The 2023 NBA All-Star Game showcased the best basketball players on the planet. Giannis Antetokounmpo, Nikola Jokic and Joel Embiid are perennial MVP candidates before celebrating their 30th birthdays. LeBron James, Kevin Durant and Stephen Curry have established themselves as all-time greats and are still playing at an All-NBA level.

Who are the best players in the NBA? Here's a top-10 ranking after the 2023 All-Star Game.

1) Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks

Antetokounmpo grabbed the title of "Best NBA player" when he won the 2021 NBA Finals MVP award, and no one has been able to seize it from him yet. The league's best two-way player, Antetokounmpo has become a perennial MVP and Defensive Player of the Year candidate. The Bucks' star is averaging career-highs of 31.8 points and 12.2 rebounds per game. A two-time MVP, Antetokounmpo is headed for his fifth straight top-five finish.

2) Nikola Jokic, Denver Nuggets

Jokic can potentially take the No. 1 spot with a run to the 2023 NBA Finals. Favored to win his third straight MVP award, Jokic has undoubtedly been the league's best regular-season player since the start of the 2020-21 campaign. One of the best-passing big man of all time, Jokic is averaging a 25-point triple-double each night and shooting 63.2% from the field. All that stands in the way of Jokic being universally recognized as the world's best basketball player is a championship.

3) Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors

Curry reminded anyone who might've forgotten during last year's playoffs that he's still on the top tier of active players. The greatest shooter of all time is the best player for the reigning champions. After finally winning his first NBA Finals MVP award, Curry is having one of the best shooting seasons of his career. Before suffering a leg injury, the Warriors' star was shooting 49.5% from the field and 42.7% from behind the arc while making more 3-pointers per game than anyone.

4) Kevin Durant, Phoenix Suns

When Durant is on the court, he might be the player in the league. He just doesn't play enough to crack the top three on this list. Durant missed the All-Star Game with a knee injury that will likely prevent him from playing more than 60 games for a fourth straight season. One of the greatest scorers in history, Durant is somehow getting even better in that department, averaging 29.7 points per game on a career-best 55.9% shooting.

5) Luka Doncic, Dallas Mavericks

Doncic turns any offense into one of the league's best, no matter who is playing alongside him. After making three straight All-NBA First Teams, Doncic is leading the league with 33.3 points per game on 50.5% shooting. The Mavericks' star is just shy of averaging a triple-double, and he's been even better in the playoffs. If Doncic can lead Dallas on another run to the conference finals, or further, he'll have an argument for a top-three spot.

6) Jayson Tatum, Boston Celtics

Tatum's played in more big games than almost any 24-year-old in league history. The four-time All-Star already has three trips to the conference finals and 74 playoff games under his belt. Tatum got to his first NBA Finals last season and was two wins shy of being the best player on a championship team. Tatum is a strong defender and has taken another step as a scorer this season, averaging 30.6 points per game.

7) LeBron James, Los Angeles Lakers

James was the best player in the NBA for close to a decade. The four-time Finals MVP no longer holds that distinction, but he can still look like the league's top player on plenty of nights. Like Durant, James misses a decent chunk of the regular season every year. James' age could be a factor after the first round of the playoffs when he's playing every other night. But underestimating James, who is averaging 30 points per game for the second straight season, usually proves to be a mistake.

8) Joel Embiid, Philadelphia 76ers

Embiid has been the MVP runner-up in two straight seasons, and he might be headed for another second-place finish. After winning the 2022 scoring title, the East's best center has been even more dominant. Embiid is averaging 33.1 points on just 20.5 field-goal attempts per game. The 76ers' star averages 11.2 rebounds for his career and is a walking double-double. Embiid's playoff resume, which doesn't include any trips to the conference finals, keeps him out of the top five.

9) Kawhi Leonard, Los Angeles Clippers

Leonard is the most difficult player to rank. The two-time NBA Finals MVP looked like the league's best player when he won a championship with the Toronto Raptors in 2019. But Leonard plays even less than Durant or James. The Clippers' star last played more than 60 games all the way back in the 2016-17 campaign. Maybe Los Angeles will go on a deep playoff run and Leonard will put himself back in the conversation for the best player in the league.

10) Devin Booker, Phoenix Suns

Booker gets the nod over the likes of Ja Morant, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Damian Lillard, Jimmy Butler and Anthony Davis. Booker was the No. 1 scoring option on a team that reached Game 6 of the 2021 NBA Finals and posted the league's best record in the following regular season. The fourth-place finisher in the 2022 MVP race, Booker has established himself as the league's best shooting guard. The 26-year-old has averaged more than 25.5 points per game in five straight seasons with some monster playoff performances.

LeBron James, Giannis Antetokounmpo
LeBron James (left) and Giannis Antetokounmpo (right) are the 2023 All-Star Game captains for the Western and Eastern Conferences respectively. Multiple Sources