The argument, with both sides
Bird or Magic? Start with the evidence.
Compare their strongest seasons, sustained excellence, and the limits of a regular-season ranking. The interactive comparison shows the current results.
Compare Bird and MagicMenu
Basketball debates start here
NBA player rankings.Today’s stars. All-time greats.
Discover the greatest players in every NBA franchise’s history, compare careers head to head, and follow this season’s rankings. See the numbers behind every player’s place.
Luka DončićNo. 1 in 2026–27 Impact Rate · provisionalEvery team has a history
Greatest players by team
Explore each franchise’s top 25, ranked by the regular-season value earned with that team.
A place to start
2026–27 NBA player rankings
Regular season only. Source snapshot Nov 2, 2026.
Impact Rate: 0–100 within this season. Higher is better. Games and minutes show the size of the sample.
Provisional until 450 minutes played. Early results can change quickly. No current-season lineup evidence is used.
| Rank | Player | Impact Rate | Playing time |
|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Luka DončićLAL | 100.0 | 6 games215 min Provisional |
| #2 |  Victor WembanyamaSAS | 99.8 | 6 games194 min Provisional |
| #3 |  Tyrese MaxeyPHI | 99.5 | 7 games263 min Provisional |
| #4 |  Giannis AntetokounmpoMIA | 99.1 | 6 games189 min Provisional |
| #5 |  Cooper FlaggDAL | 98.9 | 5 games161 min Provisional |
Understand the answer
What does Impact Rate mean?
Compare effectiveness while playing, then use Season Value to bring playing time into the picture.
How Impact Rate worksMore rankings, archives and explanations
The Hussey Board · 2025–26 · Regular season only. Impact Rate ranks how effective each player was while on the court.
View all 395 ranked playersThe answer first
Top 10
Data through 2026-07-14. Each note explains what drove the rank.
Rank Player Why this rankImpact Rate Season Value percentile
#1
Nikola JokićDEN · CLeague-best box production, 67.0% true shooting, and a 50.3% assist rate kept Jokić at #1; his lineup evidence agreed.100.0Impact Rate · 0–100100thpercentile#2
Shai Gilgeous-AlexanderOKC · PGA 33.4% usage rate, 66.5% true shooting, and low turnovers built the #3 box prior; lineup results lifted Gilgeous-Alexander to #2.99.6Impact Rate · 0–100100thpercentile#3
Kawhi LeonardLAC · SFLeonard paired a 33.5% usage rate with 62.9% true shooting and a 2.9% steal rate; positive lineup context improved his #6 box prior to #5, and he finished #3 after the role adjustment.98.6Impact Rate · 0–10099thpercentile#4Giannis AntetokounmpoMIL · PFA 37.0% usage rate with 65.8% true shooting produced the #2 box prior. Playing 36 games held his Season Value to #15.98.3Impact Rate · 0–10096thpercentile#5Victor WembanyamaSAS · CA 9.4% block rate and 21.2% rebound rate made Wembanyama's interior impact singular; #4 box and lineup grades settled at #5 after the role adjustment.98.2Impact Rate · 0–10099thpercentile#6Luka DončićLAL · PGDončić carried a 38.1% usage rate and 40.5% assist rate. His 2,289 minutes pushed Season Value to #3 even with a #6 Impact Rate rank.98.2Impact Rate · 0–10099thpercentile#7
Stephen CurryGSW · PGAt age 37, Curry paired a 32.5% usage rate with 63.7% true shooting while taking 60.6% of his shots from three. Forty-three games held Season Value to #24.97.8Impact Rate · 0–10094thpercentile#8
Jimmy ButlerGSW · SFButler combined 64.6% true shooting with a 62.1% free-throw rate and low turnovers. Playing 38 games held Season Value to #34.97.5Impact Rate · 0–10092ndpercentile#9
Donovan MitchellCLE · SGMitchell's scoring built a #11 box prior, while positive lineup context lifted him to #9; 2,342 minutes pushed Season Value to #7.97.1Impact Rate · 0–10098thpercentile#10Tyrese MaxeyPHI · PGSeventy games, 2,661 minutes, and a 9.2% turnover rate made Maxey's top-10 impact unusually durable; Season Value reached #6.96.8Impact Rate · 0–10099thpercentileMore rankings
All-time players and 2026–27 teams
Two more top-10 views. Open either ranking for the full table, definitions, and methodology.
NBA history
Peak-weighted all-time top 10
Regular-season Career Composite · lower is better.
#1
Kareem Abdul-JabbarPeak-weighted score 1.02#2
Michael JordanPeak-weighted score 1.02#3
LeBron JamesPeak-weighted score 1.06#4
Wilt ChamberlainPeak-weighted score 1.14#5
Jerry WestPeak-weighted score 1.30#6Nikola JokićPeak-weighted score 1.56#7Magic JohnsonPeak-weighted score 1.59#8
Shaquille O'NealPeak-weighted score 1.60#9Larry BirdPeak-weighted score 1.60#10
Oscar RobertsonPeak-weighted score 1.73
View the full all-time rankings →Kareem Abdul-JabbarPeak-weighted score 1.02#2Michael JordanPeak-weighted score 1.02#3LeBron JamesPeak-weighted score 1.06#4Wilt ChamberlainPeak-weighted score 1.14#5Jerry WestPeak-weighted score 1.30#6Nikola JokićPeak-weighted score 1.56#7Magic JohnsonPeak-weighted score 1.59#8Shaquille O'NealPeak-weighted score 1.60#9Larry BirdPeak-weighted score 1.60#10Oscar RobertsonPeak-weighted score 1.73Preseason power ranking
Top 10 teams for 2026–27
League average is 50 · rosters as of Oct 1, 2026.
- #1Oklahoma City ThunderOKC68% core rank range #1–#4Team Rating 71.6
- #2San Antonio SpursSAS68% core rank range #1–#8Team Rating 63.6
- #3Boston CelticsBOS68% core rank range #1–#11Team Rating 63.2
- #4Denver NuggetsDEN68% core rank range #1–#10Team Rating 61.4
- #5Toronto RaptorsTOR68% core rank range #2–#14Team Rating 60.7
- #6Houston RocketsHOU68% core rank range #1–#10Team Rating 60.4
- #7Detroit PistonsDET68% core rank range #2–#15Team Rating 58.9
- #8Cleveland CavaliersCLE68% core rank range #3–#14Team Rating 58.0
- #9New York KnicksNYK68% core rank range #3–#14Team Rating 57.2
- #10Philadelphia 76ersPHI68% core rank range #6–#22Team Rating 54.6
Featured argument
The Most Overrated NBA Player of All Time
Why Carmelo Anthony’s all-time reputation exceeds what his overall regular-season play supports—and the strongest case against that conclusion.
Read the full Carmelo Anthony argument →Season archive
NBA rankings by season
Choose any NBA season and compare its players with the same ranking tools.
What the numbers mean
Impact while playing. Value across the season.
hussEyquation is an NBA player-impact system developed by Michael Hussey. Impact Rate combines individual production with lineup evidence where it is available. Season Value adds regular-season workload.
The archive covers 25,093 player-seasons and 4,811 careers from 1950–51 through 2025–26.
Read the methodology →Open the permanent 2026-10-06 Board →