Giannis Reveals His Somewhat Controversial Top-5 NBA Players in the NBA List

While ESPN’s NBA Rank is listing who they think are the top NBA players right now, many others around the league are being asked who they believe the top talent in the league is. In any interview with a player, coach, or reporter, nobody is safe from the classic question: “Who are the five best players in the league today?”

In a recent interview with Sport24, Giannis Antetokounmpo was asked who he believes the best players in the world are, and his answer was a bit surprising.

“The top five players I think are Luka, Jokić, SGA, Tatum, and me. And it depends on the year you're having. So if I, let's say, this year go back and I'm improved and I help my team win the East and we go to the Finals, and we play against whatever team is there, I automatically become the best player in the world. But if Luka does it, he becomes the best player in the world. If Jokić does it, he's the best player in the world.”

There’s not much to argue with for most of this list. Jokić and SGA are unquestionably on it. So are Luka and Giannis. Where the debate starts is with the fifth name, Jayson Tatum.

There is no question that Tatum is one of the top players in the league, but top five seems like a bit of a stretch. Especially because he is currently recovering from an Achilles injury. It is hard to rank players who are hurt, but Tatum instantly fell out of this list (for now) once he went down in last year’s playoffs.

Someone like Stephen Curry or Anthony Edwards probably deserves to take Tatum’s spot. That is, until Tatum returns and cements himself as a Top 5 NBA player once again.