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Michael Jordan, LeBron James, Magic Johnson, Tim Duncan and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar were members of the greatest All-NBA teams of all time.
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As a player in the NBA, one of the highest honors you can receive is selection to the All-NBA Team for your accomplishments during the respective seasons. Making an All-NBA team usually means being one of the 15 best players in the entire league that season. Of course, making the All-NBA team is the highest honor in the NBA, but second and third teams are still incredible feats. Today, we pick the best NBA teams on a different level. The teams selected today will be made up of legends in NBA history who have all worked together and not one year of great success.
The NBA legends on each lineup are all-time top players at their positions. Whether they were members of the first, second and third teams is largely irrelevant, as the debate will continue for the rest of the season. No matter what metric you use to measure these 15 players, the 15 names are the same. The best teams in the NBA are sure to spark some debate and criticism, but they are the most accurate descriptions of their kind.
These are the greatest No. 1, No. 2 and No. 3 NBA teams of all time.
The greatest third team of all time
Point Guard – Oscar Robertson
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Oscar Robertson is the first all-around point guard in NBA history. He could score at an elite level, and his playmaking skills were decades ahead of his time. Robertson played for the Cincinnati Royals early in his career, becoming the first player in NBA history to average a triple-double over a full season and leading the NBA in assists in seven of his first nine seasons in the NBA. He averaged over 30.0 PPG six times and led the scoring in 1968. In 1971, he won the NBA Championship in his first year with the Milwaukee Bucks alongside Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
Robertson broke into the NBA as an electric point guard who defied every standard definition of the position. He won the 1961 Rookie of the Year award with averages of 30.5 points, 10.1 rebounds and 9.7 assists. The following season, he averaged 30.8 points, 12.5 rebounds and 11.4 assists per game for a triple-double that year. He would also go on to win the 1964 MVP award when he averaged 31.4 points, 9.9 rebounds and 11.0 assists. When he arrived in Milwaukee, Robertson wasn’t the MVP candidate he once was, but he still propelled them past the NBA title.
Shooting Guard – Dwyane Wade
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Throughout his career, Dwyane Wade has cemented his place as one of the top three shooting guards of all time with his prowess on both ends of the floor. With or without the ball, Wade is most dangerous in the open space. He’s a defensive nightmare in isolation, as well as on the opposing end of the floor. Wade helped Miami to three NBA championships during his career and was named Finals MVP for his 2006 title.
Wade’s Finals series in 2006 was the best of their third career season. Trailing 2-0 to the Mavericks in the Finals, Wade and the Heat found themselves at a crossroads where they should go. They let Wade control the ball, and Wade rewarded them with four straight NBA championships. He averaged 34.7 points, 7.8 rebounds, 2.7 steals and 1.0 blocks per game for Finals MVP honors. In addition to his 2006 masterpiece, Wade was a 13-time All-Star, 8-time All-NBA Team, and 3-time All-Defensive Team.
Small forward – Julius Erving
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The third man on our All-NBA third team is Julius Erving. Dr. J. was an innovator of play above the rim, gliding through the air at any point on the court. After dominating the ABA, Irving made it to the NBA’s Philadelphia 76ers. He would spend his entire NBA career in Philadelphia, where he led the 76ers to four NBA Finals appearances and the 1983 NBA Championship.
After winning three ABA MVP awards, Irving won an NBA MVP award after the 1981 season. That season, he averaged 24.6 points, 8.0 rebounds, 4.4 assists, 2.1 steals and 1.8 blocks per game. Irving helped the 76ers reach the NBA Finals four times between 1977 and 1982, and he scored his lone victory against the Lakers in 1983. Irving got help from Andrew Toney and Moses Malone, but stuck to his guns, winning his first and only NBA championship. In all, Irving would make 11 All-Star appearances, seven All-NBA selections and one All-Defensive selection.
Power Forward – Karl Malone
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Karl Malone is one of the most consistent superstars in NBA history. Malone is a threat in every sense of the word offensively. He can hit mid-range shots, making him as successful as John Stockton’s pick-and-roll offense has been in their careers. He can beat opponents in the post with a series of powerful moves for finishing at the rim. In transition, Malone has as much speed and finishing as anyone in basketball, especially at his size. Malone helped the Utah Jazz reach the NBA Finals 2 times and the Lakers 3rd in his career, but ended up going 0-3 and did not win an NBA Championship in his career.
Malone has won MVP twice in his career, both within a 3-year span. He won his first MVP after the 1997 season, when he averaged 27.4 points, 9.9 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 1.2 steals as he led the Jazz to 64 wins. He won his second MVP two years later, in 1999, when he led the Jazz to 37 wins in a 50-game season, averaging 23.8 points, 9.4 rebounds, 4.1 assists and 1.3 Steal. Malone retired as the game’s all-time second-leading scorer with 14 All-Star appearances, 14 All-NBA selections and four All-Defensive selections.
Center – Bill Russell
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The last member of the third team in NBA history is the greatest winner in NBA history. Bill Russell played 13 seasons with the Boston Celtics and led them to 11 NBA championships during that time. Russell is still considered one of the best defenders in league history and the game’s greatest rebounder. Although his offensive game wasn’t as statistically dominant as other great centers, Russell was still one of the most impactful players in league history. Russell lost just one Finals series in his career and won 11. Since there hasn’t been a Finals MVP award yet, Russell has it named after him, easily 10 times if they were in his era.
Russell won 5 MVP awards, 12 All-Star selections, 11 All-NBA selections and 1 All-Defensive selection during his career (they didn’t introduce an All-Defensive Team until 1969). Russell led the NBA in rebounding five times during his NBA career and averaged 22.5 rebounds in 13 seasons in the NBA. As the NBA’s greatest rebounder, defender and game-winner, a selection to the third team might cost him a bit.
The Greatest Second Team of All Time
Point Guard – Stephen Curry
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The All-NBA Second Team begins with a player who revolutionized the game of basketball as we know it. Stephen Curry took the game to new heights, and certainly to new heights, with an incredibly high-volume, efficient long-range shot that has never been seen in the entire history of the game. It seems like everyone and their brother wants to be Steph Curry these days, and over time, at every level of development, the game has gotten farther and farther away from the hoop. When you’re one of the game’s greatest players and the greatest shooter in front of millions of fans every year, you make that impact.
For more than eight seasons, Curry has been at the center of one of the greatest dynasties in NBA history. The entire offense revolves around him and his off-ball ability and gravity. Curry led the Warriors to 4 NBA Finals victories in 6 attempts and won 1 Finals MVP award. He is a 2-time MVP and the only unanimous MVP in NBA history. 2 scoring champions, 1 steals champion, 1 All-Star Game MVP. He was also an eight-time All-Star and an eight-time All-NBA selection. With his role in basketball development and the career he’s already had, Stephen Curry is the clear choice for second-team honors.
Shooting Guard – Kobe Bryant
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When it comes to NBA icons and players who transcended the game, Kobe Bryant is our pick for the Second Team shooting guard. Bryant played 20 seasons in the NBA, becoming one of the greatest players, ambassadors and faces in the history of the game. Bryant was a legendary two-way weapon because of his obsession with winning and pushing his teams to do the same at all costs. He perfected his offensive game so much that he emulated Michelle Jordan’s game by controlling opponents at the rim and in the mid-range. He’s a swarming physical presence on the defensive end, making sure you win every bucket.
As a first or second choice, Kobe Bryant led the Lakers to 5 NBA Championships during his career and was named Finals MVP 2 times during those victories. He also won the 2008 MVP and 4 All-Star Game MVPs. One of the greatest players in Lakers and NBA history, Bryant continues to carve his name in stone with 18 All-Star selections, 15 All-NBA selections and 12 All-Defensive selections.
Small forward – Larry Bird
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Larry Bird was the other half who saved the NBA in the ’80s, our All-NBA Second Team small forward. With fluid shooting, scoring totals, playmaking and defense, Bird’s career is still hailed as one of the best in the league to this day. Bird did it all for the Celtics in the 1980s, leading the team to three NBA championships and two Finals MVP trophies.
Larry Bird is the last person in NBA history to win 3 consecutive MVP awards. The 1984-1986 season can be said to be the peak of Bird’s NBA-dominating career. In 1984, Bird won the MVP with averages of 24.2 points, 10.1 rebounds, 6.6 assists and 1.8 steals per game. The Celtics would go on to win the NBA Championship that season. In 1985, he won the MVP by averaging 28.7 points, 10.5 rebounds, 6.6 assists and 1.6 steals, but lost to the Lakers in the NBA Finals. In 1986, he won his final MVP and championship with averages of 25.8 points, 9.8 rebounds, 6.8 assists and 2.0 steals. The Larry Bird legacy lives on as one of the greatest players in NBA history and our Second Team small forward.
Power Forward – Kevin Durant
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Kevin Durant was an intriguing option for our second unit at power forward, but he earned his spot by playing at both spots at an elite level. Think of it as a loophole. Durant is one of the most offensively gifted basketball players in NBA history, able to score with unprecedented efficiency and an underrated playmaker when the pass is required. Durant led his teams to 4 NBA Finals, 2 wins as a member of the Golden State Warriors, as well as MVP awards, 4 scoring titles, Rookie of the Year, 10-time All-NBA selection and 12-time All-Star.
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