The Best NBA Player at Every Age
Debates over the NBA's best active player, as well as its greatest of all-time, are repeated on a loop across listicles, TV, YouTube, talk radio, podcasts, social media and comment sections everywhere. Their ubiquity is equal parts necessary, entertaining and frankly, a little exhausting.
So why not break from the grind with us and instead discuss the best NBA player…at every age?!
Bleacher Report's Dan Favale and Grant Hughes will be chaperoning you through this transformative journey. But while the digital ink spilled here is theirs, these age-by-age selections come right from the B/R 99 project, in which all of our best basketball scribes hunkered down for hours on end, in separate bunkers across undisclosed locations, and cobbled together an absolutely flawless, irrefutable ranking of the Association's best 99 talents coming out of the All-Star break.
Granted, with players spanning from ages 19 to 41, not every age was represented in B/R 99. In these select few cases, Mr. Favale and Mr. Hughes have the license to decide on their own. We're happy to report neither has embarked upon a supervillain arc upon wielding so much power. Yet.
We've got 23 separate best-of-their-age crowns to give out. Let's hop to it.
Age 19: Cooper Flagg, Dallas Mavericks
1 of 23
NBA 99 Rank: 40
Cooper Flagg wins this spot in a landslide. That's the luxury being the only teenager to appear in B/R 99.
Spoiler Alert: He would have won it anyway.
The 6'9" rookie is as versatile and disruptive on defense as advertised. His jumper isn't yet an efficient weapon, but he's shooting well enough at the free-throw line to bank on improvement.
Beyond that, finishing at above-average clips inside 14 feet within the Dallas Mavericks' shaky spacing environment and while having to self-create the majority of his two-point looks are nothing if not bright indicators.
Stuffing the box score will help Flagg challenge for further best-of-his-age bracket honorrs in the years to come. As it stands, just three other non-center rookies have matched his defensive rebounding, assist, steal and block rates in as many minutes: Lonzo Ball, Lamar Odom and Ben Simmons.
Other 19-Year-Olds Appearing in B/R 99: None
—Favale
Age 20: Kon Knueppel, Charlotte Hornets
2 of 23
NBA 99 Rank: 48
Kon Knueppel only needed 58 games to reach 200 made triples, the fastest of any rookie ever. Now, the only question is how far beyond Keegan Murray's former rookie-record 206 he'll go.
In addition to elite marksmanship, Knueppel is a shrewd playmaker whose strength, patience and balance also give him legitimate scoring chops inside the arc. He may not wind up the best rookie in his class, as Cooper Flagg could still have the higher ceiling. But Knueppel should be the overwhelming favorite to win Rookie of the Year honors.
VJ Edgecombe and Alex Sarr were among the 20-year-olds in the mix. Both have upside, but neither comes close to matching what Knueppel has already done.
Other 20-Year-Olds Appearing in B/R 99: Alex Sarr (82), VJ Edgecombe (91)
-Hughes
Age 21: Stephon Castle, San Antonio Spurs
3 of 23
NBA 99 Rank: 60
Stephon Castle spent much of his rookie season being spotlighted for what he couldn't do. The script has completely flipped in Year 2.
Standing 6'6", his defense is a revelation. He is quick enough to pick up guards full-court and strong enough to line up opposite larger wings and some actual bigs. His hands are chaos agents, particularly when defending on the ball.
Gaps in his offensive game do not prevent him from having a standout impact. Operating alongside running mates who are comfortable off the ball such as Victor Wembanyama, De'Aaron Fox and Devin Vassell goes a long way, but Castle has improved as a driver, playmaker and off-ball mover and relocator.
Knocking down more unguarded threes remains his quickest path to stardom. In the meantime, efficiency from mid-range coupled with everything else he does lets him pick up the comfortable age-bracket W.
Other 21-Year-Olds Appearing in B/R 99: Reed Sheppard (90)
—Favale
Age 22: Victor Wembanyama, San Antonio Spurs
4 of 23
NBA 99 Rank: 4
The best defensive player on planet Earth is currently driving the ahead-of-schedule San Antonio Spurs toward the West's top seed, and this is only the beginning.
Victor Wembanyama's impact on opposing offenses cannot be overstated. We've never seen a defensive threat capable of deterring close-range attempts like he can, and that singular skill is powerful enough to overshadow the fact that he's also a 7-foot-whatever three-point gunner who doesn't seem that far away from developing a head-down driving game reminiscent of Giannis Antetokounmpo.
In only his third season, Wemby has arrived as the most game-altering young player in the league. He's going to win multiple MVPs. You can book it now.
Other 22-Year-Olds Appearing in B/R 99: Jalen Duren (28), Keyonte George (55), Anthony Black (81)
-Hughes
Age 23: Alperen Şengün, Houston Rockets
5 of 23
NBA 99 Rank: 20
Alperen Şengün tops an incredibly deep field that includes names like Chet Holmgren, Paolo Banchero and Amen Thompson. His placement above these peers is debatable, but hardly undeserved when looking at the size of his offensive role.
Josh Giddey is the only 23-year-old (minimum 250 minutes) with a higher true usage, which takes into account assists and potential assists, per BBall Index. Despite shaky touch away from the basket, Şengün is in the 77th percentile of self-created shot-making efficiency. Joel Embiid and Nikola Jokić are the lone other centers matching both of those benchmarks.
Make no mistake, Şengün is far from a perfect offensive player. The Houston Rockets offense is no stranger to bogging down, particularly in crunch time. He's a part of that. But the ability to power an entire hierarchy as both a scoring and playmaking hub amid less-than-ideal spacing is no joke. With the exception of maaaybe Paolo Banchero, no other 23-year-old's role is more difficult—or encompasses more responsibility.
Other 23-Year-Olds Appearing in B/R 99: Chet Holmgren (22), Paolo Banchero (41), Amen Thompson (42), Josh Giddey (59), Ausar Thompson (71), Brandon Miller (74), Peyton Watson (76)
—Favale
Age 24: Cade Cunningham, Detroit Pistons
6 of 23
NBA 99 Rank: 7
Cade Cunningham seems like a lock for a First Team All-NBA nod and could wind up this season's MVP if some other candidates miss a few more games. Even if he doesn't collect the league's Most Valuable hardware, he's already established himself as a prime example of the game's most valuable player type.
A first-option creator who can drive an offense with his scoring and facilitating, Cunningham is among the most complete lead playmakers in the league. He's also arguably the best defender who shoulders that kind of offensive load.
The Detroit Pistons' lack of spacing raises Cunningham's degree of difficulty, and a lot of his turnover woes owe to a cramped environment short on secondary threats. On track to average over 25.0 points and 9.0 assists for the second straight season, he's allowed a few mistakes.
This is a loaded age group with Anthony Edwards (9), Jalen Johnson (17) and Scottie Barnes (21) making Cunningham's selection all the more impressive.
Other 24-Year-Olds Appearing in B/R 99: Anthony Edwards (9), Jalen Johnson (17), Scottie Barnes (21), Evan Mobley (23), Jalen Williams (31), Franz Wagner (34), LaMelo Ball (38), Jalen Suggs (56), Mark Williams (84), Tari Eason (94)
-Hughes
Age 25: Tyrese Maxey, Philadelphia 76ers
7 of 23
NBA 99 Rank: 11
Relative to the player Tyrese Maxey has become, he doesn't face much competition in the 25-year-old division. Deni Avdija and the idea of Zion Williamson are his closest rivals.
Maxey's career arc continues to be an exercise in dispelling concerns. Issues such as "Can he shoot?" were answered early and definitively. The matter of "Does he need a superstar buffer?" has taken little longer to resolve, but no longer faces much push-back.
Blazing speed is now packaged with sudden, controlled changes in pace. A more varied cadence has streamlined his development into an every-level scorer, with a three-point arsenal that scales to spot-up, pull-up and even step-back jumpers.
More attention should be paid to his knack for forging chemistry with anyone and everyone. It doesn't matter whether it's James Harden, Joel Embiid or VJ Edgecombe. Maxey is a universal complement capable of shouldering a center-stage workload. Case in point: The Philadelphia 76ers have won the minutes he's logged this season without Embiid and Paul George.
Other 25-Year-Olds Appearing in B/R 99: Deni Avdija (16), Zion Williamson (39), Trey Murphy III (43), Jaden McDaniels (61), RJ Barrett (73), Onyeka Okongwu (83), Devin Vassell (96), Toumani Camara (97)
—Favale
Age 26: Luka Dončić, Los Angeles Lakers
8 of 23
NBA 99 Rank: 3
On track to lead the league in scoring for the second time in his career, Luka Dončić is becoming an even more extreme version of the offense-unto-himself player he's been since debuting in 2018. If his current averages hold, he'll also top all NBA players of any age in both made threes and free-throws per game.
Somewhere, 2016 James Harden is smiling.
The "Extreme Harden" comp holds up when considering defense as well, and it's only fair to note that Dončić is pretty much useless on that end of the floor. Given the unprecedented impact he has on offense (Dončić is in line to lead the league in usage rate for the fourth time in his career), shoddy defense is a fair trade-off.
Other 26-Year-Olds Appearing in B/R 99: Jaren Jackson Jr. (50), Darius Garland (62), Naz Reid (68), Andrew Nembhard (72), Tyler Herro (77), Immanuel Quickley (78), Ja Morant (79), Nic Claxton (86), Coby White (88)
-Hughes
Age 27: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Oklahoma City Thunder
9 of 23
NBA 99 Rank: 2
Certain rankings within this exercise would require painstaking amounts of time to mull over if we didn't already have B/R 99 as our North Star.
This isn't one of them.
Nevermind his fellow 27-year-olds. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is on track to run away with his second consecutive MVP award (provided he meets the games-played threshold). If you're ranking NBA players regardless of age affiliation, he's in the top three. And he's not three.
This will be the fourth time SGA has cleared 30 points and five assists with a true shooting north of 60. That ties him with Michael Jordan for the most such seasons in NBA history.
There is a word for offensive engines who ferry megastar usage and subsist on ultra-difficult shots while actively participating in the league's scariest defense: generational.
Other 27-Year-Olds Appearing in B/R 99: Austin Reaves (30), Michael Porter Jr. (36), Trae Young (57), Desmond Bane (58), Jarrett Allen (63), Isaiah Hartenstein (64), Nickeil Alexander-Walker (67)
—Favale
Age 28: Jamal Murray, Denver Nuggets
10 of 23
NBA 99 Rank: 15
Jamal Murray will probably remember this season as the year he made his first All-Star team, but maybe he'll also be excited to recall his climb from No. 39 to No. 15 in our NBA 99 rankings.
It's been difficult to fairly evaluate Murray throughout his career because of teammate Nikola Jokić's outsized impact on every Denver Nuggets teammate.
Murray has done more than ever this year to prove he's not just a beneficiary of the greatest passing big man ever, helping Denver to a 7-5 record in games Jokić has missed while leading the team to a 75th-percentile offensive rating in the minutes he plays without Jokić on the floor.
Other 28-Year-Olds Appearing in B/R 99: Lauri Markkanen (24), Bam Adebayo (32), De'Aaron Fox (33), OG Anunoby (49), Brandon Ingram (51), Ivica Zubac (54), Payton Pritchard (69)
-Hughes
Age 29: Donovan Mitchell, Cleveland Cavaliers
11 of 23
NBA 99 Rank: 8
Donovan Mitchell leads what's probably the deepest age bracket. Four 29-year-olds finished in the top 20 of B/R 99. Mitchell is the only one who cracked the top 10.
The honor is well-deserved. Mitchell is one of the Association's greatest singular offensive forces and has been for quite some time. Though he's at his most dangerous when left to his scoring devices, he can effectively toggle between bucket-getter and facilitator—all within the flow of a larger ecosystem.
Blending all of that together is a rarity. Among the other 29-year-olds up for consideration, Jalen Brunson (13th) and Devin Booker (29th) come closest to mirroring Mitchell's meld. They just aren't close enough.
Mitchell rates in the 96th percentile of spot-up three-point efficiency, the 94th percentile of self-created shot-making efficiency and 86th percentile of points generated off assists per 75 possessions, according to BBall Index. Nikola Jokić is the only other player doing the same.
Other 29-Year-Olds Appearing in B/R 99: Jaylen Brown (12), Jalen Brunson (13), Devin Booker (29), Mikal Bridges (45), Domantas Sabonis (53), Myles Turner (99)
—Favale
Age 30: Nikola Jokić, Denver Nuggets
12 of 23
NBA 99 Rank: 1
If you're the best player in the world and the No. 1 finisher in NBA 99, there's really not much drama about where you rank among your same-age peers. So thanks for coming out, all you other 30-year-olds, but none of you ever really had a chance.
Nikola Jokić exerts a level of calculated control over his team's offense that no one in the modern game comes close to matching. He does it in a way that never seems selfish or motivated by anything other than finding the best possible shot. He sees passes no one else does, his touch around the rim is unsurpassed and his general feel for the location and movement of the other nine players on the floor is truly clairvoyant.
Ho-hum, Jokić is on track to become the first player to lead the league in rebounds and assists per game. With a few votes shifting and a little less dismissive fatigue toward his greatness over the years, he could be on the cusp of his sixth MVP.
Other 30-Year-Olds Appearing in B/R 99:Karl-Anthony Towns (29), Aaron Gordon (46), Dillon Brooks (65), Josh Hart (66), Andrew Wiggins (80), Zach LaVine (98)
-Hughes
Age 31: Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks
13 of 23
NBA 99 Rank: 5
There is an alternate timeline in which we use this space to recount the mental tug-of-war that punctuated choosing Giannis Antetokounmpo and Joel Embiid (25). It's not this one.
Giannis has cemented himself as a top-five player, period, for the better part of a decade. Spottier availability and the specificity with which you must build out the frontcourt around him are all that prevent a top-three consensus.
We could regurgitate the video-game stat lines and wax poetic about their place, alone, in the NBA's record books. This year, though, Giannis stands out more for all he's doing in light of all he doesn't have.
Ryan Rollins, Kevin Porter Jr., and more recently, Ousmane Dieng and Jericho Sims are feel-good on-court stories of varying significance. But nobody on the current Milwaukee Bucks roster will likely ever be more than the fourth-best player on a true-blue contender.
Even so, the team has what would be a top-six net rating with Giannis on the floor. And amid one of the highest-usage seasons of his career, the two-time MVP is scoring with more efficiency than ever, from both inside and outside the arc.
Other 31-Year-Olds Appearing in B/R 99: Joel Embiid (25), Pascal Siakam (27), Julius Randle (35), Derrick White (37), Alex Caruso (87)
—Favale
Age 32: Norman Powell, Miami Heat
14 of 23
NBA 99 Rank: 44
Norm Powell, who didn't make an All-Star team until his 11th season, beats out Anthony Davis, whose career features 10 All-Star nods and five All-NBA honors.
This is proof that the NBA (and rankings systems) are very much concerned with what players have done lately. And it's hard to argue Powell hasn't been the superior 32-year-old over the last couple of years.
Powell went from consistent Sixth Man of the Year consideration to a scoring-star starter with the Clippers in 2024-25, and he's kept it up since joining the Miami Heat. At 22.9 points per game on a 47.5/39.2/82.7 shooting split, he's one of the most efficient high-volume scorers around.
Davis, still hugely impactful when on the floor, is no longer an All-NBA-caliber player. And the bigger issue is his health, which has limited him to just 71 games since the beginning of 2024-25.
Other 32-Year-Olds Appearing in B/R 99: Anthony Davis (52)
-Hughes
Age 33: Rudy Gobert, Minnesota Timberwolves
15 of 23
NBA 99 Rank: 47
Rudy Gobert wins the age-33 crown by default. His peers include players like T.J. McConnell, Harrison Barnes, Jonas Valančiūnas and Tobias Harris, all of whom missed the top-99 cut.
Don't let the lack of competition fool you, though. Gobert remains a defensive system unto himself.
Even with all his enduring limitations on offense, the Minnesota Timberwolves cannot afford to be without him. You can sometimes sense it when he's not in the game. Teammates will get blown by after putting up half-hearted resistance only to realize the one-man clean-up crew isn't behind them.
Gobert's indispensability is reflected in the numbers—almost painfully so. Minnesota's defensive rating improves by 12.5 points with him on the court, the single-largest swing among every player in the league to log at least 300 minutes.
Other 33-Year-Olds Appearing in B/R 99: None
—Favale
Age 34: Kawhi Leonard, LA Clippers
16 of 23
NBA 99 Rank: 6
Kawhi Leonard has several top-five finishes in MVP voting on his career resumé, so it means something that this is one of the best years he's ever had.
On track to set a personal best with 28.0 points per game, Leonard is one of just five players this season with a usage rate over 33.0 percent and a true shooting percentage north of 60.0 percent. All of the others are younger than 34, which makes his volume-efficiency combo even more impressive.
Though he may have lost a step from his absolute apex, Leonard remains one of the most predatory wing defenders in the league. One mind-boggling stat for illustration's sake: He currently has over 30 more steals than personal fouls.
Other 34-Year-Olds Appearing in B/R 99: None
-Hughes
Age 35: Jrue Holiday, Portland Trail Blazers
17 of 23
NBA 99 Rank: 70
Jrue Holiday seizes the throne of a pretty-intriguing three-player division. Beating out both Draymond Green (89) and Paul George (92) isn't an effortless endeavor. There would have been plenty of people doubting his ability to do it entering this season.
Limited availability is the only threat to Holiday's case. And it's not a big one. Green doesn't have the same level of offensive responsibility. George, meanwhile, is more of a high-end third wheel (when healthy) at this stage of his career.
Mere months away from turning 36, Holiday has needed to take on more of a featured role for the Portland Trail Blazers—at both ends. The defense is the defense. This is Jrue Holiday, after all. But following a rickety offensive performance last year, Holiday has rebounded under more difficult circumstances.
Absolutely nobody has seen their true usage—which incorporates assists and potential assists—increase more from last season to now, according to BBall Index. And an at-times-hard-to-watch Blazers offense also rates in the 74th percentile when he plays.
Other 35-Year-Olds Appearing in B/R 99: Draymond Green (89), Paul George (92)
—Favale
Age 36: James Harden, Cleveland Cavaliers
18 of 23
NBA 99 Rank: 18
If his age-35 season, marked by a top-10 MVP finish, 22.8 points and 8.7 assists per game, was a late-career fluke, what do we call what James Harden is doing at age 36?
At 24.5 points on a 60.3 true shooting percentage, Harden is scoring with more volume and efficiency than he did last season. He's also getting to the foul line more frequently and turning the ball over less often.
What, exactly, happened to aging curves? Or the notion that Harden, never a workout warrior, would have a much harder time than most staying productive as he got older?
Elite scoring craft, a still-unstoppable one-on-one game and the ability to spot open shooters all over the floor have kept Harden among the league's top drivers of offense. If the Cleveland Cavaliers manage to make a deep playoff run, there's even a chance Harden will finally shake off his reputation as a postseason failure.
Other 36-Year-Olds Appearing in B/R 99: Jimmy Butler (75), DeMar DeRozan (93)
-Hughes
Age 37: Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors
19 of 23
NBA 99 Rank: 10
Our age-37 pool includes only two players. They both just happen to be all-time greats operating within sniffing distance of peak powers: Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant.
"KD was robbed!" will be a common refrain. And look, he has a legit case—particularly when factoring in playing time. Durant ranks in the top five of total minutes, which is just bonkers considering his age, and has racked up nearly 800 more ticks than Curry.
Still, there is no case to be made that KD does more than Steph to uplift those around him. People tire of hearing about the latter's movement and gravity, but it's a real thing.
The Golden State Warriors' offensive rating with Curry (119.4) is roughly the same as the Houston Rockets' with Durant (119.7). This showcases the heavy lift assumed by both. But unless you believe KD's supporting cast is worse, this plus Steph's superior scoring average and true shooting efficiency makes more of a case for him.
Other 37-Year-Olds Appearing in B/R 99: Kevin Durant (14)
—Favale
Age 38: Mike Conley, Minnesota Timberwolves
20 of 23
NBA 99 Rank: Unranked
Mike Conley and teammate Joe Ingles are still here, and that's something!
The league's only 38-year-olds share a bench with the Minnesota Timberwolves, and only one of them figures to have any impact on the team's fate going forward. That'd be Conley, who was actually dealt away and returned after getting waived.
After hitting over 40.0 percent of his threes every year from 2020-21 to 2024-25, Conley has lost the main remaining source of his offensive value. No longer quick enough to get downhill off of screens, he's a non-threat from beyond the arc this year, hitting just 31.8 percent of his treys.
That said, Conley is still a key locker-room figure who'll crack 50 games played in his 19th season. In many ways, he still matters to one of the NBA's best teams.
-Hughes
Age 39: Al Horford, Golden State Warriors
21 of 23
NBA 99 Rank: Unranked
Al Horford may not have made the final B/R-99 cut, but he wins his age division running away. That's the benefit of your competition being Kyle Lowry, Jeff Green and Garrett Temple—who together have logged just 25 percent of Horford's own playing time.
While the Swiss Army knife big man isn't what he used to be, he still embodies plug-and-play versatility. He keeps the ball moving, stretches the floor and continues to hold his own on the perimeter relative to most other players at his position.
Horford's wide range of utility drives his twilight value. And it remains a rarity. Here's every other center this season who has as many assists, blocks and made threes as ol' reliable Al: Donovan Clingan, Jaren Jackson Jr., Onyeka Okongwu, Naz Reid and Victor Wembanyama.
Other 39-Year-Olds Appearing in B/R 99: None
—Favale
Age 40: Chris Paul, Retired
22 of 23
NBA 99 Rank: Unranked
Though he officially called it quits this season after the LA Clippers cut him loose, Chris Paul gets an honorary mention for being the league's best 40-year-old participant this season.
Though he never featured in the Clips' rotation consistently, Paul probably could have done more on the floor if given the chance. As a 39-year-old, he appeared in all 82 games and averaged 8.8 points and 7.4 assists per game for the San Antonio Spurs. Clearly, there was something left in the tank.
Paul retires at No. 2 in career assists and steals, and his 11 All-NBA nods are tied with a list of all-time greats for the fifth-most in history.
Taj Gibson, recently signed by the Grizzlies, probably won't play enough to overtake Paul's very modest pre-retirement contributions this year.
-Hughes
Age 41: LeBron James, Los Angeles Lakers
23 of 23
NBA 99 Rank: 26
There is something uniquely unsettling, if disturbing, about seeing LeBron James fall outside the top 25. He's basically been a top-15-or-better mainstay since entering the league.
Between this, his battling sciatica to start the year and the Los Angeles Lakers pivoting to Luka Dončić as their tent-pole cornerstone, we're getting relentless reminders that LeBron, a superstar constant for 20-plus years, is nearing the end.
It's all so overbearing and foreign and lends itself to a cacophony of nostalgia. But let's not gloss over what LeBron is still doing, in the here and now.
At age 41, in Year 23, he is averaging over 20 points and seven assists on better-than-league-average true shooting. That puts him in the company of Dončić. James Harden, Jalen Johnson, Nikola Jokić and Jamal Murray.
LeBron doesn't just stand alone because he's long since distanced himself from birth-year peers. He's one-of-one because after all this time, not only is he stretching the boundaries of longevity, but he's doing so while remaining really, actually good.
Other 41-Year-Olds Appearing in B/R 99: None
—Favale
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