Nikola Jokic CROWNED ‘No.1 player’ of 2024 rankings above LeBron James, Steph Curry, and others

Nikola Jokic, reigning MVP, edges out other superstars to emerge as ESPN’s top player in its annual player rankings list.

Nikola Jokic CROWNED ‘No.1 player’ of 2024 rankings above LeBron James, Steph Curry, and others

Nikola Jokic named ESPN’s top rated player

Continuing with tradition, ESPN has released its top players ranking and not surprisingly, it officially named Nikola Jokic as the number one player. As the top player, he surpassed notable stars like LeBron James, Stephen Curry, and Giannis Antetokounmpo.

In last season’s rankings, Nikola Jokic was ranked second last behind Giannis Antetokounmpo but has now taken the top spot after a stellar season. Alongside ESPN, he was also recognized by popular video game NBA 2K25 for a season where he averaged 26.4 points, 12.4 rebounds, and 9.0 assists.

Luka Doncic of the Dallas Mavericks also climbed in the rankings, as he was placed at number 2 after he was placed fourth last year. The Greek Freak, who led the rankings last year, dropped to third, while Oklahoma City Thunder’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander moved from eighth to fourth and Boston Celtics star and NBA champ, Jayson Tatum rounded out the top five.

For future Hall of Famers, Stephen Curry and LeBron James, they still kept their place in the top ten. Notable rise saw T-Wolves guard Anthony Edwards make his debut in the Top 10, as he jumped from 13th to 10th, while French sensation Victor Wembanyama soared astronomically from 47th to 11th.

How Russell Westbrook’s arrival enhances Nikola Jokic and the Nuggets’ championship push

As the new season approaches, the Denver Nuggets are gearing up to recover their title from the Boston Celtics and with that came the addition of nine-time All-Star and former MVP, Russell Westbrook. Westbrook’s best season came when he won the MVP in 2017 after he averaged a 30-point triple-double.

The Joker, during a media availability, praised Westbrook’s influence as he is expected to help the Nuggets on both ends of the floor, a quality the Nuggets lacked as they got eliminated by Wolves in last season’s Western Conference semifinals.

I think we are lucky that we have Russ on our team. He’s the guy that’s doing that for a decade or two. He’s doing that on a really high level. He can help us a lot in that category.

Nikola Jokic spoke about Westbrook in a presser

The Nuggets didn’t have the best of preseason games as they ended with a poor 1-4 record. They open the new season with a tough home game against the Oklahoma City Thunder.