LaMelo Ball Up, LeBron James Down in NBA 2K21's 2nd Player Ratings Update

Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James remains the highest-rated player in NBA 2K21 despite a one-point deduction in his overall rating in Thursday's update from 2K Sports.

Here's a look at the top 10 players in the video game:

• 1. LeBron James: 97 OVR (-1)
• 2. Giannis Antetokounmpo: 96 OVR (-1)
• 3. James Harden: 95 OVR (-1)
• T-4. Anthony Davis: 94 OVR (-1)
• T-4. Nikola Jokic: 94 OVR (+1)
• 6. Joel Embiid: 93 OVR (+1)
• 7. Bradley Beal: 91 OVR (+3)
• 8. Paul George: 90 OVR (+1)
• 9. Bam Adebayo: 89 OVR (+1)
• T-10. Khris Middleton: 88 OVR (+1)
• T-10. Nikola Vucevic: 88 OVR (+1)
• T-10. C.J. McCollum: 88 OVR (+1)

Beal, who leads the NBA in scoring at 34.9 points per game for the Washington Wizards, was among the biggest risers in the update with his three-point overall gain.

Two standout rookies, the Charlotte Hornets' LaMelo Ball and Sacramento Kings' Tyrese Haliburton, also received early three-point boosts.

The top gainers were led by:

• Hamidou Diallo: 77 OVR (+6)
• Xavier Tillman: 76 OVR (+6)
• Chris Boucher: 83 OVR (+5)
• Nickeil Alexander-Walker: 76 OVR (+5)
• Isaiah Roby: 75 OVR (+5)
• Jarred Vanderbilt: 75 OVR (+5)
• Jae'Sean Tate: 74 OVR (+5)

NBA 2K21 was released on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch and PC in September. It debuted on the next-gen consoles, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X, in November.