Stephen Curry owned 2015.

The Golden State Warriors guard won MVP and led his team to the championship. And he has somehow managed to improve his level of play during the first two months of the 2015-16 season as his team has started an NBA-record 29-1. Editor's Picks Ford-Pelton: Ranking NBA rookies by potential

So there's little debate that Curry should win the 2015 ESPN Insider Golden Basketball, an award I invented last December to honor NBA players for their year-long exploits, including the playoffs and international play, a la soccer's Ballon d'Or. (FIFA will award that trophy on Jan. 11.)

While Curry was clearly the best basketball player in 2015, he wasn't the only star, so let's take a look at the top-10 candidates for the award based on the past 12 months.