The 50 greatest NBA players of the 2020s (so far), ranked

1) LeBron James

At the start of the 2019-20 season, it seemed like LeBron James wasn't going to play much longer since he was 35 years old at the time. Surprisingly, he played the first five years of the 2020s with very little slippage in terms of production. LeBron posted an eye-popping 27 points on 60.2% true shooting in addition to 7.8 rebounds, 8 assists, and 1.1 steals per contest.

That longevity allowed him to do the once unthinkable and eclipse Kareem Abdul-Jabber's all-time scoring of 38,383 career points and tack on another 2,000+ points and counting. That was one of many accomplishments in that span with others, including winning his fourth championship in the NBA bubble with the Los Angeles Lakers, winning the first-ever NBA in-season tournament, and making five All-Star and all-NBA teams.

With longevity on his side, that helps tilt the greatest players of all-time discussion towards him. Looking forward, LeBron will turn 40 during his 22nd season in 2024–25 and may play another year or two now that his son Bronny James is now in the NBA and on the Lakers.

Barring winning another championship, there isn't much else that he can do to significantly improve his all-time standing since he is one of the two greatest players of all time and one of the greatest in the decade so far.