# Who is the best NBA player born in 1989?

> One scoring champion shares this birth year with the last pick of a draft; some burned bright for a season, others for a decade.

*By YPB Team · Published November 10, 2026 · https://youpick.best/ranking/who-is-the-best-nba-player-born-in-1989*

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## Current results (no votes yet)

1. **James Harden** — score 1000/1000
   Born August 26, 1989, he was 2012 Sixth Man of the Year with Oklahoma City, 2018 MVP with Houston and won three straight scoring titles (2018–2020).
2. **Eric Bledsoe** — score 832/1000
   The 18th pick in 2010, the guard made the NBA All-Defensive First Team with Milwaukee in 2019.
3. **Bojan Bogdanović** — score 718/1000
   The Croatian forward averaged 20.2 points for Utah in 2019–20 and 21.6 points for Detroit in 2022–23.
4. **Blake Griffin** — score 717/1000
   The first overall pick by the Clippers in 2009, he won 2011 Rookie of the Year and made six All-Star teams.
5. **Jimmy Butler** — score 538/1000
   Picked 30th by Chicago in 2011, he was the 2015 Most Improved Player and led Miami to the NBA Finals in 2020 and 2023.
6. **Hassan Whiteside** — score 538/1000
   With the Miami Heat he led the NBA in blocks in 2015–16 and in rebounds in 2016–17.
7. **Marcus Morris Sr.** — score 538/1000
   Markieff's twin, drafted 14th by Houston in 2011, he later started at forward for Boston, the Knicks and the Clippers.
8. **Serge Ibaka** — score 418/1000
   The Congolese-born Spanish forward led the NBA in blocks in 2012 and 2013 and won the 2019 title with Toronto.
9. **Tyreke Evans** — score 418/1000
   He won 2010 Rookie of the Year with Sacramento after averaging 20.1 points, 5.3 rebounds and 5.8 assists.
10. **Brandon Jennings** — score 418/1000
   He skipped college to play a season in Italy, went 10th to Milwaukee in 2009 and scored 55 points in a game as a rookie.
11. **Kenneth Faried** — score 0/1000
   Denver's 22nd pick in 2011, he made the All-Rookie First Team in 2012 and won gold with Team USA at the 2014 FIBA World Cup.
12. **DeMar DeRozan** — score 0/1000
   Drafted ninth by Toronto in 2009, he became the Raptors' all-time leading scorer and made six All-Star teams.
13. **Isaiah Thomas** — score 0/1000
   The 60th and final pick of the 2011 draft, he averaged 28.9 points for Boston in 2016–17 and finished fifth in MVP voting.
14. **Michael Beasley** — score 0/1000
   Taken second overall by Miami in 2008 after one season at Kansas State, he made the All-Rookie First Team in 2009.
15. **Markieff Morris** — score 0/1000
   Phoenix's 13th pick in 2011, the forward won the 2020 NBA championship with the Los Angeles Lakers.

Tags: basketball, players, nba, 2010s