In baseball, fans like to compare Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani, but at the end of the day, the real question is who will win between the Dodgers and Yankees. The same goes for football, where Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson are constantly pitted against each other, but what really matters is which team can get to and win the Super Bowl. In NBA though, personal glory dictates public discourse.
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Ring culture is, of course, extremely prevalent in the NBA, but there’s more of a moment-to-moment obsession with which players are the very best. This is true when comparing the all-time greats, like the way fans talk about Jordan vs. LeBron, Magic vs. Bird, etc. As it happens, it’s true for current players, as well.
It’s not just the fans who like to make and adjust their rankings. NBA players do it, too. Giannis Antetokounmpo recently sat down for an interview with Sport24, the world’s first live in-flight sports channel, and he discussed his own personal top five, as well as which players he believes are knocking on the door.
The interview was conducted in Greek, but is translated here for an American audience.
“Those five players, I believe for me, are Luka, Jokic, Shai, Tatum and me,” Giannis said. It’s a fair list, as it mirrors this past season’s All-NBA First Team with the exception of replacing Donovan Mitchell with Luka Doncic, who didn’t qualify because he didn’t play the minimum 65 games.
Giannis acknowledged that comparing the elite players against each other eventually comes down to personal preference. For him, he looks for not only ability, but leadership. “It’s not enough just to score baskets,” he said, before explaining that he views leadership as how you act in the locker room and on the team bus, and what kind of example you set for your teammates.
As a four-time All-Defensive First Team selection, it’s no surprise what Giannis believes makes a player great. “My preference is two-way players,” he said. “I like Anthony Edwards very much. I like Anthony Davis. I like Kawhi Leonard. I like players who can play both defense and offense and be dogs, players who always give 100%.”
Of those three, Edwards is the one who hasn’t yet hit his ceiling. Despite this, at 24 years old, he’s already led the Timberwolves to the Western Conference Finals twice. He’s not only increased his scoring output each year but also gained a reputation for wanting to guard the opposing team’s best player.
If Edwards keeps this up, it won’t be long until he finds himself on these top-five lists. He’s already knocking on the door.
