Does anyone remember ESPN’s imperfect list of the top 25 players of the 21st-century from two years ago? It might have made Miami Heat fans recoil in disgust, but now’s a good time to do our own and see how many Heatles pop up.  

A lot has happened in the last couple of seasons -- Jalen Brunson became the third small guard in NBA history to lead his team to a championship, Nikola Jokić has averaged a triple-double twice and Jayson Tatum came back in top form from a devastating Achilles tear. This will be the first of a three-part series. Let’s review. 

Honorable Mention: Klay Thompson, Kyrie Irving and Manu Ginóbili.

25. Ray Allen

We begin this list with Ray Allen (20), who only spent two seasons in Miami, and hit the biggest shot in Finals history to save the team in 2013. He was formerly the most prolific 3-point shooter in NBA history and was very good on the dribble in his younger days, too. He was the leading scorer on a team that lost in seven games in the Eastern Conference Finals in 2001.

Keep in mind that in 18 seasons, he averaged 40 percent of his 3-pointers on 5.7 attempts per game, which included five seasons hoisting at least seven nightly. He still sits at third all-time in regular season 3-pointers made. 

24. Rusell Westbrook 

Even without too much playoff success after Kevin Durant left Oklahoma City, Russell Westbrook was still a part of 11 playoff series victories and was the second-best player on a squad that went to the Finals in 2011-12. His most significant achievement was averaging a triple-double four times in five years and it had only been done once by Oscar Robertson in 1961-62 before Westbrook's 2016-17 season. On top of that, he was also the league MVP. His legacy will age well. 

The Heat could have picked him in 2008, but they like Michael Beasley more. Imagine if Westbrook would have been schooled in Heat culture alongside Dwyane Wade. 

23. Jrue Holiday 

Excellence over a long period of time means a great deal when making a Hall-of-Fame case. Don’t forget how Jrue Holiday was an All-Star in 2012-13 and didn’t earn his second selection until 2022-23. He should’ve had plenty more in between, and in that time, was one of the best two-way players of a generation. 

Holiday has won two championships with the Milwaukee Bucks and Boston Celtics and was someone to count on big games. As a point of reference, if a team could choose between having Holiday or Damian Lillard in a playoff series, both in their prime, the wise choice would be the former. 

22. James Harden

James Harden is a polarizing player and the piling on-cue playoff letdowns are starting to get cartoonish, yet his team did take the Kevin Durant and Stephen Curry-led Warriors to a Game 7 of the Western Conference Finals in 2018, and no other squad pushed them like that before injuries. He was the MVP that same year and had three second-place finishes for the award.

His heavy-iso style was tough to watch at times and it was never going to win, but there was respect for it because that method is the hardest way to score. It’s predictable, but he was just too good to stop. Additionally he averaged 32.5 points per game over a four year period. 

21. Steve Nash

Players who make their teammates better get respect, so Steve Nash is a must for this list. He led the league in helpings five times and was a great sniper, who should have attempted way more trifectas. His notable accomplishments include two MVP awards and seven All-NBA selections. Don’t forget that he was one of the flashiest passers the league ever saw. 

20. Anthony Davis 

When people look back on Anthony Davis’ career, they’ll see he was a champion, a defensive monster and the top power forward in the league for five years. He never lived up to being the next best player in the world after LeBron James, but he was as good as a second option got, which Heat fans remember well from the 2020 Finals against the Los Angeles Lakers. 

19. Dwight Howard

Draymond Green called himself the best defender ever some years ago, and while he was truly great at it, it’s a crazy comment, and Dwight Howard was more of a detonator than him. Howard was one of the most impressive athletes the league has seen in the 21-as century as well, and was the man who led the Orlando Magic to the 2009 Finals. 

He was the Defensive Player of the Year thrice consecutively and led the league in blocks two straight years. Howard later won his championship in his second stint with the Lakers against the Heat, of all teams. 

18. Jayson Tatum 

Jayson Tatum took a page out of Kevin Durant and Breanna Stewart's book, which should tell anyone all they need to know about how serious he was about returning a great player. Tatum is a gunslinger with a quick first-step and a variety of moves who has turned into a high-level playmaker for others.  

He already led his Boston Celtics to the championship in 2023-24 despite not being MVP of the series. Of course, playing on good teams helps tons, yet he’s been a part of 15 series wins and was the best player for about 12. At age 28, he’s done so much and is still in his prime. 

17. Tony Parker

Tony Parker was the leading all-time scorer in the playoffs for point guards until Stephen Curry passed him. Parker was a blur with a mean spin move who was a killer late in games. It counts extra that he was a small guard, and many will recall his turnaround game-winner in Game 1 of the 2013 Finals and helping the Spurs beat the Heat the following season. 

He retired with four championships, including a Finals MVP in 2007. He was also MVP of the 2013 FIBA EuroBasket, in which France won gold.

16. Jimmy Butler 

Jimmy Butler made his case for the Hall-of-Fame wearing a Heat uniform. I often think about the reverence shown to John Stockton and Karl Malone (only in hoops), for leading the Jazz to two straight NBA Finals and wonder how much the public will respect Butler, who was the driving force on the Heat’s two trips to the championship round in 2020 and 2023. The Heat were never favored at the start of each of those playoffs and he took the team and fans on a wild ride. 

Many older New York Knicks fans believe they would have won at some point in the 1990s if Patrick Ewing had a bit more help around him. Heat fans can reasonably feel the same way about the Butler era because he is easily one of the greatest playoff risers in NBA history. 

Butler did not make ESPN's top 25 two years ago.

Next editions of this list will post this week.