The Nuggets’ Nikola Jokić finished as the top scorer in fantasy points leagues for the fifth straight season.
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Nikola Jokić had another dominating season, averaging 29.6 points, 12.7 rebounds, 10.2 assists and 1.8 steals per game. It was the first time in his career that he averaged a triple-double. With his stellar season in mind, let’s look at some of the top players in fantasy basketball points leagues over the last 25 years
Nikola Jokić
With his dominant 2024-25 campaign, Jokić finished as the top scorer in points leagues for the fifth straight season. In each of those seasons, he averaged at least 24.5 points, 10.8 rebounds, 7.9 assists and 1.3 steals per game. Jokić has always been an efficient player, shooting 56% from the field during his career. What helped boost his scoring average this season was that he shot 41.7% from behind the arc while averaging a career-high 4.7 3-point attempts per game.
Jokić’s crazy all-around production is what at least puts him in the discussion for top overall pick heading into each fantasy basketball season. What also helps him rank highly in terms of overall fantasy points scored is that he has appeared in at least 69 games in every season of his career. He has played fewer than 72 games in a season just two times.
LeBron James
Like Jokić, James also had a streak of five straight seasons in which he was the top scorer in points leagues. Three of those seasons came with the Cavaliers, while the two others were during his tenure with the Heat. To begin his career, James averaged at least 27.2 points, 6.7 rebounds and 6.0 assists in six straight seasons. Another big part of James’ fantasy value early in his career was tied to his defensive stats. He had a streak of 11 straight seasons in which he averaged at least 1.6 steals per game to begin his career. At one point, he averaged at least 1.6 steals and 1.0 blocks in three straight seasons.
Despite turning 40 years old, James continues to churn out monster stat lines. This season, he averaged 24.4 points, 7.8 rebounds, 8.2 assists and 1.0 steals per game. That marked back-to-back seasons in which he averaged at least 7.3 rebounds and 8.2 assists per game. Maybe just as amazing is that he averaged 35 minutes and appeared in at least 70 games in both of those seasons.
James Harden
Before Jokić began his dominance, Harden was the top scorer in points leagues in three of five seasons. He had a stretch of five straight seasons in which he averaged at least 29.0 points per game. He even led the league in usage rate two times. In addition to his scoring prowess, Harden has averaged at least 10.3 assists in a season four times. Another impressive stat is that Harden has played at least 76 games in a season eight times during his career.
Harden hasn’t shown many signs of slowing down, averaging 22.8 points, 5.8 rebounds, 8.7 assists and 1.5 steals per game in 2024-25. He also averaged 35 minutes while playing in 79 games. Harden will be 36 years old entering the 2026-26 season, but he should remain one of the focal points of the Clippers’ offense.
Giannis Antetokounmpo
Talk about monster stat lines. Giannis has averaged at least 27.7 points, 11.0 rebounds and 5.6 assists in each of the last seven seasons. In five of those seasons, he also averaged at least 1.0 steals and 1.0 blocks per game. His scoring production has been off the charts, with him averaging at least 30.4 points per game in each of the last three seasons. This season, he averaged 30.4 points, 11.9 rebounds, 6.5 assists and 1.2 blocks per game. Despite not even turning 30 years old yet, Giannis has won a Defensive Player of the Year Award, two MVPs and an NBA title.
Giannis is more valuable in points leagues than category leagues. It’s not because of a lack of efficiency from the field, because he has shot 55.1% for his career. However, he has a career mark of just 69.3% from the free-throw line.
Russell Westbrook
Westbrook has produced some monster fantasy seasons. The one that stands out was in 2016-17 when he averaged 31.6 points, 10.7 rebounds, 10.4 assists and 1.6 steals per game. That was the beginning of a streak of three straight seasons in which he averaged a triple-double. He had another triple-double season in 2020-21 when he averaged 22.2 points, 11.5 rebounds and 11.7 assists.
After leaving the Thunder, he has played for five teams over the last six seasons. This season, Westbrook averaged 13.3 points, 4.9 rebounds, 6.1 assists and 1.4 steals. Though he’s not an elite fantasy option anymore, he is producing well within his role.
Look ahead to 2025-26
With Jokić being the top fantasy points scorer in each of the last five seasons, let’s turn our attention to 2025-26 and mention some players who could possibly end his streak. One of the top picks is Victor Wembanyama, who is a force on the defensive end. He averaged 24.3 points, 11.0 rebounds, 3.7 assists, 1.1 steals and 3.8 blocks this season.
Another top pick is Giannis. Given his stellar production in recent seasons and the fact that he is in the prime of his career, he could finally break through and be the top option in points leagues. Helping his cause is that he has posted a usage rate of at least 33% in each of the last four seasons.
Luka Dončić is another player who could dethrone Jokić. Like Jokić, he can stuff the stat sheet in multiple areas. During his time with the Mavericks and Lakers this season, he averaged 28.2 points, 8.2 rebounds, 7.7 assists and 1.8 steals per game. The prior two seasons, he averaged at least 32.4 points, 8.6 rebounds and 8.0 assists.
Other yearly leaders in fantasy points
- Kevin Durant (2013-14 and 2012-13)
- Kevin Garnett (2006-07, 2004-05, 2003-04 and 2002-03)
- Tim Duncan (2001-02)
- Shaquille O’Neal (2000-01)
