The Best Super-Teams in NBA History!
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Jun 16 2017, 1:06 PM
LeBron James has taken issue with Golden State Warriors star Draymond Green calling out his outsized role in the escalation of the basketball super-team trend. While LeBron somehow denies his (very obvious) impact on this new approach, he and his Miami Heat friends D-Wade and Chris Bosh were hardly the first NBA superstars to go this route. In honor of the Warriors recent championship and the latest chapter in this super-team rivalry - and courtesy of our friends at PlayFortuna here is a look at a few of our other favorites from the annals of hardwood lore.
Miami Heat
It's impossible to start anywhere but here. When LeBron James and Chris Bosh joined Dwyane Wade in Miami in 2010 - promising "Not one, not two..." and so on - the complexion of an entire sport changed overnight. Despite losing to Dallas in a big NBA Finals upset that first year, the Heat went on to four straight Finals and back-to-back wins in 2012 and 2013. Despite finally breaking apart following a shocking destruction at the hands of the San Antonio Spurs, it was this education in winning that prepared LeBron to finally bring a title to Cleveland just a couple years later.
Golden State Warriors
Kevin Durant joined a team that won 73 games, was a quarter away from a second straight championship and put them over the top again in his first in year in the Bay Area. Curry, Thompson and Green were already there. KD was the cherry on top. 'Nuff said.
Boston Celtics
Arguably the team that started the most recent escalation in this trend. It was the move of Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen to Boston, joining forces with longtime Celtics star Paul Piece, that brought championship glory back to Beantown and inspired LeBron to make the move to Miami. A move that Allen himself would make just a few years later, much to the dismay of his teammates in Boston.
Chicago Bulls
Often overlooked, it was the addition of two-time champion and rebounding/defensive ace Dennis "The Worm" Rodman that triggered the second three-peat in the epic career of Michael Jordan. This collection of talent, featuring Scottie Pippen, Steve Kerr and a host of valuable role players, went on to win 72-games. This record would stand until the 73-win Golden State Warriors season, however unlike those Warriors, Jordan and company were able to finish the job and take home the championship.
Los Angeles Lakers
Shaq and Kobe. Kobe and Shaq. The great drama of our basketball times never happens unless Shaquille O'Neal basically wills himself from Orlando to Los Angeles in arguably the least-surprising player move of all time. The end result? Championships and the restoration of a proud Lakers legacy. While arguably the most stacked of these teams (featuring Karl Malone and Gary Payton) lost badly to the Detroit Pistons in the '04 Finals, this early 00's run remains one of the greatest in the history of the association.
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LeBron James has taken issue with Golden State Warriors star Draymond Green calling out his outsized role in the escalation of the basketball super-team trend. While LeBron somehow denies his (very obvious) impact on this new approach, he and his Miami Heat friends D-Wade and Chris Bosh were hardly the first NBA superstars to go this route. In honor of the Warriors recent championship and the latest chapter in this super-team rivalry - and courtesy of our friends at PlayFortuna here is a look at a few of our other favorites from the annals of hardwood lore.
Miami Heat
It's impossible to start anywhere but here. When LeBron James and Chris Bosh joined Dwyane Wade in Miami in 2010 - promising "Not one, not two..." and so on - the complexion of an entire sport changed overnight. Despite losing to Dallas in a big NBA Finals upset that first year, the Heat went on to four straight Finals and back-to-back wins in 2012 and 2013. Despite finally breaking apart following a shocking destruction at the hands of the San Antonio Spurs, it was this education in winning that prepared LeBron to finally bring a title to Cleveland just a couple years later.
Golden State Warriors
Kevin Durant joined a team that won 73 games, was a quarter away from a second straight championship and put them over the top again in his first in year in the Bay Area. Curry, Thompson and Green were already there. KD was the cherry on top. 'Nuff said.
Boston Celtics
Arguably the team that started the most recent escalation in this trend. It was the move of Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen to Boston, joining forces with longtime Celtics star Paul Piece, that brought championship glory back to Beantown and inspired LeBron to make the move to Miami. A move that Allen himself would make just a few years later, much to the dismay of his teammates in Boston.
Chicago Bulls
Often overlooked, it was the addition of two-time champion and rebounding/defensive ace Dennis "The Worm" Rodman that triggered the second three-peat in the epic career of Michael Jordan. This collection of talent, featuring Scottie Pippen, Steve Kerr and a host of valuable role players, went on to win 72-games. This record would stand until the 73-win Golden State Warriors season, however unlike those Warriors, Jordan and company were able to finish the job and take home the championship.
Los Angeles Lakers
Shaq and Kobe. Kobe and Shaq. The great drama of our basketball times never happens unless Shaquille O'Neal basically wills himself from Orlando to Los Angeles in arguably the least-surprising player move of all time. The end result? Championships and the restoration of a proud Lakers legacy. While arguably the most stacked of these teams (featuring Karl Malone and Gary Payton) lost badly to the Detroit Pistons in the '04 Finals, this early 00's run remains one of the greatest in the history of the association.
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