Anthony Edwards’ Top Five Has One Huge Absence — And Yes, It’s LeBron

Anthony Edwards’ Top Five Has One Huge Absence — And Yes, It’s LeBron

 

Anthony Edwards has never been shy about saying what he thinks. So when the Timberwolves star was asked about the best players, his answer was always going to get people talking.

 

And it did.

 

Edwards named himself as the best player, with Luka Dončić, Nikola Jokić, Joel Embiid and Giannis Antetokounmpo making up the rest of his five. The interesting part? LeBron James was not on the list.

 

That omission is what immediately grabbed attention.

 

Ant Put Himself at No. 1

 

The first part of Edwards’ answer was hardly surprising for anyone familiar with his confidence.

 

He told Vanity Fair that he thought he was the best player, then named Dončić, Jokić, Embiid and Antetokounmpo as the rest of his top five, without putting them in a specific order.

 

There is plenty to debate there, but the bigger talking point is who wasn’t included.

 

LeBron.

 

For a player whose career has been defined by longevity and a place among basketball’s most accomplished stars, James being left out naturally makes the list much more interesting.

 

The LeBron Part Is What Makes This Interesting

 

Here’s the hot take: the omission says more about how Edwards sees the current generation than it does about LeBron’s entire career.

 

That’s an important distinction.

 

Edwards was discussing the players he viewed at the time, and his list was centered around himself and several elite stars from his generation. It wasn’t presented as a detailed historical ranking with categories, criteria or an explanation for every omission.

 

So turning it into a definitive statement about LeBron’s place in NBA history would be going further than the available facts allow.

 

Still, fans are obviously going to debate it.

Because whenever LeBron’s name is missing from a top-five basketball conversation, people notice.

 

Edwards Has Also Spoken Highly of LeBron

 

The omission is especially interesting because Edwards has previously spoken positively about playing alongside James.

 

During the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup, Edwards discussed playing with LeBron and described him and Kevin Durant as the best two people, while also praising their team-first approach. He also talked about how much he enjoyed sharing the court with James.

 

So this doesn’t automatically point to Edwards having some issue with LeBron.

 

If anything, his comments show that admiration for James can exist alongside Edwards having a different personal list.

 

And that’s where these conversations get fun.

 

There Doesn’t Have to Be One Correct List

 

Basketball fans love arguing over rankings because there is no universal formula for them.

 

Do you value longevity? Peak ability? Championships? Skill? Dominance? Personal influence?

 

Edwards didn’t provide a breakdown of those criteria when he gave his five. He simply gave his list.

That leaves plenty of room for interpretation, but it also means fans shouldn’t read more into the omission than Edwards actually said.

 

The fascinating part is that Edwards sees himself alongside Dončić, Jokić, Embiid and Antetokounmpo when discussing the game’s elite players. LeBron’s absence is the detail that makes the list explode across basketball conversations.

 

And honestly, that’s exactly why these player lists are so entertaining.

 

One name gets left out, and suddenly everybody has something to say.

 

So, Ant has spoken — but would LeBron fans accept this top five without pushing back?