NBA99 is FanSided's ranking of the best players in the NBA right now. These rankings are a living project, updated regularly throughout the year, exploring how each player has carved out their NBA niche and how it is evolving over time. Check out the most recent updates here.
Two All-Time Greats. Two All-Time Rivals. Two Legends In Their Twilight. But who goes over whom?Ā
The fact that weāre even still having this conversation with both players over 35 and LeBron over 40 is stunning. We just havenāt seen this level of sustained excellence into their late 30ās and early 40ās since Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Steph Curry and LeBron James both defined the 2010ās, and yet here they are, still competing at the top in the mid-2020ās.Ā
But for the NBA99, you canāt give LeBron extra props for his age. Weāre not grading on a curve. And as great as James has been at time, the reality is that Father Time has tugged on his cape a few times this season.Ā
There have been long stretches during which James has struggled in all phases, and there have been a few moments when it looked like his double-digit scoring streak might be in doubt.Ā
This is the second time in four years that the Lakers have actually been outscored with James on the floor. (The other season was the 2021-22 season where he played just 56 games.)Ā
The Lakers lost LeBronās minutes by 54 points this season. They were better without him on the court. That doesnāt have to reflect his play, but it proves that his play no longer transcends what other factors might slow him down.Ā
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Steph Curry has the edge on LeBron James right now
Curry meanwhile? Just keeps on trucking. Yes, there are a few more down games than last year, and there were a few more down games last year than the year before. But Curry is still dropping 50-point performances. Heās still shooting 40 percent from 3-point range. The Warriors still win his minutes by six points per 100 possessions.Ā
Curry is actually fifth on my fictional MVP ballot. Heās third among players in offensive EPM which measures offensive box score impact on winning. (James was 39th.)Ā
Jamesā good games are still great. Curryās great games are still awe-inspiring. Jamesā bad games have become noticeably awful on both ends. Curryās bad games feel like blips and outliers.Ā
We tend to marvel at LeBron through the prism of what heās accomplished. There are so many eras you can think of when you see him. He still throws down hammer dunks in transition like he did with the Cavaliers. (OK, maybe not with as much force.) He still is able to shut down players in isolation at times the way he did with Miami. (OK, maybe not with as much regularity.) Heās still able to control the game with his passing the way he did in Cleveland, and still knocks down gotta-have-em threes just when the Lakers need them most.Ā
But Curry just continues to be a player who, every time he steps on the floor, the opponent spends his minutes panicking. Stay with him with the ball, force him to give it up. Oh, heās cutting again. Get around that screen he just whipped around at full speed. Get a hand up. Nope, too late, splash.Ā
Heās not the player he was in 2016 or even 2022. There are nights when he just doesnāt have it, and the Warriors look so mortal on those nights. But Curry is still an elite player and one whose impact ripples across the floor to his teammates and strikes fear in the opponent.Ā
James is still a great player you have to reckon with, but not one you have to be truly terrified of anymore. Thatās not an insult or sad. The manās 40. He was a nightmare every night for opposing fans for over two decades. Thatās insane. But thatās also not who he is anymore.Ā
LeBronās still a winning player, and probably All-NBA-worthy. But Stephen Curry has a few more years of taking over games and leaving everyone shocked and awed in his wake.
LeBron is the best 40-year-old to ever play the game. Stephen Curry is in the top five for best 37-year-old to play. That we get to still enjoy them, that age and injury havenāt taken them from us before they are ready to leave is such a gift. Enjoy it. But donāt let nostalgia cloud the present, where Curry has to rank above LeBron. Holding off Father Time still takes its toll.Ā