10| Kevin Durant

I feel like you couldn’t exist in the world this year without hearing about Kevin Durant. Everyone had an opinion about Kevin Durant and his move from Oklahoma City to Oakland. I don’t know that I really had a strong opinion one way or the other. I understood him wanting to move somewhere, to be better and better himself. The idea that wherever you go, there you are, but some things do change. I love his skill and passion and how good he is at smack-talking. I became a Kevin Durant fan this year.

9| Russell Westbrook

But I also became a Russell Westbrook fan this year. He’s the other side of the equation for a lot of people, but I feel like he and KD are in the same boat. They’re both just trying to do the best for themselves. Mainly, I love how absolutely nuclear his dunks are. Russ dunks like the basket has wronged his family. He dunks like the hoop once took his little sister’s lunch money, and he just held his sister and said, “I’ll take care of this for you.” He is also the most fashionable player in the league. I love Russ and want so much for him.

8| Vince Carter

It started for me, as it does for many people, with the dunk contest in 2000. I keep that video bookmarked and watch it probably once a month to get fired up. He’s 40 now, which is basically geriatric in NBA years, but he’s still amazing and still dunks from time to time, like his muscles won’t allow him to do anything else. I love that he still does that motorcycle-revving after dunks. Unrelated: I kind of wish the Raptors kept those purple and black jerseys. That was a good look.

7| Shaun Livingston

Shaun Livingston is my favorite current player in the league. I followed him for a bit when he was with the Nets before he went to the Warriors. He has one of those inspirational stories where he suffered a horrific injury that could have potentially ruined is career, got better, and became a journeyman before landing in Oakland and winning two championships. He had to change his game a lot since his injury, and unlike most modern point guards, he doesn’t have a three-point shot. Because he doesn’t need it. He can feed entirely on midrange shots and floaters. There was a time when I would say, “Shaun Livingston has never missed a turnaround jumper in the history of the NBA,” and it was basically true. There was a time when he’d post-up and as soon as he turned around, I just knew that the ball would go in.

6| Giannis Antetokounmpo

Giannis is actually amazing. I think he’s the next LeBron or Michael. He is a force, a thing of myth. He can cross the entire court in basically two steps. I think he could probably do a 360 dunk from half-court, but he knows that it would cause people to question reality. Women and children would weep. People would look in the Bible to see mention of him. Best of all: he hasn’t even hit his peak yet. I don’t really even know anything else happening with the Bucks. I remember the time that Jason Kidd didn’t have any timeouts left, so he spilled a drink on purpose to force a stoppage and get a chance to set up a play. That’s the kind of determination I strive for.

5| Magic Johnson

It’s weird that I mainly know about Magic Johnson for being a businessman. I mean, I’ve seen plenty of clips of him throwing bounce passes and shooting baby skyhooks. I watched the 30 for 30 documentary about the Lakers-Celtics rivalry, and it was really cool seeing him so boisterous, expressive, and emotional to the more stoic and serious Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (my actual favorite NBA player of all time). Magic became president of basketball operations for the Lakers this year, and I think he’ll be good for the team. I’m hopeful.

4| D’Angelo Russell

But I think Magic made a mistake in trading D’Angelo. Granted, I know it wasn’t entirely Magic’s choice, but I feel like I was one of the few people who thought the Lakers should have kept D’Angelo. He’s such a solid scorer, and I think the way he was growing, he could have been the leader that the team needed. I still check in on him. I’m sad that he’s injured, but I know he’ll come back. I still think about his crazy game winner against the Timberwolves the day his grandmother died. I love how the shot rolls and just drops in like that’s where it was supposed to be all along. I love how D’Angelo runs up to his family in the stands.

3| C.J. McCollum

I still think about how C.J. went from averaging 6.8 points to 20.8 after a single year. He won the Most Improved Player award for that, just through sheer hard work, and I sincerely think he’s getting better. I follow him on Snapchat, and he seems like a fun dude that I could hang out with. I feel like we could talk about food and writing (he graduated with a B.A. in journalism!), and he could give me good recommendations on music and Portland things.

2| Tony Parker

I went to the Spurs game when Tony came back from his injury. I went with my friends, one of whom just got into basketball this year and has since become one of the most die-hard Spurs fans I know. It was the tail-end of a week-long trip to Texas, filled with rich foods and easy conversations. I was hungover that day, a combination of not drinking any water the day before and the jetlag catching up with me, but I thankfully started feeling better as we walked into the AT&T Center. Tony didn’t have a mind-blowing game, but seeing him come out onto the court was like seeing actual history. I yelled and cheered when he made his first layup. I yelled until I was hoarse, like I wanted to tell the world how good that moment felt.

1| Kyle Kuzma

I love Kyle Kuzma so much. He’s a rookie from Flint, Michigan. His footwork is amazing. He can shoot threes. He can dunk. He has the craziest running hook shot that somehow goes in every single time. Kyle has also tweeted about Super Smash Bros., Star Fox, and wealth disparities. My greatest accomplishment to date is getting my friend to put money down on Kyle winning Rookie of the Year. I’m pretty sure my friend will be out $5 by the end of the season, but maybe he won’t.

Alvin is an associate fiction editor here at LF/BT and the dude’s got game. Just see his tinyletter if you doubt us. And while I can’t vouch for his ball-handling skills, I can tell you one thing: he knows his way around a story. On an unrelated note from a Toronto resident: I’m glad the Raptors ditched those purple unis. But don’t tell Alvin, he already has a weird thing with Troys.