To mark the end of the year 2024, full of diverse and varied emotions and strong moments on and around the Basketball courts, we offer you today a small ranking of the personalities who have had the most impact on the last 12 months of through their impact and success on the ground.
Like Kendrick Lamar, who broke the game so much with punchlines and killer sounds this year that he put Drake six feet under, the lucky ones left a huge mark on the year 2024.
If you like these kinds of lists, don't hesitate to get the GOATS book, which is full of them! It is only available on BasketSession.com
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20- The men’s French 3×3
We were waiting for the girls, who unfortunately were quickly eliminated. We had the boys, who no one except them counted on. The 3×3 guys were one of the hits of the summer, with a silver medal at the Olympics won in a crazy atmosphere. Franck Séguela reconciled us with the Séguelas (no offense Jacques), Jules Rambaut with the mules, Lucas Dussoulier with the pumps and Timothé Vergeat with the orchards.
19- Tuomas Iisalo
A crazy trajectory. With his revolutionary offensive playing principles, he offered Paris Basketball a place in the Pro A Finals, the Leaders Cup trophy and the EuroCup title. Along the way, he won the title of best Pro A coach and that of the Eurocup. If his heritage allows Splitter to shine in the Euroleague this season, since the start of the season he has been the great inspiration for the excellent attack of the Memphis Grizzlies of which he is the number 1 assistant. The one who was still at the Crailsheim Merlins in 2021 really doesn't have time.
18- Angel Reese
The rivalry with Caitlin Clark was hyped up a little too much, but WNBA fans discovered a charismatic young player, ready to be both the crowd's favorite antagonist and an exceptionally talented insider. On a business level, where she made her hype grow, and in the media (she has her own podcast), 2024 was also very beneficial for her.
17- Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
He is starting to string seasons in the top 5 MVP like pearls and is both one of the most beautiful players in the aesthetic sense, and one of the most solid, reliable and balanced stars there is. OKC has exceeded expectations largely thanks to its stratospheric level of play, to the point of becoming “the place to be” and a contender for 2025. “SGA” became a superstar in 2024. Before being an NBA champion in 2025?
16- Mike James
Rather than attempting a comeback in the NBA, the most famous James on the planet after LeBron and Marianne is back with Monaco. Result: a title of MVP of the Euroleague, the status of best all-time scorer in the competition, a title of champion of France and MVP of the Finals. It was pretty clearly a good idea.
15- LeBron James
Well, that's it, he finished the game. But obviously, he still hasn't finished playing. Already historic in terms of his longevity, LeBron James, 40 years before the switch to 2025, checked one of the last boxes of his legendary bingo by playing in the NBA with his eldest son Bronny. A first, obviously. So, yes, for that, we had to force a little and push the Lakers to draft a player clearly not ready for the high level. Only LeBron could have had such power. And we can imagine the love he felt and feels on a daily basis while growing up with his son.
14- Matthias Lessort
He ends 2024 with a broken fibula, but what a season! In addition to bringing crazy intensity to the Blues when it counted at the Olympics, Lessort had a splendid season in the Euroleague, a competition he won with Panathinaikos, while being in the best five of the competition.
13- Nando De Colo and Nicolas Batum
End your international career with a sumptuous Olympic silver medal rather than a tournament that resembles a farewell tour? A real GOAT move for two of the greatest legends of French basketball, which the best player in French history failed to achieve in 2016…
12- Rachid Meziane and Janelle Salaün
Villeneuve d'Ascq's season was exceptional, with a French championship title and a Euroleague final without having the flashiest squad in both competitions, far from it. We take our hats off to the two most prominent players of this splendid year: Janelle Salaün, the older sister of Tidjane, who towed the northern club all season with an enormous level of play before being an important member of the rotation of the Bleues at the Olympics, and Rachid Meziane, who recently became the first European coach in history appointed to head a WNBA franchise.
11- Isaiah Cordinier
The revelation of the Olympics on the French side. He had already shown up during the fiasco in Indonesia and it is clear that Vincent Collet did well to renew his confidence in him. In just a few weeks, he has become essential for the Blues, for the present and the future.
10- Rudy Gobert
Criticized and too quickly named guilty of the Wolves' bad season in 2023, singled out for the assets given up by Minnesota to bring him in, Rudy Gobert silenced the world in 2024. He asserted himself as the centerpiece of the best defense in the league to win a new DPOY trophy, thus making history a little further. And Minnesota played its first Conference finals in 20 years.
9- Kyrie Irving
This year, he regained his credibility by proving that he could avoid controversial tweets and statements, while reminding us, if necessary, what a basketball player he was wonderful to watch and reliable enough to take the Mavs all the way. 'in the NBA Finals. When he was stuck in his troubles in Brooklyn, we wouldn't necessarily have bet on that…
8- Kenny Atkinson
Perceived as an excellent coach before being pushed out by Kyrie Irving and Kev… er, by the Brooklyn Nets, Kenny Atkinson took the time and took on an assistant role before finally returning to a head coaching role with Cleveland. And the results show to what extent the tactician is indeed a difference maker for his teams. The Cavaliers are off to the best start in their history – a history that includes two appearances by a certain LeBron James – by winning 15 games in a row and they are leading the league by playing attractive basketball while dominating on both ends of the court. ground. Donovan Mitchell is on fire, Darius Garland is regaining his splendor and Evan Mobley is reaching a milestone. Who do we say thank you?
7- Guerschon Yabusele
A very strong season with Real (Euroleague finalist a year after the title, a Copa del Rey), an Olympic silver medal and the poster of the century (yes there are 75 years left, but no one will be crazier) on LeBron himself, then the bet of the century: playing a season almost for free (1.8 million euros release clause that he pays himself, for a salary of 1.88 million) in order to prove to everyone that his place is in the big league. 2025 has not yet started and the bet is already winning. WHAT A MAN.
6- Gabby Williams
The year of the explosion in the eyes of the general public. Magnificent during the Olympics with the Blues until the final against Team USA, performing well with Seattle in the process, Gabby got through 2024 with punch, charisma and excellence, to the point of winning the Alain Gilles trophy which rewards the best French basketball player in the year, men and women alike! Today, the star of the France team is her.
5- Luka Doncic
He carried the Mavs on his shoulders to the NBA Finals and ultimately could only be stopped by the five-star collective of the Celtics. Luka is progressing step by step towards his goal: to rule the league. It will be noted that he was a little less emotionally turned against the arbitration. The year of maturity?
4- Jaylen Brown
Only one Celtic considered a winner in 2024 while Boston dominated the NBA head and shoulders during the regular season (64 wins) then in the playoffs. Only one Celtic, and not even the best player on the team. But the year 2024, in fact, is a bit like that of Jaylen Brown's revenge. Very (too) often cited in trade rumors, he showed how essential he was to the success of his team by winning the Finals MVP trophy after also being named best player in the Conference Finals. Well, on the other hand, that didn't stop him from being snubbed by Team USA in the summer. But not much more than Jayson Tatum.
3- Victor Wembanyama
He arrived with expectations around him as long as his arms. Even being average would have done him a disservice. But no. It was just good. He was great from his first season, even if Spurs struggled to win matches. Victor Wembanyama the feat of not disappointing but also of further strengthening the hyper around him by being unanimously named ROY after having generally dominated his subject. And the worst part is that he was ultimately the worst version of himself.
2- Caitlin Clark
Caitlin Clark survived unprecedented hype by bringing the Fever back to the playoffs after an 8-year absence, setting records for a rookie and not freaking out despite the pressure. It wasn't a foregone conclusion, between the high athletic expectations and the unwanted “Great White Hope” costume she was ordered to don. Audiences and engagement around the WNBA have taken off in part thanks to it and this is only the beginning!
1- Nikola Jokic
A year after losing his MVP crown because the voters were afraid to give him 3 in a row under the pretext that he had (yet) done nothing in the playoffs, Nikola Jokic, who has become champion in the meantime, is went for a new individual trophy by dominating the league in 2024 and carrying the Nuggets at arm's length. He came close to leading Denver to the Conference finals and especially Serbia to the Olympic final. We have rarely seen a basketball player dominate his subject so much in all of History. But hey, maybe the public will become aware of it in 2025, we remain hopeful.
