ESPN's List of 25 Best NBA Players Under Age of 25 is Peak Content Tom Pennington/Getty Images ESPN's Bobby Marks, Kevin Pelton and Mike Schmitz combined forces to rank the top 25 NBA players under the age of 25 based on future potential. As is the case when any list is made, people had problems with it. It is very important to accurately assign the proper potential value to two dozen-plus players despite the existence of an entirely subjective reality. If lists differ — and they always do — from person to person, there must be a swift and ferocious debate to decide who is most right about this very real list that has a real impact in real life.