Masuk Free Press

A hot topic nowadays is “who is YOUR all-time starting five in the NBA?” There’s a general consensus of about ten or so players who all have legit and strong cases to be a part of that selection. Of course, two of those names are Michael Jordan and LeBron James. In order to not turn this story into a GOAT debate, you can read more about these two specifically here. We are here to discuss an all time team, a dream team, if you will. 

The “Dream Team” from the 1992 summer Olympics included some of the greatest players of all time. Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, and Larry Bird headlined the squad. They easily cruised to a gold medal, blowing out each of their international competitors. In 2024, the “Avengers” was the tagline for this past year’s summer Olympic team. LeBron James, Steph Curry, and Kevin Durant were the force to be reckoned with on this roster. They cruised through to gold as well, yet they had some close competitions throughout their run as foreign competition has significantly improved over the years. It’s important to not forget the international stars as well that have helped the game of basketball grow around the world. Giannis Antetokounmpo, Nikola Jokic, and Dirk Nowitzki have all had insane careers. Who should fill out the lineup then? We’ll start with the point guard position and move all the way down.

The point guard is traditionally someone who doesn’t do a whole lot of scoring. Over time, it has evolved into a focal point of the offense. There’s been many amazing point guards over NBA history, such as John Stockton, Mark Jackson, Russel Westbrook, Chris Paul, John Wall, and Bob Cousy. However, there’s really only two options. Steph Curry or Magic Johnson. We are trying to create a team that will win the most games in history, and Steph Curry led a team to 73 wins and nine losses, the best regular season record of all time. Magic Johnson also led his teams to five championships, but Curry is the best shooter to ever live and can also fit well next to everybody. Curry is an obvious choice as he is the most talented point guard of all-time. Magic is a better passer and rebounder, but shooting is where the game is won and Curry simply cannot miss from three point range. 

Next, let’s explore the shooting guard position. There’s many names once again, but this choice is as simple as can be. Michael Jordan. At worst he is the consensus second best player to ever touch a basketball. While we’re at it, we can name LeBron as the small forward. No one has a combination of skills like these two, and they would only dominate even more playing together. Jordan can make shots with his eyes closed, literally (he made a free throw while closing his eyes once). He can also defend very well as he was all-defensive first team a whopping nine times. James is one of the most athletically gifted basketball players to ever touch the planet. Holding the all-time scoring record, there is never a doubt that James will give a positive impact on the game in some way. 

Now is where the real debate begins. Power Forward. There are 3 main competitors. Giannis Antetokounmpo, Dirk Nowitzki, and Tim Duncan. Antetokounmpo is one of the greatest two-way players of this generation. He is the only player in NBA history to average at least the following in multiple seasons: 25 points per game, 10 rebounds per game, 5 assists per game, 1 block per game, and 1 steal per game. Although Nowitzki is better at shooting three pointers and making tough shots off-balance with his .380 three point success percentage (38% of his three pointers went in the basket) compared to Antetokounmpo’s .284, Antetokounmpo edges him out on the defensive end and overall power/strength. Because of this, Giannis Antetokounmpo is a better choice than Dirk Nowitzki. However, Tim Duncan won five NBA championships and played the game fundamentally sound. As an absolute defensive nightmare who also could score 30 points on any given night, Duncan is for sure the best power forward of all time and thus deserves a spot on the all-time list. 

The center position also has so many great talents throughout history. The headliners of the center position are: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Shaquille O’Neal, Nikola Jokic, and Wilt Chamberlain. Out of these four, Jokic is easily the best playmaker and shooter. All of the others are way more dominant in the paint. Abdul-Jabbar was the first player to be considered unguardable, and O’Neal was always an interior force despite his abysmal jump shooting. In fact, O’Neal only made one three pointer in his entire career. Chamberlain of course had a 100 point game in his career, although many fans do not think that it really happened because of the lack of footage. For reference, the game was played in 1962. All of these players have a case. So, if we are picking for the best team fit and a team that can get the best record, then Jokic is a great pick for center because his playmaking and rebounding is just too good to pass up. He can also knock down catch and shoot threes and is very clutch.

How does this team work? Well, this is it. We picked Steph Curry to be our point guard. His off the dribble shooting is a nightmare for anybody on the defensive end. He can just knock down three pointers all day long. At shooting guard and small forward, we have big and strong wings that can penetrate their way to the basket and still defend exceptionally well on the perimeter in LeBron James and Michael Jordan. At power forward, we chose Tim Duncan, the best interior defender of all time who can also score when needed. Lastly, we picked up Nikola Jokic. As someone who can playmake from the post and rebound effortlessly, Jokic will mesh perfectly with the rest of this hypothetical team.

By no means did I choose the best player at every position, as that is a completely different argument. However, I did choose the players that would fit best with one another. Of course, there’s so many different avenues one can take in constructing a team from all the ages, and it definitely would be fun to jump in a time machine and see all these players from today all the way back to the 1970’s play together. All in all, I hope that the next time you’re debating your all-time NBA starting five, you reference this as the true configuration of talent.