The 2000’s were a transition decade for the NBA sandwiched between the Jordan Era in the 1990’s and the LeBron-dominated 2010s. Most notably, the style of play evolved throughout the aughts. Games were low-scoring slogs at the outset of the decade characterized by poor spacing, physical play, and an emphasis on running offenses through the low post.
Enter Mike D’Antoni and the Seven Seconds or Less Suns. D’Antoni put the ball in Steve Nash’s hands and the battery in his back. By the end of the decade, teams were emulating the Suns, installing offenses that highlighted pace, space, and the three-point shot.
The 2000s began with the Kobe-Shaq Lakers winning three consecutive NBA Championships but didn’t feature another repeat winner for the rest of the decade. It was undoubtedly a player-driven time with superstars in all corners of the league, hoopers like A.I., Dirk, KG, and The Big Fundamental. These are the 20 Best NBA Players of the 2000s.
This list was originally published in 2012 and has been updated.
20.Yao Ming
Accomplishments (1999-2000 - 2008-2009): 7x All-Star, All-Rookie, 5x All-NBA
Team(s): Rockets
Stats during the 2000s: 19.1 PPG 9.3 RPG 1.9 BPG
Yao was the first of his kind — a 7’6” center who could actually play. Unfortunately, his big body couldn’t take the rigors of professional basketball. Yao seemed to improve with each season; he was turning into a real force when the injuries started to hit. He had nice touch on his jumper and was a solid post defender. Though he broke down after just a few seasons, Yao’s impact on the game went beyond the court. His success in the 2000s helped the league go global.
19.Jermaine O'Neal
Accomplishments (1999-2000 - 2007-2008): 6x All-Star, 3x All-NBA, 2002 Most Improved Player
Team(s): Trail Blazers, Pacers, Heat
Stats during the 2000s: 16.7 PPG 8.4 RPG 1.8 APG 0.5 SPG 2.1 BPG
Following a four-year stint with the Trail Blazers best described as an apprenticeship, Jermaine O’Neal became a star with the Indiana Pacers. He officially made The Leap in the 2001-02 season: winning MIP, making Third Team All-NBA and his first All-Star game, while averaging 19 points and 10.5 rebounds per game. A walking double-double, O’Neal was one of the NBA’s premiere low-post scorer during the 2000s. He had incredible footwork for a big man and a solid mid-range jumper. O’Neal was one of the decade most underrated superstars.
18.Dwight Howard
Accomplishments (2004-2005 - 2008-2009): 3x All-Star, 2009 DPOY, All-Rookie, 3x All-NBA, 2x All-Defense, 2x Rebound Champion
Team(s): Magic
Stats during the 2000s: 17.3 PPG 12.5 RPG 1.4 APG 0.9 SPG 2 BPG
Howard was a guaranteed double-double from the moment he entered the NBA and put on an Orlando Magic uniform. A physical marvel since high school with raw offensive skills, Howard was never going to be Kevin McHale in the post. But he worked on his jump hook and became a solid interior scorer by the end of the decade. Howard was the best defensive center of his time and propelled the Magic on a run to the NBA Finals in June 2009. Though they lost to the Lakers in five games, Howard demonstrated the kind of impact he could have on the game.
17.Amar'e Stoudemire
Accomplishments (2002-2003 - 2008-2009): 4x All-Star, 3x All-NBA, 2003 ROY
Team(s): Suns
Stats during the 2000s: 18.5 PPG 8.4 RPG 1.3 APG 0.8 BPG
Stoudemire made an immediate splash after going straight from high school to the NBA, winning Rookie of the Year and then averaging over 20 points per game in his sophomore campaign. But he made an even greater leap after the Suns signed Steve Nash in the summer of 2004. Now teamed with a precise pick and roll partner, Stoudemire put up huge numbers averaging 26 and 9 for the Seven Seconds of Less Suns. STAT (the nickname stood for Standing Tall and Talented) was a hyper-athletic big who could run the floor. In time, he'd develop a post game. Stoudemire’s Suns were perennial contenders, but they could never get past the Suns, falling to Tim Duncan three times in four seasons during the decade.
16.Ben Wallace
Accomplishments (1999-2000 - 2008-2009): 4x All-Star, 4x DPOY, 5x All-NBA, 6x All-Defense, 2004 NBA Champion, 2x Rebounding Champion
Team(s): Magic, Pistons, Bulls, Cavs
Stats during the 2000s: 6.8 PPG 11.2 RPG 1.6 APG 1.4 SPG 2.3 BPG
Ben Wallace went from journeyman to absolute beast the moment he arrived in Detroit. A ferocious rebounder and stout post defender, Wallace made an immediate impact in the Motor City. He won Defensive Player of the Year four times in five seasons and helped establish the Pistons as a force in the Eastern Conference. In 2004, the Pistons won their first NBA Championship since 1990, knocking off the Kobe and Shaq Lakers in one of the biggest upsets in Finals history.
15.Chauncey Billups
Accomplishments (1999-2000 - 2008-2009): 4x All-Star, 2004 Finals MVP, 2004 Champion, 2x All-Defense, 3x All-NBA
Team(s): Nuggets, Timberwolves, Pistons
Stats during the 2000s: 15.6 PPG 3.1 RPG 5.9 APG 1 SPG
Larry Brown changed Chauncey Billups' career. Before Billups made his way to Detroit, he was considered a tweener guard without a true position. Brown trusted Billups at the point and never looked back. As good as Billups was in the regular season, he seemed to always raise his game in the playoffs. Mr. Big Shot was the leader of a Pistons team that made it to seven-straight Eastern Conference Finals. His finest moment occurred in the 2004 NBA Finals, during which he averaged 21 points and five assists on his way to winning Finals MVP.
14.Vince Carter
Accomplishments (1999-2000 - 2008-2009): 8x All-Star, 2x All-NBA
Team(s): Raptors, Nets
Stats during the 2000s: 23.9 PPG 5.4 RPG 4.4 APG 1.3 SPG
Half Man, Half Amazing defied gravity like no other back in the 2000s. In February 2000, he ushered in the decade in style with the greatest slam dunk contest performance in history. The dude put his elbow through the damn rim for Pete’s sake. As a dunker, he had no peers. But Carter was no one-trick pony. He could score from anywhere on the court. Even though he was a high flyer, Air Canada had a sweet jumper and underrated post game.
13.Ray Allen
Accomplishments (1999-2000 - 2008-2009): 9x All-Star, 2x All-NBA, 2008 Champion
Team(s): Bucks, Sonics, Celtics
Stats during the 2000s: 22.1 PPG 4.4 RPG 3.8 APG 1.2 SPG
Ray Allen had one of the sweetest looking shots in NBA history but that wasn’t all he could do back in the 2000s. Back when people were still calling him Jesus Shuttlesworth, Allen was an all-around player who could drive, dish, and shoot. His teams in Milwaukee and Seattle weren’t considered legitimate contenders. But he won an NBA Championship as soon as he hooked up with Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce in Boston.
12.Tracy McGrady
Accomplishments (1999-2000 - 2008-2009): 7x All-Star, 7x All-NBA, 2x Scoring Champion
Team(s): Raptors, Magic, Rockets
Stats during the 2000s: 24.4 PPG 6.3 RPG 5.2 APG 1.4 SPG 0.9 BPG
Tracy McGrady’s career was filled with “could’ve beens.” What could’ve been if he and Vince Carter stayed together in Toronto? What could’ve been if Grant Hill’s ankle healed properly? What could’ve been if Yao Ming never had foot problems? By the end of the decade, it was McGrady’s turn. What could’ve been if he never had knee and back problems. Before the injuries, McGrady was the most unstoppable scorer in the game, once even scoring 13 points in 35 seconds against the defending NBA champion Spurs.
11.Paul Pierce
Accomplishments (1999-2000 - 2008-2009): 7x All-Star, 2008 Finals MVP, 4x All-NBA, 2008 Champion
Team(s): Celtics
Stats during the 2000s: 23.3 PPG 6.3 RPG 4 APG 1.5 SPG
The Truth stayed loyal to Boston and he was rewarded for it. After years of carrying the Celtics franchise on his back, Danny Ainge traded for Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen within a single offseason forming an unstoppable Big Three. KG’s defense and Allen’s shooting perfectly complimented Pierce’s mid-range game and the Celtics went on to claim their 17th NBA Championship. Pierce was the closer for that Celtics team and was awarded the 2008 Finals MVP even though he spent part of game one in a wheelchair!
10.Steve Nash
Accomplishments (1999-2000 - 2008-2009): 6x All-Star, 2x MVP, 6x All-NBA, 3x Assist Champion
Team(s): Mavs, Suns
Stats during the 2000s: 16.2 PPG 3.2 RPG 9.1 APG 0.8 SPG
Steve Nash was already one of the NBA’s top floor generals during his time in Dallas but all hell broke loose once he started playing in Mike D’Antoni’s Seven Seconds or Less system in Phoenix. The Suns pace and space offense changed the league forever with Nash winning back-to-back MVP Awards in the process. They’d spread out the floor with shooters, allowing Nash to penetrate and dish. It’s 2025 and teams are still emulating the 2005 Suns.
9.Allen Iverson
Accomplishments (1999-2000 - 2008-2009): 10x All-Star, 2001 MVP, 6x All-NBA, 3x Scoring Champion, 3x Steals Champion
Team(s): 76ers, Nuggets, Pistons
Stats during the 2000s: 28.1 PPG 3.6 RPG 6.2 APG 2.2 SPG
Allen Iverson defined the NBA at the turn of the century. With his cornrows, tattoos, and IDGAF attitude, The Answer was the face of the post-Jordan NBA. The little guy with big heart could ball too. A 6’0” shooting guard with no conscience, Iverson was pound-for-pound the greatest scorer in NBA history. His peak came during the 2000-01 season during which he won the MVP and led the Philadelphia 76ers to the NBA Finals. The Sixers might’ve lost to the Lakers in five but the series defining image is AI stepping over Tyronn Lue after icing Game One.
8.Dwyane Wade
Accomplishments (2003-2004 - 2008-2009): 5x All-Star, 2006 Finals MVP, 2006 Champion, All-Rookie, 2x All-Defense, 4x All-NBA, 2009 Scoring Champion
Team(s): Heat
Stats during the 2000s: 25.2 PPG 4.9 RPG 6.7 APG 1.8 SPG 1 BPG
Flash hit the league like a supernova as part of the iconic 2003 NBA Draft Class. He had such a complete game for a rookie and could score in multiple ways. When he first entered the league with Miami, Wade was fearless, driving to the rim, absorbing contact, hitting the deck, and sacrificing his body to the basketball Gods on a nightly basis. In just his third year, he was the Batman to Shaq’s Robin and won an NBA Championship and Finals MVP with one of the most dominant performances in league history.
7.Jason Kidd
Accomplishments (1999-2000 - 2008-2009): 7x All-Star, 8x All-Defense, 5x All-NBA, 4x Assist Champion
Team(s): Suns, Nets, Mavs
Stats during the 2000s: 14 PPG 7 RPG 9.2 APG 1.9 SPG
Like a true point guard, J-Kidd didn’t have to score to make an impact. He led the New Jersey Nets to two straight Finals appearances, while making every player on his his team better. He had unparalleled court vision and a knack for knowing when to push the pace or slow down the game. He was also a lockdown defender. Though he lacked accuracy from deep early on, he eventually evolved into a top three-point sniper. Put a clip of Kidd’s alley-oops in the Smithsonian.
6.LeBron James
Accomplishments (2003-2004 - 2008-2009): 5x All-Star, 2009 MVP, Rookie Of The Year, 5x All-NBA, 2009 All-Defense, 2008 Scoring Champion
Team(s): Cavs
Stats during the 2000s: 27.5 PPG 7 RPG 6.7 APG 1.8 SPG 0.9 BPG
LeBron’s rise to stardom was something that the NBA had never seen before. He was in the national spotlight from his sophomore year of high school and dealt with lofty, if not, unrealiastic expectations. And yet he ended up surpassing them. James was already a top five player at the time of his breakthrough moment: Game 5 of the 2007 Eastern Conference Finals. With the series tied 2-2, LeBron went into Detroit and stole the Pistons soul, scoring 25 straight points in the Cavs double overtime win.
5.Dirk Nowitzki
Accomplishments (1999-2000 - 2008-2009): 8x All-Star, 2006 MVP, 9x All-NBA
Team(s): Mavs
Stats during the 2000s: 23.6 PPG 8.9 RPG 2.8 APG 0.9 SPG 1 BPG
Dirk Nowitzki was a one-of-one. A 7-footer with infinite range who could still play with his back to the basket. Alongside Steve Nash, Dirk seemed primed to lead the Mavericks to an NBA Championship. But those plans went awry when Nash signed the Phoenix Suns in the summer of 2004. But Dallas reloaded and Dirk won an MVP and reached the Finals in 2006 before losing to the Heat in a controversial six game series. He’d go down in history as the greatest shooting big man of all time.
4.Kevin Garnett
Accomplishments (1999-2000 - 2008-2009): 10x All-Star, 2008 Champion, 2004 MVP, 2008 DPOY, 10x All-Defense, 8x All-NBA, 4x Rebounding Champion
Team(s): Timberwolves, Celtics
Stats during the 2000s: 21.6 PPG 12.1 RPG 4.7 APG 1.3 SPG 1.6 BPG
Kevin Garnett did it all for the Wolves. One of the most complete players in the league, Garnett was an all-world defender, his jump shot was water and he was a ferocious leader. No one was more intense than the Big Ticket. But Garnett let loyalty get the best of him for the better part of his career. He was the face of the Minnesota Timberwolves for 12 years until general manager Kevin McHale sent him packing to Boston in the summer of 2007 for a couple players and a couple of picks. Now part of a Big 3 with Paul Pierce and Ray Allen, KG would win a DPOY and an NBA Championship. Anything is POSSIBLE!!!!
3.Shaquille O'Neal
Accomplishments (1999-2000 - 2008-2009): 9x All-Star, 2000 MVP, 3x Finals MVP, 4x Champion, 8x All-NBA, 3x All-Defense, 2000 Scoring Champion
Team(s): Lakers, Heat
Stats (1999-2000 - 2008-2009): 23.1 PPG 10.6 RPG 2.7 APG 2.2 BPG
The Most Dominant Ever. The Big Aristotle. Shaq Diesel. Superman. Whatever you call him, just recognize that Shaquille O’Neal was the most unstoppable force in the NBA for the first half of the 2000s, driving the Lakers to three consecutive NBA Championships and winning three Finals MVPs. He could not be stopped no matter what opposing teams did. Double teams didn’t work, neither did the Hack-a-Shaq. Though Shaq dominated with his size and strength, he was extremely skilled. He was an underrated passer who could find shooters on the perimeter and had deft post moves like a nimble, drop-step jump hook that could not be blocked. We may never see another Shaq.
2.Tim Duncan
Accomplishments (1999-2000 - 2008-2009): 10x All-Star, 2x MVP, 2x Finals MVP, 10x All-Defense, 10x All-NBA, 3x Champion
Team(s): Spurs
Stats (1999-2000 - 2008-2009): 21.4 PPG 11.7 RPG 3.3 APG 2.3 BPG
Tim Duncan is the greatest power forward in NBA history even though he really was a center. Semantics aside, Duncan reigned supreme from the moment he stepped into the league. The Big Fundamental was good at everything but excelled at the things that don’t show up in the box score like team defense and leadership. He was the engine of the Spurs dynasty and one of the best players of all time.
1.Kobe Bryant
Accomplishments (1999-2000 - 2008-2009): 10x All-Star, 2008 MVP, 2009 Finals MVP, 4x Champion, 10x All-NBA, 10x All-Defense, 2x Scoring Champion
Team(s): Lakers
Stats during the 2000s: 28.2 PPG 5.9 RPG 5.2 APG 1.7 SPG
At the start of the 2000s, Kobe Bryant was the puckish, impatient number two to Shaquille O’Neal. Together they won three consecutive NBA Championships before Bryant decided he wanted to do things on his own, and in the summer of 2004, he drove O’Neal out of town. Bryant struggled at first with his new supporting cast. But he won a few scoring titles and even dropped 81 points on the Raptors one night in January 2006. The Lakers reloaded though and Bryant closed the decade with an MVP, an NBA Championship, and a Finals MVP, cementing his place as the best NBA player of the 2000s.