The Athletic asked 116 individuals in North American sports to rank the five leaders they admired the most in 2025, and the results were quite interesting. There was a distinct Golden State Warriors flavor at the top as head coach Steve Kerr took the top spot, while Stephen Curry came in at No. 3. Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James, meanwhile, was down at 24th, and here’s a look at the top 25.
1. Steve Kerr
2. Dawn Staley
3. Stephen Curry
4. Geno Auriemma
5. Andy Reid
6. Sam Presti
7. Emma Hayes
8. Dan Campbell
9. A’ja Wilson
10. Mike Tomlin
11. Tom Izzo
12. Jalen Hurts
13. Pete Carroll
14. Brad Stevens
15. Patrick Mahomes
16. Erik Spoelstra
17. Napheesa Collier
18. Nneka Ogwumike
19. Sidney Crosby
20. Marcus Freeman
21. Aaron Judge
22. Sean McVay
23. Becky Hammon
24. LeBron James
25. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
For some context, this survey was conducted in October and November 2025. Some of the notable names from the NBA world who were surveyed include Michael Cooper, Shaun Livingston, Jason Terry, and Bruce Bowen. Here’s what Terry admires about Curry.
“His demeanor and disposition and how he handles himself,” Terry said.
Johnny Tauer, St. Thomas men’s basketball coach, waxed lyrical about the Warriors guard.
“Two of our program tenets are intrinsic motivation and competitive joy,” Tauer said. “He embodies these traits at levels I’ve never seen another pro athlete exceed.”
Curry’s leadership was actually questioned not too long ago when Draymond Green was getting suspended for hitting opponents. His inability to control Green was seen as a knock against him, but the people who participated in this survey aren’t holding it against him. Kerr had also gone off on those who questioned Curry’s leadership at that time.
As for Kerr, who is at the top of this list, here’s what former MLB MVP Dale Murphy had to say about him.
“When things are challenging, great leaders don’t separate themselves from the players,” Murphy said. “He doesn’t separate himself when things don’t go well, and he sheds the praise — he deflects it — when things do go well.”
Kerr and Miami Heat’s Erik Spoelstra are the only two current NBA coaches in the top 25. Two current executives made it as well, in Oklahoma City Thunder GM Sam Presti and Boston Celtics GM Brad Stevens. The Celtics nearly had their head coach in the top 25, too, but Joe Mazzulla ranked 28th.
As for the players, three did make it, with Thunder superstar Shai Gilgeous-Alexander just about joining Curry and James.
James being all the way down at 24th might be a surprise to some. Will Conroy, USC assistant men’s basketball coach, was one of those who did have the 41-year-old on his list.
“His leadership is different than what you assume most would think when it comes to leadership,” Conroy said. “I look at LeBron as someone that’s been in a position of icon for a very long time. LeBron does not abuse that celebrity. He works extremely hard. He does not hide from his critics. He does not disappear to the community that brought him up.”
That is high praise. Lakers assistant coach Nate McMillan has also been very impressed by James’ leadership. McMillan commended him for setting the example for everyone else to follow. James has been doing that for over two decades now.
