James Harden is the latest NBA star to migrate East. In the league of stars, do the Eastern or Western Conferences have more star power now?
The NBA is a league of stars. With only ten players on the court at a time, all close to the action and not wearing helmets, watching basketball is a much more personal experience. Individual star players have an effect much larger in basketball than sports such as football or baseball.
For years the Western Conference has hoarded the greatest collection of star talent, including 14 of 20 Most Valuable Player award winners from 1999 to 2018. From Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant, to Tim Duncan and Steve Nash, Stephen Curry and James Harden, most of the league’s biggest stars have plyed their trade out west. Even LeBron James, the Eastern Conference’s superstar, signed with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2018.
Very recently, however, a trend has begun to emerge. Some of the league’s star players are now beginning to move to the Eastern Conference. Not all of them; Kawhi Leonard moved East-to-West in 2019. Yet that same offseason Kevin Durant went from the Golden State Warriors to the Brooklyn Nets. Russell Westbrook was traded to the Washington Wizards. Jrue Holiday to the Milwaukee Bucks. Finally, James Harden was traded from the Houston Rockets to the Nets.
The East has also seen a development of its own star talent, from two-time defending MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo on the Milwaukee Bucks, to young players such as Bam Adebayo (Miami Heat), Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown (Boston Celtics), and Pascal Siakam (Toronto Raptors). Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons play in Philadelphia. Bradley Beal (Wizards) is the league’s leading scorer.
Does that mean the tables have finally turned, and the Eastern Conference has more star players than the Western Conference? Let’s look to break it down from a few different angles. Let’s compare former MVPs, All-NBA selections, Advanced metric leaders, and finally a subjective top-30 players evaluation.