The Athletic NBA Staff
Consider Y2K.
Y2K was, in the waning weeks of 1999, a thing. A big thing. It referred to the fear that computer systems around the world, many of which used two-digit numbers to represent a year (such as “99” to represent the year 1999), would crash on Jan. 1, 2000 — because the systems, in going from “99” to “00,” would recognize “00” as the year 1900, not 2000. And because everything important in our world is run by computers — banks, water distribution, nuclear launch codes — there could be global chaos if the software malfunctioned. Some people stocked up on supplies and took money out of their bank accounts, fearing they wouldn’t be able to do so after 11:59 p.m. on Dec. 31, 1999.
That collective fear turned out to be unfounded. The technology, both in place and that was patched in at the last minute, held up. Air traffic control didn’t fail. Bank computers didn’t wipe out savings accounts. Our interconnected planet didn’t collapse.
Twenty-five years later, Y2K seems … analog. A crisis of another, slower, less advanced age. An age where cable TV was the growing, modern presence, and flip phones and pagers were cutting edge. And an age where NBA teams still played inside-out, throwing the ball to big men inside, who decided what would happen next, 10 players wrestling with one another in the paint.
Today?
Today’s NBA is beyond digital, beyond 4K. It is a completely different game than the one the Lakers played en route to their 2000 to 2002 three-peat. It is a 3-point bacchanalia most nights, to be sure. But it is also filled with more players who are more skilled and more diverse than ever in what they can do on the court.
And thus, the notion of picking the 25 best players of the first quarter-century seems a fool’s errand, an unwieldy challenge. The game is completely different now than it was 25 years ago. It would be like comparing Johnny Carson with Josh Johnson. Yes, they’re in the same profession, but there’s no accurate way to compare one to the other.
But … that’s what we do.
You’ll notice that there are names not on this list that you may think should be. Joel Embiid didn’t make the cut. Tracy McGrady didn’t. Damian Lillard didn’t. They got votes, but not enough. But that speaks to the depth of quality of the last 25 years. Our list reflects the metamorphosis of the game; we still have bigs who dominated close to the basket, the way it was done back in the day. But there are also numerous guards and wings that reconfigured the geometry of the game, forever, with their range and volume.
And, our list reflects the global bent of today’s NBA. Canada is here. And Slovenia. And Serbia. And Greece. And Germany. And the Virgin Islands. The world plays here now, along with the cream of the U.S. crop, and the resulting mix of talent and new philosophies about spacing and shooting — and, just a little bit of defense, still — has produced incredible, indelible moments. With more to come. — David Aldridge
(Editor’s note: Our panel consisted of 43 writers, podcasters and editors who each provided a list of 25 names from No. 1 to No. 25. For every first-place vote, a player received 25 points; for a second, 24; for a third, 23 and so on. A 25th place vote received one point. A perfect score — 43 first-place votes — would result in 1,075 points. Also, all statistics begin with the 2000-01 season, achievements as well. Achievements before 2000-01 are noted.)
