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

Takeaways and surprises #2: Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili finally get recognition.

After being snubbed from the NBA's 75 Greatest Players of All Time, ESPN wisely chose to put Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili in their top-25. Both tend to get overlooked unless discussing the San Antonio Spurs' Big 3 but both were absolutely great.

Ginobili's playing style was year's ahead of its time, with him trading off between bombing from outside or slicing his way to the rim, and living at the free throw line, while having little use for mid-range jumpers. He was also a daring passer and ranks as one of the best play-making shooting guards ever.

Parker played in the shadow of Duncan and Ginobili until he broke out in 2007, leading the team in scoring and carrying them to the championship that year. As both players aged, the Spurs remade their team to feature Parker, and he was one of the league's best players in 2011–12 and 2012–13, helping the Spurs to the Western Conference Finals and NBA Finals in those seasons.

Both players retired with four championships and while their stats may not make them standouts, basketball fans who watched them likely agree that they were both among the best players of the 21st century so far.