The NBA All-Century Team through 25 years

Basketball's best

The NBA has boomed in popularity since the start of the century, and fans have had the privilege of watching many historic players in that time. We've got the All-21st Century Team picked out to honor the best to ever do it since 2000.

Methodology

We’ve approached this in a way that would resemble a real basketball team, or an All-Star squad. We have 12 spots to go around (five starters, seven total reserves), and had to make some tough decisions along the way. All statistics are sourced from Basketball Reference.

SG: Kobe Bryant

Bryant was to the 2010s what Michael Jordan was to the 1990s. The Los Angeles Lakers star was driven towards greatness like few that have ever come before or after him. Winning wasn’t the main thing for Bryant; it was the only thing. Like Jordan, Bryant made his presence felt on both ends of the floor on his way to five championships.

SF: LeBron James

While the GOAT debate rages on the longer James’ indelible career goes on, the fact remains that he might have had the best start to finish tenure of any player in NBA history. James proved he was the real deal when he entered the NBA at age 18, and has shown very few signs of slowing down now that he’s in his forties.

PF: Tim Duncan

Fox Sports ran a piece in 2022 wondering aloud if Duncan was the most underrated athlete in sports history. The three-time NBA Finals MVP and five-time champion does tend to be an afterthought in these conversations, but the San Antonio Spurs big man was as good as it got for a while. He made the NBA’s All-Defensive Team an astonishing 15 times.

C: Nikola Jokic

Ben Rohrbach of Yahoo Sports wrote in the spring of 2025 that Jokic was having the best statistical regular season of anyone in NBA history. The Denver Nuggets five-man is one of the most incredible players to watch, as he seems to have offensive awareness that had seldom ever been seen. He’s a three-time MVP who can add to that total with several prime seasons left.

Backup PG: Chris Paul

Every strong team needs a reliable bench, and ours starts with the “Point God” himself. Even though he hasn’t won a title, Paul feels like one of the last true consummate point guards left in the NBA. He’s always prioritized leadership and playmaking for others over his own scoring, which makes him an ideal fit on any team.

Backup SG: Dwyane Wade

Most basketball fans will remember Wade’s run with LeBron James as the pinnacle of his career, but the Miami Heat legend was a superstar in his own right before James ever came to town. He was a fascinating player to watch, as he was a master of the mid-range shot and an elite driver to the rim. Wade did this as the league shifted to a more perimeter oriented game.

Backup PF: Giannis Antetokounmpo

The Milwaukee Bucks star could be considered a guard, forward or center considering everything he brings to the table. Antetokounmpo is virtually unstoppable with the basketball in his hands with a head of steam. He also brings a level of commitment and work ethic that exceeds most players in the league.

Backup C: Shaquille O’Neal

Even though O’Neal did a lot of his damage in the 1990s, winning four titles from the year 2000 forward certainly gives him enough of a resume to be on the All-Century Team. There wasn’t much defenders could do against O’Neal in the paint in his prime. He told Relevo that he was the most dominant player in NBA history, and he has a strong case to back it up.

Wild Card 1: Dirk Nowitzki

If Curry changed the game in the 2010s, Nowitzki changed the game in the late 1990s and early 2000s. No one believed that a seven-footer should be able to dribble, pass and shoot before the Dallas Mavericks star changed the perception of what was possible for someone that size. He carried the Mavericks on his shoulders to the 2011 title in one of the most unlikely runs in NBA history.

Wild Card 2: James Harden

Kirk Goldsberry of ESPN called Harden the greatest scorer of his era in 2019. While that statement can be picked apart, there’s no denying that Harden is one of the greatest offensive forces of his generation. Teams put the ball in his hands at the top of the key, and he reliably did the rest, whether it was score for himself or make plays for others.

Glaring omissions

As one might imagine, there were a lot of names considered for the All-Century Team. It was difficult to leave players like Kawhi Leonard, Klay Thompson, Tony Parker, Russell Westbrook, Steve Nash, Kevin Garnett and Dwight Howard off the roster, but they deserve honorable mention here as well.