5 Takeaways and surprises from ESPN's top 25 NBA players of the 21st century ranking

Takeaways and surprises #4: Championships matter, sort of.

Basketball Hall of Famer Dwayne Wade is deserving of a spot on this list but where ESPN decided to place him is curious. Wade's entire career took place in the 21st century and his peak was as high as most players on this list but he was hampered by injuries and then played second to LeBron James on the Miami Heat. 

He does have three championships to show for it but they put him ahead of four previous Most Valuable Player winners, with Dirk Nowitzki and Kevin Durant having a case for having a better career and Giannis Antetokounmpo getting there.

Dirk tallied more than 30,000 points in the 21st century, something that only LeBron James and, soon, Durant can say. While he only won one championship. He carried a questionable supporting cast to the title in 2011 over the Miami Heat. That team had Wade, LeBron James, and Chris Bosh all in their primes. 

Meanwhile, Durant's first 11 years in the NBA is the greatest stretch of basketball that anyone other than LeBron has played in the 21st century. In 849 games, he averaged an incredible 27 points, 7.1 rebounds and 4.1 assists while winning rookie of the year, MVP, two championships, two NBA Finals MVPs, making five All-NBA first teams and three All-NBA second teams. 

Even if you discount Durant's titles and value Wade's championships, Durant should still be higher than Wade and Wade should be higher than Nikola Jokic. However, Jokic and Antetokounmpo's peak are higher than Wade's so why is he not behind Durant, Antetokounmpo, and possibly Dirk?