NBA sources agree LeBron, K.D. and Steph still belong in top 10 this season

On Thursday, ESPN revealed its top 10 players in the NBA for the 2025-26 season based on votes from members of the media.

Three of the league’s oldest players cracked the top 10 in Houston Rockets forward Kevin Durant (No. 9), Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (No. 8) and Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (No. 7). It should be noted that injured players like Jayson Tatum and Tyrese Haliburton weren’t eligible to make the list.

ESPN has since reached out to coaches, scouts and executives in league circles for their thoughts on the overall rankings (in total, ESPN ranked the top 100 players). Those NBA sources then explained whether James, Curry and Durant were worthy of cracking the top 10. In large part, those sources agreed with the three players being inside the top 10, according to ESPN.

One assistant coach said they all belong in the top 10 but outside of the top five.

“They should be there,” a Western Conference assistant coach said. “They’re just not top-five guys anymore.”

Moreover, an Eastern Conference scout said that they are definitely top 10 players under the condition that they are healthy, but added that isn’t a given anymore.

“They are for sure [top 10] as long as they are healthy,” the scout said, “but that’s no sure thing at this point.”

One Eastern Conference executive echoed the belief regarding James, Curry and Durant being top-10 talents, but also hinted that they have regressed.

“They’re moving down for sure,” the executive said, “but they should still be there.”

The most notable of the three aforementioned aging stars from Los Angeles’ side of the coin is none other than James, who is the NBA’s oldest active player and also heading into his eighth season as a Laker.

James has defied the traditional meaning of a prime with his longevity, as he’s been a premier talent for more than two decades now and didn’t look his age at all in the 2024-25 campaign. The 40-year-old produced across the board as well as almost any player in the league last season and averaged 24.4 points, 7.8 rebounds and 8.2 assists per game.

The rationale for James appearing on the list is clear, and the same goes for Durant and Curry. Durant is still a scoring machine and prolific offensive player with his 37th birthday only days away. As for Curry, he remains a lethal 3-point threat and led the league in 3s made and attempted per game last season.

It’s incredible that James, Curry and Durant remain top players at their advanced ages, and folks should expect them to validate their rankings in the top 10 by playing at a high level in the coming season.