What will the NBA look like in 2050? US media reveals 4 bold predictions: Wembanyama, Embiid, Jokic, and LeBron as the GOATs

In the 2000-01 season, NBA teams took an average of 13.7 three-point shots per game; by the 2024-25 season, that figure had jumped to 37.6. A quarter century ago, no center could average 4 assists per game, whereas Jokic now averages over 10 assists. The league once permitted “hand-contact defense” and prohibited zone defenses, but these regulations have since been entirely flipped.

In the 20th century, only one international player won the MVP award in the NBA, but now we are in an era where international players have claimed the MVP title for seven consecutive years. Additionally, the NBA has introduced a mid-season tournament and play-in games—two new events added since the turn of the century.

All of this clearly shows that basketball is a constantly evolving sport.The basketball played 25 years ago is vastly different from today’s game, and this trend of change will inevitably continue into the future. The NBA of 2050 may not closely resemble the NBA of 2025: the sport itself will transform, and so will the ways we talk about it.

Renowned US media outlet CBS Sports attempts some bold forecasts for the NBA in 2050—

1. Wembanyama will be regarded as the greatest player in NBA history

We have never seen a player like Wembanyama who combines unique physical attributes with mature skills. Throughout NBA history, how many 7-foot-3 centers can both drive with the ball offensively and switch onto perimeter players defensively? Who else has recorded 5 blocks and made 5 three-pointers in a single game? Michael Jordan and LeBron James symbolically transcended their eras, whereas Wembanyama will genuinely achieve this.

Jordan and LeBron represent the pinnacle of player types we’ve seen before, but Wembanyama is the “next phase” in basketball’s evolution—an unprecedented player unlikely to be matched for decades. In years when he qualifies for Defensive Player of the Year, he will likely dominate the award. During the current “salary cap transition,” his Spurs team is better positioned than any other in the league for sustained championship contention. Although Wembanyama’s game still has rough edges and his teammates are young and developing, in the next one or two years as he begins to collect various accolades, he will keep amassing honors, eventually surpassing any player in NBA history in trophy count.

2. Philadelphia’s basketball championship drought will end, but not with the 76ers

By 2050, Philadelphia’s long-standing basketball championship drought will finally conclude, as the city will claim another professional basketball title—but this honor will come from a soon-to-be-established WNBA Philadelphia team. The 76ers have not won an NBA championship since 1983 and have not reached the Eastern Conference Finals since 2001; meanwhile, the WNBA Philadelphia team will bring a championship to the city within 20 years of its founding.

3. A top star will be involved in a gambling scandal

By 2050, the NBA will be forced to distance itself from sports betting due to a major gambling scandal involving a high-profile star. Just in the past year, the number of sports gambling scandals in the NBA has been staggering. Current trends suggest that eventually an even more famous player will be implicated in such an incident.

4. Stephen Curry’s 2015-16 season will still be regarded as the “greatest single-season performance”

By 2050, Stephen Curry’s 2015-16 season will remain the NBA’s “most outstanding individual single-season performance.” That year, Curry averaged 30.1 points, 6.7 assists, and 2.1 steals per game, hitting 5 three-pointers per game on average, with shooting percentages of 50.4% field goals, 45.4% from three, and 90.8% free throws (the “180 club”), earning unanimous MVP honors. His Warriors team also set a historic 73-9 record. Curry revolutionized basketball’s playing style, and it is expected that no player in the next 25 years will replicate or surpass his performance that season.

What do you think of CBS’s 4 bold predictions? Which do you believe will come true? What are your own daring forecasts for the NBA 25 years from now? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments section.