The 2024-2025 NBA season is almost upon us, and that means one thing: it’s time to play another NBA 2K game.
While getting a new game in the coveted series is already exciting for basketball fans around the world, the subject that truly gets the internet in a frenzy is the overall ratings.
On Aug. 26, NBA 2K25 released its official ranking of the Top 100 players in the game, sparking the annual debate all over again.
Naturally, there are arguments over who deserves their score and who should be ranked higher and lower. Still, Visual Concepts has spoken, and they’ve named the best player going into the 2024-2025 season.
Nikola Jokic, center for the Denver Nuggets, has taken the No. 1 spot after bringing home his third NBA MVP trophy and his first Olympic medal. This marks Jokic’s second year in a row at the top. However, his score dropped a single point from NBA 2K24.
Despite his impressive credentials, some could be surprised that he has taken the top spot.
While Jokic has been named the best player in NBA 2K25, two other players have received the same overall rating. Luka Doncic of the Dallas Mavericks and Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks both have a 97 overall but are named the second and third-highest-rated players in the game.
While Doncic is expected to be there since he was a finalist for MVP and scored more points than any other player last season, Antetokounmpo is a bit of a shock.
While he’s an excellent player, he edged out the third MVP Finalist, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of the Oklahoma City Thunder, who was rated as a 96 overall and ranked fourth. On top of this, Antetokounmpo has maintained a 97 overall three years in a row.
The Top 10 is rounded out by Joel Embiid of the Philadelphia 76ers (96 overall), LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers (95 overall), Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors (95 overall), Jayson Tatum of the Boston Celtics (95 overall), Kevin Durant of the Phoenix Suns (94 overall), and Anthony Davis of the Lakers (94 overall).
The ranking also greatly favors offensive output over defensive prowess. Rookie of the Year winner and Defensive Player of the Year (DPOY) finalist Victor Wembenyama of the San Antonio Spurs (91 overall) was ranked 18th.
Additionally, Rudy Gobert of the Minnesota Timberwolves won DPOY and was ranked 51st with an overall rating of 85.
The last player to reach a 99 overall rating as an active player was LeBron James when he played for the Heat in NBA 2K14. The only player to ever be ranked 100 overall was Shaquille O’Neal in NBA 2K2.
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