While the naysayers love to vilify LeBron's average free throw shooting and sometimes-shaky defense, we are too overwhelmed with the rest of his game to allow these shortcomings to sway us from placing King James in the top spot. What the James haters neglect to mention is that in his three-year career, the kid averages 26.6 points 6.6 rebounds and 6.6 assists. Only one other player in history has these numbers - Oscar Robertson. Case closed.

Name: LeBron James
Position: Forward/Guard
Nickname: King James, LBJ (NBA), Bron-Bron
Born: 12/30/1984
Origin: Akron, Ohio, USA
Status: Active
Height: 6-8/2,04
Weight: 250bs./110kg
Schools: Saint Vincent-Saint Mary High School
Drafted: 2003, First Round, 1st Pick Overall by the Cleveland Cavaliers
Languages: English
Website:  LeBronJames.com & InterBasket
Teams (Jersey): Saint Vincent-Saint Mary High School (23), Usa National Team (9), Cleveland Cavs (23)
IBN Notes: Though the King wears a number 23 jersey in honor of his airness, LeBron, with his adept skill of seeing plays before him, King James is more like Magic Johnson and Larry Bird than he is like Michael Jordan.

KG takes some heat for being soft. Are you kidding? This guy has an 11-year career that is matched by few (20 points, 11 rebounds, 4.5 assists 1.7 blocks and 1.4 steals). Teams forgetting about the Big Ticket or thinking he's soft often get 35 and 18 dropped on their heads. Garnett can beat you in every possible way, and there aren't many players who can do this.

Name: Kevin Garnett
Nickname: KG, Da kid, The Big Ticket
Born: 05/19/1976
Status: Active
Origin: Mauldin, South Carolina
Height: 6-11/2,11m
Weight: 220lbs/99,8kg
Schools: Mauldin High School (South Carolina), Farragut Academy HS, Illinois (Senior Year), No College 
Drafted: 1995, First Round, 5th overall by the Minnesota Timberwolves
Languages: English
Website: KevinGarnett.com & InterBasket Forums
Teams (jersey): Minnesota Timberwolves (21)

Like LeBron, Dwayne Wade exploded into the NBA as a rookie three years ago, and he hasn't stopped getting better. He's a bit smaller than James, so his scoring is slightly less, along with his rebounds. He gets teammates involved to the tune of 6 assists per game, and he has the innate killer instinct that only the greatest players have. When the game's on the line, he wants the ball, and he'll beat you most of the time he has it. Wade definitely deserves this spot in our Top 10 NBA Players.

Name: Dwyane Tyrone Wade, Jr.
Nickname: Flash (Shaq), D-Wade
Born: 01/17/1982
Status: Active
Origin: Chicago, IL
Height: 6-4/1,93m
Weight: 212lbs/96,2kg
Schools: Richards High School (Oak Lawn, IL), Marquette University,
Drafted: 2003, 1st round, 5th overall pick by the Miami Heat
Languages: English
Website: InterBasket & DwyaneWade.com
Teams (jersey): US National Team (6), Marquette (3), Miami Heat (3)
Ibn Notes: In his short professional career, Dwyane Wade has made quite a mark. Overshadowed by fellow 2003 NBA fraftmates LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony, Wade quickly carved out a name for himself. So much that by the end of 2005, Carmelo, though doing well, was pushed out of the competition. Now everyone was talking about King James and Flash. A humble and even-measured person, Wade counters his subdued attitude with highwire dunks, explosive drives to the basket and crazy circus shots. Dwyane Wade is a star and will continue being so for the next decade or more.

How can anyone who scored 80 in one game be ranked this low? There's no doubt that Kobe Bryant is the best pure scorer in the league. This has come at the expense of being a complete player, though. Instead of chucking 40 shots a night, he should be working on shooting less, making more and getting some of his teammates involved. He's not the winner he used to be.

Name: Kobe Bean Bryant
Nickname: KB8, Black Mamba
Born: August 23, 1978
Status: Active
Origin: Philadelphia, PA, Usa
Height: 6-6/1,98m
Weight: 220lbs/99,7kg
Schools: Lower Merion High School
Drafted: 1996, First Round, 13th overall pick by the Charlotte Hornets
Languages: English, Italian
Website:  InterBasket & KobeBryant8.net
Teams (jersey): Lower Merion HS (33), Los Angeles Lakers (8)
Ibn Notes: A huge talent, a three-time NBA champion, NBA all-star, NBA superstar, all-NBA, All-defense, the second coming of Michael Jordan, Scoring leader, Leader, Olympian, Slam Dunk Champion, clutch, spectacular, intelligent, electrifying... or... ball hog, egocentric, selfish, fake, calculating, adulterer, uncoachable, arrogant, clown, rapist, imitator, snitch, punk... with Kobe Bryant, you either love him or hate him; there is rare middle-ground talking about the man that once scored 81 points in one game, but one thing that no one can deny is that Kobe has talent and skill. Another is that there isn't anyone in the league with more confidence in Kobe than Kobe himself.

Arenas keeps getting better, with last season being a breakout year. Arguably the deadliest pure shooter in the league, Arenas also gets others involved (he averaged 6.1 assists per game in 2005-06). He also got two steals per contest last year. A definite NBA MVP candidate.

Gilbert Arenas
Birthdate: 1/6/82
NBA Position: Shooting Guard
College: Arizona
Class: Sophomore
Ht: 6-3
Wt: 191
Hometown: North Hollywood, CA
High School: Grant

In the face of criticism for not reaching his potential, Dirk Nowitzki stepped up in 2005-06 with a giant year, leading Dallas to the NBA finals. He can score better than any big man on the planet, and he has added new dimensions to his game. If he gets to the top of the key, just mark up two points. This guy is an absolute killer.

Name: Dirk Werner Nowitzki
Postion: Power Forward
Nickname: Dirty (USA)
Born: 06/19/1978
Status: Active
Origin: Wurzburg, West Germany
Height: 7-0/2m,13cm
Weight: 240lbs./108,9kg
Schools: N/A
Drafted: 1998, 1st round, 9th pick by Bucks
Languages: German and English
Website(s): Dirk Nowitzki News & InterBasket
Teams (Jersey): German National Team (14), Bundesliga, Dallas Mavericks (41), IBN Dream Team (First Team)
IBN Facts: Named the 2005 EuroBasket MVP after leading Team Germany to a surprising 2nd place finish.  Previous to the 2005-06 NBA Season, Nowitzki was voted the best international player by NBA General Managers.  Dirk was voted the 2006 Interbasket International and European Player of the Year, as well as a member (and leading vote-getter) of the 2006 Interbasket All-World First Team along with Steve Nash, Kobe Bryant, Yao Ming, and Pau Gasol

No doubt the biggest shocker on our list. Not many NBA prognosticators would dare put a defensive guy who doesn't score a lot of points in a best player top 10. Last time we checked, though, defense wins championships, and when it comes to defending, the basketball stops at Ben Wallace's feet. An absolute enforcer, Detroit was the dominant team in the league for years, because of Wallace. Anyone who gets 12 rebounds, blocks two or three shots, grabs a handful of steals and just scares the wits out of opponents every night is definitely one of the best players in basketball. If you scoff at this one, just watch Chicago soar, now that Wallace is patrolling the paint for the Bulls.

Name: Ben Wallace
Postion: Center/Forward
Nickname:  Big Ben
Born: 09/10/1974
Status: Active
Origin: White Hall, Alabama, Usa
Height: 6-9/2,06m
Weight: 240, 109kg
Schools: Virginia Union
Drafted: Undrafted
Languages: English
Website: InterBasket
Teams (jersey): Washington Wizards, Detroit Pistons, Chicago Bulls
IBN Notes: Undrafted coming out of Virginia Union, Ben Wallace worked his way from hard-working summer-camp invitee to hard-working bench-warmer to to hard-working starter to hard-working perennial all-star. Do you see the common denominator? Blessed with strong hands, crazy jumps, and a body out of video games, Ben Wallace combined those traits with his work ethic and hustle to make him the ultimate team player.

An absolute beast, when he played his college ball at Duke, Clippers fans waited four full seasons for Brand to exert himself, and he didn't disappoint in 2005-06, with nearly 25 points, 10 boards and a monstrous 2.5 blocks per game. Just 27-years-old, Brand might get even better, a frightening notion for his opponents.

Birthdate: Mar 11, 1979
Height: 6-8
Weight: 254 lbs.
College : Duke
Full name is Elton Tyron Brand
Majored in Sociology at Duke
Started the Elton Brand Foundation in the spring of 2000 - it's an organization that provides support to worthy causes in Chicago, Peekskill, NY and Durham, NC
Teamed with current Clippers teammate Corey Maggette to lead Duke to the 1999 NCAA Championship game
Became the first Blue Devil ever to be picked #1 overall in the NBA Draft in 1999
As a high school senior, named a McDonald's All-American after averaging 25.9 ppg, 16.2 rpg and 6.0 bpg
Played AAU basketball with current former Bulls teammate and current Pacer, Ron Artest
A member of the Clippers Reading All-Star Team and teams up with A Place Called Home and Children's Institute International throughout the season, reading to children and informing them of the importance of staying in school
Brings hundreds of kids to Clippers games during the season as part of his PlayerZone, "Brands Bunch"
Spends the holiday season toy shopping with children from Camp Ronald McDonald for Good Times and Centinela Hospital.

It's been a slow and methodical adjustment to life in America and in the NBA for China's favorite son. After three years of far more celebrity than production, Yao Ming finally showed the rest of the world what China already knew - that he can play with the best, and he's better than most. Yao's 2005-06 averages of 22.3 points and 10.2 rebounds were way up from prior seasons. He added nearly two blocks per game and shot 52% from the field - great for a 7-5, 300-pound center. As his development continues, Yao may become the next Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, completely impossible to defend.

Name: Yao Ming
Postion: Center
Nickname: Ming Dynasty (USA), Little Giant (China)
Born: 09/12/1980
Origin: Shanghai, China
Status: Active
Height: 7-6/2,26m
Weight: 296lbs./134,3kg.
Schools: Shanghai Sports College, Shanghai Physical & Sport Technic Education Institute, Shanghai Foreign Language Institute
Drafted: 2002, First Round, 1st overall pick by the Houston Rockets
Languages: Chinese (Mandarin) and English
Website: YaoMing.net & InterBasket
Teams (Jersey): Chinese National Team (13) Shanghai Sharks (15) Houston Rockets (11)
IBN Notes: Never has a combination of awesome size and skills come together in one package, what makes this combination odd is that it comes from far East, not exactly a hotbed for basketball prospects.  But there he stands, 7-5 and 300lbs, Yao Ming is the center of the future; a better shooter than most point guards and definitely a lot more skilled than most centers, Ming has all the tools to be successful, but as of this writing, Yao lacks only the aggression and attitude that will propel him from promising pivot to complete domination of the center position.

Carmelo Anthony had the bad fortune of being drafted the same year as LeBron James and Dwayne Wade, so any night he doesn't post 35 points and 8 boards, fans believe he's not very good. Trust us, he's good. Anthony can score in a variety of ways and he's an excellent shooter. If he improves his rebounding and passing, he may become the next Adrian Dantley.

Name: Carmelo Kyan Anthony
Nickname: 'Melo
Born: May 29, 1984
Status: Active
Origin: New York, New York
Height: 6-8/2,05m
Weight: 230lbs/104kg
Schools: Towson Catholic High School (Baltimore, Maryland), Oak Hill Academy (Virginia, USA), Syracuse University
Drafted: 2003, First Round, 3rd Overall pick by the Denver Nuggets
Languages: English
Website: CarmeloAnthony.com & InterBasket
Teams (jersey): US National Team (15), Syracuse University, Denver Nuggets (15)