There are many who feel like the NBA has as much talent right now as it has ever had in the history of the league. The conversation of the best player in the world today will almost always involve Denver Nuggets star Nikola Jokic, Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo and reigning MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander with others such as Los Angeles Lakers superstar Luka Doncic also being mentioned as well.
Doncic had a slightly down year last season after being traded in the middle of the year, not to mention dealing with injuries as well. But that has done nothing to affect his place amongst the NBA’s best players, at least in the eyes of Antetokounmpo.
When asked about who the best players in the world are today, Giannis mentioned Luka alongside himself, Jokic, Gilgeous-Alexander and Jayson Tatum as his top five, via Harris Stavrou of SPORT 24:
Giannis Antetokounmpo on the "best player in the world" conversation: "It's the eye test, what you prefer to watch. I believe me, Luka, Jokic, SGA and Tatum are the TOP5 right now. I prefer two-way players, I like Anthony Edwards, Anthony Davis, Kawhi. I like dogs" – SPORT24
— Harris Stavrou (@harris_stavrou) September 23, 2025
That is a tough list to argue with as all of those players are more than deserving of that spot. In fact, outside of Tatum who will miss this season after tearing his Achilles in last year’s playoffs, Doncic, Jokic, Antetokounmpo and Gilgeous-Alexander are the betting favorites for MVP this season nearly everywhere.
Many see Doncic as set to have a real bounce-back year, though to be fair averaging 28.2 points, 8.2 rebounds and 7.7 assists as he did last season is far from a down year. Even still, many anticipate his first full season with the Lakers to be one to remember, especially after his recent performance at EuroBasket.
Giannis didn’t even mention players like Luka’s Lakers teammate LeBron James, other legends such Kevin Durant and Stephen Curry, All-NBA players like Donovan Mitchell and Jalen Brunson or a phenom like Victor Wembanyama. Needless to say, the game is in good hands and Doncic is at or near the top of the list.
Luka Doncic trade to Lakers was realization for Giannis Antetokounmpo
The Luka Doncic trade to the Lakers will forever go down as one of the most shocking trades in the history of sports and for Giannis Antetokounmpo, it served as a realization that anybody in the league can be dealt away.
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