver Nuggets in 2025-26. He is leading the league in rebounds and assists. Jokic has won three MVPs and will be a strong contender this time around if he plays 65 games to become eligible. That is unlikely to happen, though.
Victor Wembanyama being second is a bit of a surprise, but he has been phenomenal. Wembanyama is putting up 24.8 points, 10.8 rebounds, 2.9 assists, 0.9 steals, and 2.6 blocks per game for the San Antonio Spurs. Keep in mind, he’s doing this while averaging only 28.7 minutes. Wembanyama is by far the best defensive player in the NBA, and he has taken some big strides offensively this season.
Giannis Antetokounmpo was another obvious pick here. Antetokounmpo is averaging 28.5 points, 9.8 rebounds, 5.5 assists, 0.9 steals, and 0.8 blocks per game for the Milwaukee Bucks. The Bucks are 15-13 this season with Antetokounmpo and 3-11 without him. He is carrying that team on his back.
While O’Neal’s picking Wembanyama was a bit of a surprise, it was a much bigger one that he went LeBron James here. James is putting up 22.6 points, 5.9 rebounds, 6.9 assists, 1.1 steals, and 0.7 blocks per game for the Los Angeles Lakers. It’s remarkable how well he is playing for a 41-year-0ld, but he isn’t even a top 10 player in the NBA today. James himself might admit that.
There is another Laker who has a much stronger case for a spot in the top four, and that, of course, is Doncic. The Slovenian is averaging 33.3 points, 7.5 rebounds, 8.6 assists, 1.5 steals, and 0.5 blocks per game. Doncic is the league’s leading scorer at the moment.
Next, we get to the reigning scoring champion and MVP, Gilgeous-Alexander. The Canadian is putting up 31.8 points, 4.3 rebounds, 6.2 assists, 1.3 steals, and 0.8 blocks per game for the Oklahoma City Thunder. Gilgeous-Alexander has led the Thunder to a 36-8 record, and they look set to finish with the best record in the NBA for the second straight season.
Lastly, we get to Curry and O’Neal not picking him was arguably the biggest surprise, given how much he loves him. The two-time MVP is averaging 27.4 points, 3.7 rebounds, 5.1 assists, 1.1 steals, and 0.4 blocks per game for the Golden State Warriors. Like James, Curry is no longer at his absolute peak, but he hasn’t declined to the extent that his great rival has.
There are a few others you can name as well. Anthony Edwards is having a terrific season, as is Jaylen Brown. There are just so many talented players who are putting on a show on a nightly basis. As O’Neal stated, the NBA is indeed in good hands.
