ESPN put LeBron James at No. 18 in its 2026 NBA player ranking, down from No. 8 last year and marking his first time outside the top 10 in the list’s 15-year history. At 41, he is set to direct the 76ers’ offense as a point forward, team president Mike Gansey has indicated.
ESPN writer Dave McMenamin called James’s position outside the top 10 “jarring,” but said a top-25 ranking shortly before his 42nd birthday was also a notable measure of what he continues to accomplish.
