The 10 Best Players of the Decade.

As the decade comes to an end, there have been arguments on who has earned the title as "The best player of the decade".

Many of these arguments have been objective whereas as some have been based on personal bias.

This slide will present an objective and non-bias approach as to who rightfully deserves to be named the best player of the decade.

Note: Players will be judged on what they have achieved from 2000-2009

Honorable Mentions: Chauncy Billups, Steve Nash, Ray Allen, Paul Pierce, Elton Brand

10. Dirk Nowitzki

Perhaps the greatest shooting big man in Nba history. Dirk has become the face of the Dallas Maverick's franchise and turned them into legit contenders in the playoffs during the mid 2000's.

Accomplishments from 2000-2009.

2007 Nba league Mvp
8 time Nba all star
9 All Nba team selections (4 first, 3 second, 2 third)

Statistics from 2000-2009:

24.3 ppg, 9.8 rpg, 3.1 apg, 47 fg%

9. Tracy McGrady

Based on talent alone, Tracy McGrady is one of the top 3 players of this era. However, injuries has kept McGrady from gaining any form of team success. His lack of team success is the reason he is ranked as low as 9.

Accomplishments from 2000-2009:

2 time Scoring Champion- 2003, 2004
2001 Most Improved Player
7 time Nba all star

Statistics from 2000-2009:

26.6 ppg, 6.8 rpg, 5.1 apg, 1.3 spg, 43 fg%

Also has averaged 28.5 ppg, 6.9 rpg, 6.2 apg, 43 fg% in the playoffs since 2000 as well.

8. LeBron James

LeBron James is one of the best players I have ever witnessed to step on the court. and one of the most athletically gifted players in Nba history.

Standing at about 6'8 and 250 lbs, he combines a rare combination of strength, speed, and quickness.

Though he hasn't been in the league for the whole decade, his all around game has been nothing short of spectacular. He is an amazing passer, solid rebounder, and a great scorer as well. And he has also stepped it up on the defensive end as well.

Him not being in the league for that long is the reason he is ranked at number 8, he has not been as successful as the other players have been.

Accomplishments:

2009 Nba league Mvp
2008 Scoring Champion
2004 Rookie of the Year
2 time All Star Game Mvp
5 All Nba selections (3 first, 2 second)
1 defensive team selection (First)
Olympic Gold Medal

Statistics:

27.5 ppg, 7.0 rpg, 6.7 apg, 1.4 spg, 0.8 bpg, 47 fg%

Also averages 29.4 ppg, 8.3 rpg, 7.3 apg, 1.6 spg, 0.8 bpg, 45 fg% for the playoffs.

7. Dywane Wade

Some people may disagree with D.Wade being ranked higher than LeBron. I actually was going to rank LeBron higher, but taking into account what Wade did in the 2006 Nba Finals, I simply couldn't.

Also Wade's 2008-09 season is a testament to how good this guy is. Returning from an injury plaged season, he recorded one of the greatest individual regular seasons in the past 25 years.

Accomplishments:

2006 Nba champion
2006 Nba finals Mvp
2009 Scoring Champion
5 time Nba All Star
4 All Nba selections (1 first, 2 second, 1 third)
2 All defensive team selections

Statistics:

25.2 ppg, 6.7 apg, 4.9 rpg, 1.9 spg, 0.9 bpg, 48 fg%

Averages 25.7 ppg, 5.9 apg, 5.3 rpg, 1.7 spg, 1.0 bpg for the playoffs.

6. Jason Kidd

What Jason Kidd has done this decade goes beyond individual accolades. Jason Kidd has redefined what it means to be a team player. In the 2001-02 season, he singlehandidly led a struggling New Jersey Nets team from a 26-56 record to a 52-30 record.
He also led the New Jersey Nets to their first Nba finals in 2002 and back again the following season.

Accomplishments from 2000-2009:

6 Nba all star game appearances
5 All Nba selections (4 first, 1 second)
8 All defensive team selections ( 3 first, 5 second)
Olympic Gold medal

Statistics from 2000-2009:

16.7 ppg, 10.2 apg, 8.0 rpg, 2.1 spg........He is only 2.0 rpg of averaging a triple double for this decade.

He also averages 15.5 ppg, 9.8 apg, 8.3 rpg in the playoffs.

5. Allen Iverson

Allen Iverson is arguably the most prolific scorer of this decade, along with Kobe Bryant.

Though he has not had much team success, he has definitely accomplished alot in this decade

Accomplishments from 2000-2009:

2001 Nba league Mvp
3 Scoring titles ( 2001, 2002, and 2005)
2 time All star Game Mvp
9 All star Game appearances
Led the league in steals 3 seasons in a row
6 all Nba selections

Statistics from 2000-2009:

32.7 ppg, 7.0 apg, 3.9 rpg, 2.5 spg, 41 fg%

Iverson averages 29.7 ppg, 6.0 apg, 3.8 rpg, 2.1 spg, 40 fg% in the playoffs

4. Kevin Garnett

For the past 9 years, Kevin Garnett has been among the most veratile and complete forwards in Nba history. Garnett has dominated on both ends of the floors.
A big testament to Kevin Garnett's dominance was in the 2007-2008 season when he turned the Celtics' franchise, which had spent more than two decades living in the shadow of it's historic past, into a championship team.

Accomplishments from 2000-2009:

1 Nba Championship (2008)
2004 Nba League Mvp
2008 Nba defensive player of the year
9 Nba All star game appearances
2003 Nba All star game Mvp
8 All Nba team selections (4 first, 3 second, 1 third)
9 All defensive team selections (7 first, 2 second)
Led league in rebounds per game for 4 seasons

-From 2000-2005, Garnett averaged at least 20 ppg, 10 rpg, and 5 apg, making him the only player in Nba history to do so for that many consecutive seasons.

- Also led theTimberwolves in points, assist, rebounds, blocks, and steals making him one of only three players at the time to do so.

Statistics from 2000-2009:

23.8 ppg, 5.1 apg, 13.2 rpg, 1.9 bpg, 52 fg%

3. Shaquille O'neal

The top 3 players of the decade comes down to only three player. There should be no question about who the top 3 players of the decade is. Ranking these three accurately is where it gets tough. Each three have a legit case as the "best player of the decade". To accurately rank these players, team success, statistics, individual accomplishments, statistics, and among other things, consistency was taken into evaluation. With this said, this left me with Shaquille O'neal at number 3.

For the beginning of the decade, Shaquille O'neal was the most dominating athlete the league had seen since Wilt Chamberlain. Together, he and Kobe Bryant formed one of the greatest and most dominating duos in Nba history.

Together, Shaq and Kobe led the Lakers to three straight championships and Shaq was by far the most dominanting player in those Nba finals, earning him 3 final Mvp awards. Though he went on to win a 4th championship ring in Miami, he has not been as consistent as the two players I placed above him.

Accomplishments from 2000-2009:

4 Nba Championships
3 Nba Finals Mvp Awards
2000 Nba league Mvp
2000 Scoring Champion
3 All Star Game Mvp awards
9 All Star game appearances
8 All Nba team selections

Statistics from 2000-2009:

26.6 ppg, 12.6 rpg, 2.4 bpg, 58 fg%

Shaquille O'neal has averaged 26.2 ppg, 13.3 rpg, 2.5 bpg 55 fg% for the playoffs.

Shaquille O'neal has the record for highest ppg for a center in Nba finals history.

2. Kobe Bryant

As I stated, it was hard to decide where exactly to rank each of the top 3 players I had. Shaquille O'neal was my original pick for number 2, but after really evaluating each of their decades, Kobe Bryant clearly has had a better and more consistent decade than Shaq.

For the past 9 years, Kobe Bryant has been the best, most skilled, most complete and most dominating player on the perimeter on both ends of the floor. What Kobe has done for this 9 year stretch is absolutely amazing. Alongside with Shaq, Kobe Bryant helped lead the Lakers to three straight Nba championships.
In only a four year stretch, Kobe Bryant did not only break 33 Laker franchise records, he set scoring records only comparable to Wilt Chamberlain and Michael Jordan.
This year, Kobe Bryant cemented his legacy by not only leading a young Lakers team to back-to-back Nba final appearances, but by winning it this time and leading the Lakers franchise to banner 15. Kobe bryant won his 4th championship ring as well as his first Nba finals Mvp award.
Kobe Bryant is only 31 and he has already had a better career than most players that has ever played this game. So more success is to be expected from this man.

Accomplishments from 2000-2009:

4 Nba Championships
1 Nba Finals Mvp
1 Nba league Mvp
2 Scoring titles (2006,2007)
3 All Star Game Mvps
10 All Star game appearances
10 All Nba team selections (7 first, 2 second, 1 third)
9 All Nba defensive team selections (7 first, 2 second)

Statistics from 2000-2009:

31.1 ppg, 5.8 apg, 6.5 rpg, 1.8 spg, 0.6 bpg 46 fg%

Kobe Bryant has averaged 31.8 ppg, 5.8 apg, 6.2 rpg, 1.6 spg, 0.7 bpg 48 fg% in the playoffs.

Records broken in this decade:

- Scored a career-high 81 points against the Toronto Raptors, the second-highest number of points scored in a game in NBA history, behind only Wilt Chamberlain's 100 point performance.

- One of only two players in NBA history to score 80 points in a single game (the other is Wilt Chamberlain).

- One of only two players in NBA history to score 35-plus points per game for 13 consecutive games (the other is Wilt Chamberlain).

- One of three players in Nba history (including Wilt Chamberlain and Elgin Baylor) and the first player since 1964 to score 45 points or more for 4 consecutive games.

- Only player to outscore an opposing team through three quarters.

- One of only four players in Nba history (including Michael Jordan, Wilt Chamberlain, and Elgin Baylor) to score 60+ points multiple times in his career. Has done it 5 times.

- One of only two players in Nba history (incuding Wilt) to score 50+ points for 4 consecutive games.

- Only player in Nba history besides Wilt Chamberlain to finish a season with ten 50+ games.

- One of only three players in Nba history (including Michael Jordan and Wilt Chamberlain) to score 40+ for 9 or more consecutive games.

- Averaged 43.4 ppg for a single month and the highest for any player besides Wilt.

- One of only two players in NBA history to average 40-plus points per game for an entire month on three separate occasions (40.6 ppg in February 2003, 43.4 ppg in January 2006 , 40.1 in April 2006) (the other is Wilt Chamberlain).

- Only player in NBA history with at least 2,800 points and 180 three-point field goals made in one season.

- One of three players in Nba history (including Michael Jordan and Jerry West) to average at least 31.0 ppg and 7.0 assist in the Nba finals. Only player besides Jordan to average at least 30.0 pppg, 5.0 ppg, and 5.0 rpg in the Nba finals.

1. Tim Duncan

Tim Duncan, the big fundamental. Tim Duncan has been the most accomplished and most consistent player of the decade.

He has also been the most dominating and most effecient power forward in league history. Duncan led the Spurs to 3 championships this decade,( won his first in 1998-99 season), winning the final Mvps for two of the three championships.

Duncan dominates the interior on both ends of the floor and is a dominant rebounder as well.

Though Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'neal each won 1 more championship this decade than Tim Duncan did and may be more accomplished on paper, they have not been on the consistency level in terms of team success like Tim Duncan has.

Tim Duncan's consistency lands him as "the best player of the decade".

Accomplishments from 2000-2009:

3 Nba Championships
2 Nba Finals Mvp awards
2 Nba league Mvp awards (2002, 2003)
Nba All star Game Mvp (2000)
10 Nba All star game appearances
10 All Nba team selections ( 9 first team, 1 second)
10 All Nba defensive team selections ( 7 first team, 3 second team)

Statistics from 2000-2009:

23.7 ppg, 11.7 rpg, 3.2 apg, 2.3 bpg, 49 fg%

Tim Duncan averages 23.3 ppg, 10.9 rpg, 3.6 apg, 2,5 bpg, 49 fg% for the playoffs.