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Each NBA team's all-time starting five

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  • Who best represents your franchise?

    That's right, it's time to name each NBA franchise's all-time starting five. This was no easy task, but to make things more interesting we added a couple of rules. 

    (PLEASE READ CAREFULLY BEFORE RIPPING US ON TWITTER):

    1) In order to represent a team, a player must have played for the franchise for at least five seasons.

    2) A player can only represent one team. For example, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar can either be a Laker or a Buck, but not both.

    The rules led to some excruciating decisions, but they also opened up the door for more players to be selected. The idea was to come up with five players who best represent your franchise and your franchise alone.

    We tried as best we could to stick to the five traditional positions, but there had to be some leeway in order to get the best players in. Basically look at it this way: Could these five players be on the court together at the same time? In all cases the answer is yes, and in most cases it would lead to some incredibly entertaining results.

    Let the debate begin.

    Credit: CBS Sports graphic

  • Atlanta Hawks

    All-time starting five:

    PG: Lenny Wilkens

    SG: Lou Hudson

    SF: Dominique Wilkins

    PF: Bob Pettit

    C: Dikembe Mutombo

    Close calls: Al Horford has a legitimate case at center, having played nine seasons with the team and making four All-Star appearances, but Mutombo won three Defensive Player of the Year awards and made two All-NBA teams during his five seasons in Atlanta. 

    Credit: USATSI/Getty Images

  • Boston Celtics

    All-time starting five:

    PG: Bob Cousy

    SG: John Havlicek

    SF: Larry Bird

    PF: Paul Pierce

    C: Bill Russell

    Close calls: Kevin McHale and Sam Jones would have made it if we were more strict about the positions, but sliding Havlicek to two and Paul Pierce to four seemed reasonable given their size and skill sets. Dave Cowens also makes a strong case, but the Celtics are just too loaded.

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  • Brooklyn Nets

    All-time starting five:

    PG: Jason Kidd

    SG: Otis Birdsong

    SF: Richard Jefferson

    PF: Buck Williams

    C: Brook Lopez

    Close calls: Derrick Coleman has a case at power forward, but Williams made three All-Star teams as a Net and Coleman's legacy in New Jersey/Brooklyn is one of disappointment.

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  • Charlotte Hornets

    All-time starting five:

    PG: Muggsy Bogues

    SG: Kemba Walker

    SF: Dell Curry

    PF: Larry Johnson

    C: Emeka Okafor

    Close calls: The Hornets/Bobcats history makes it a bit tricky, but Gerald Wallace certainly has a case at small forward. Glen Rice and Alonzo Mourning are fondly remembered as Hornets, but each only played three seasons in Charlotte. Walker's scoring ability would allow him to play shooting guard alongside Bogues in perhaps the smallest backcourt in NBA history.

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  • Chicago Bulls

    All-time starting five:

    PG: Derrick Rose

    SG: Michael Jordan

    SF: Scottie Pippen

    PF: Bob Love

    C: Artis Gilmore

    Close calls: Shooting guard was a tough one, but outside of that the list pretty much wrote itself (kidding, in case sarcasm doesn't come through in slideshows). Jordan wasn't the only obvious pick, as Pippen and Gilmore are both Hall of Famers. Rose was on his way there until devastating injuries hit, and Love was a three-time All-Star. If you're wondering where Dennis Rodman is, he only played three seasons in Chicago. Chet Walker was a four-time All-Star for the Bulls in the early 1970s, but he couldn't unseat Pippen.

    Credit: USATSI/Getty Images

  • Cleveland Cavaliers

    All-time starting five:

    PG: Mark Price

    SG: Kyrie Irving

    SF: LeBron James

    PF: Larry Nance

    C: Brad Daugherty

    Close calls: LeBron only played four seasons in Miami, so there was no debate about putting him on the Cavs' all-time team. Austin Carr has a case at shooting guard, but Kyrie had four All-Star appearances as a Cav to Carr's one, and helped bring the Cavs their only title. Irving is more than capable of playing off the ball, as he displayed in three seasons with LeBron, so we'll put him alongside Price.

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  • Dallas Mavericks

    All-time starting five:

    PG: Derek Harper

    SG: Rolando Blackman

    SF: Mark Aguirre

    PF: Dirk Nowitzki

    C: Sam Perkins

    Close calls: Steve Nash was more than worthy at point guard, but he had to be placed on the Suns' all-time squad. Michael Finley was considered at shooting guard, but Blackman made one more All-Star Game and played two more seasons in Dallas. Perkins was more of a power forward in his days with the Mavs, but we know he could have been an excellent stretch-five. His stiffest competition at center was Shawn Bradley, so ... yeah.

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  • Denver Nuggets

    All-time starting five:

    PG: Fat Lever

    SG: David Thompson

    SF: Alex English

    PF: Carmelo Anthony

    C: Dan Issel

    Close calls: Dikembe Mutombo could be the Nuggets' most famous center, but his best years were in Atlanta and Issel may have beaten him out anyway with his Hall of Fame credentials. Anthony and English would be one of the best scoring frontcourts in NBA history, with Thompson and Lever providing excitement from the backcourt. This would be a fun team to watch.

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  • Detroit Pistons

    All-time starting five:

    PG: Isiah Thomas

    SG: Joe Dumars

    SF: Grant Hill

    PF: Bob Lanier

    C: Bill Laimbeer

    Close calls: It seems like a crime to leave Chauncey Billups off the squad, but there's just no room for him with Thomas and Dumars. It was super tight between Ben Wallace and Bill Laimbeer (both four-time All-Stars), but ultimately Laimbeer's two-way ability made him slightly more qualified than the defensive specialist Wallace. Laimbeer's shooting makes him a better fit alongside the out-of-position Lanier as well.

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  • Golden State Warriors

    All-time starting five:

    PG: Stephen Curry

    SG: Klay Thompson

    SF: Rick Barry

    PF: Paul Arizin

    C: Wilt Chamberlain

    Close calls: Talk about an offensive juggernaut. The only spot up for debate was power forward, where Nate Thurmond has a very strong case, and Draymond Green is a couple more great seasons away from being in the conversation. Since the Warriors have perfected small-ball, it's only fitting that their all-time starting five would employ the same strategy, so we went with Arizin, a 10-time All-Star and five-time All-NBA selection, alongside Barry.

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  • Houston Rockets

    All-time starting five:

    PG: Calvin Murphy

    SG: James Harden

    SF: Tracy McGrady

    PF: Moses Malone

    C: Hakeem Olajuwon

    Close calls: Malone is probably best remembered as a 76er, but he only had four great seasons there as opposed to five in Houston, and his best individual season was in Houston (31.1 ppg, 14.7 rpg, MVP) in 1980-81. His fit alongside Olajuwon would be incredibly fun to watch. Rudy Tomjanovich was considered at small forward, but ultimately couldn't compete with McGrady's peak seasons.

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  • Indiana Pacers

    All-time starting five:

    PG: Mark Jackson

    SG: Reggie Miller

    SF: Paul George

    PF: Jermaine O'Neal

    C: Rik Smits

    Close calls: Chuck Person was knocking at the door at small forward or even power forward, but ultimately the two-way ability of George and O'Neal won out. It's a toss-up at point guard between Jackson and Vern Fleming, but Jackson led the team to its only NBA Finals appearance while ranking consistently among the league leaders in assists.

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  • Los Angeles Clippers

    All-time starting five:

    PG: Randy Smith

    SG: Ron Harper

    SF: Danny Manning

    PF: Blake Griffin

    C: Bob McAdoo

    Close calls: It was a close call, but we decided to put Chris Paul on the Pelicans/Hornets, which cleared the way for Smith, a two-time All-Star with the Buffalo Braves before they moved to California. Elton Brand deserves to be on this list, but Griffin's multiple All-Star appearances and All-NBA selections give him the edge. Corey Maggette also gets an honorable mention at small forward.

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  • Los Angeles Lakers

    All-time starting five:

    PG: Magic Johnson

    SG: Jerry West

    SF: Kobe Bryant

    PF: Elgin Baylor

    C: Shaquille O'Neal

    Close calls: Were it not for Kareem's brilliance with the Bucks, he'd be the center here. Instead we go with Shaq, who had three of the most dominant years of any big man in NBA history while leading the Lakers to back-to-back-to-back titles from 2000-2002. There's some positional finagling going on with West, Bryant and Baylor, but there's no way we could leave any of them off. Snubs include George Mikan, James Worthy, Pau Gasol, Jamaal Wilkes and Gail Goodrich, but there's just no room in this franchise.

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  • Memphis Grizzlies

    All-time starting five:

    PG: Mike Conley

    SG: Tony Allen

    SF: Mike Miller

    PF: Zach Randolph

    C: Marc Gasol

    Close calls: No surprise that four of the five members come from the "Grit N' Grind" era, the only period of sustained success in Grizzlies history. Pau Gasol had better statistical years than Randolph, but Z-Bo probably means more to the franchise and played on better teams. Rudy Gay also has a case at small forward, but isn't remembered nearly as fondly as Miller.

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  • Miami Heat

    All-time starting five:

    PG: Tim Hardaway

    SG: Dwyane Wade

    SF: Glen Rice

    PF: Udonis Haslem

    C: Alonzo Mourning

    Close calls: Chris Bosh is obviously much better than Haslem, but Bosh had to be on the Raptors. So that meant it was between Haslem and Grant Long for power forward, and Haslem easily wins that one. One could argue for Eddie Jones over Rice, but it's a tough sell.

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  • Milwaukee Bucks

    All-time starting five:

    PG: Sidney Moncrief

    SG: Ray Allen

    SF: Marques Johnson

    PF: Bob Dandridge

    C: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

    Close calls: Bucks fans get to claim Kareem, who is placed here instead of the Lakers for his six thoroughly dominant seasons, including three MVP awards and leading Milwaukee to its only NBA title in 1971. Two-time All-Star Glenn Robinson has a case at small forward, and Sam Cassell was excellent in his five seasons in Milwaukee, but ultimately Johnson and Moncrief are more iconic Bucks. Oscar Robertson only played four seasons with the Bucks to end his career.

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  • Minnesota Timberwolves

    All-time starting five:

    PG: Ricky Rubio

    SG: Doug West

    SF: Wally Szczerbiak

    PF: Kevin Garnett

    C: Kevin Love

    Close calls: Only 16 players have spent at least five seasons in Minnesota, so it was slim pickings outside of the Kevins. Sam Mitchell gets the longevity award at small forward, but ultimately Szczerbiak was more effective. As for the guards, the only other real options were Corey Brewer, Anthony Peeler, Troy Hudson and Micheal Williams. Yikes. At least Andrew Wiggins is entering his fifth season, so he can make next year's list.

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  • New Orleans Pelicans

    All-time starting five:

    PG: Chris Paul

    SG: Jrue Holiday

    SF: Eric Gordon

    PF: David West

    C: Anthony Davis

    Close calls: Again, because of the strange Charlotte/New Orleans Hornets history, we only get to choose from New Orleans Hornets and Pelicans, not the old Charlotte Hornets, even though that's actually the same franchise. Confused yet? Long story short, it limited the options to six players who have played at least five seasons, and Peja Stojakovic made the Kings' all-time lineup, so voila! There's your starting five. As a result, we had to move Gordon to small forward, but he's played there with the Rockets for stretches so we know he's capable. It's easy when there's no debate.

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  • New York Knicks

    All-time starting five:

    PG: Walt Frazier

    SG: Richie Guerin

    SF: Bernard King

    PF: Willis Reed

    C: Patrick Ewing

    Close calls: Earl Monroe has a place in Knicks history, but his better years were with the Bullets so we put him there. Technically King only played four seasons in New York, but he was on the team for five seasons (missed one due to injury) so we'll count it. Allan Houston has a case at shooting guard, but he only had two All-Star appearances compared to five from the Hall of Famer Guerin. Harry Gallatin had a great career, but just ran into too much competition from King and Reed.

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  • Oklahoma City Thunder

    All-time starting five:

    PG: Gary Payton

    SG: Russell Westbrook

    SF: Kevin Durant

    PF: Shawn Kemp

    C: Jack Sikma

    Close calls: Lest we forget, the Thunder used to be the Seattle SuperSonics, which gives them a pretty stacked team. Ray Allen had five great seasons in Seattle, but loses out to Westbrook's MVP season and triple-double wizardry. Players like Spencer Haywood, Rashard Lewis and Detlef Schrempf also come to mind, but there's just nowhere to put them.

    Credit: Oklahoma City Thunder

  • Orlando Magic

    All-time starting five:

    PG: Jameer Nelson

    SG: Anfernee Hardaway

    SF: Nick Anderson

    PF: Horace Grant

    C: Dwight Howard

    Close calls: Two of the franchise's best players, Shaquille O'Neal and Tracy McGrady, each only played four seasons in Orlando and were therefore placed on other teams. Darrell Armstrong makes a case at point guard, but Nelson helped lead his team to the Finals. Hedo Turkoglu had some great years with the Magic, but a failed PED test tarnishes his legacy.

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  • Philadelphia 76ers

    All-time starting five:

    PG: Allen Iverson

    SG: Hal Greer

    SF: Julius Erving

    PF: Charles Barkley

    C: Dolph Schayes

    Close calls: Moses Malone is the most glaring omission, but he ended up on the Rockets (see Houston's entry for explanation). Other than that, Billy Cunningham probably has the best argument, but he's stuck behind Barkley and Dr. J. Similarly, no chance Mo Cheeks was beating out Iverson or Greer.

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  • Phoenix Suns

    All-time starting five:

    PG: Steve Nash

    SG: Kevin Johnson

    SF: Walter Davis

    PF: Shawn Marion

    C: Amar'e Stoudemire

    Close calls: Charles Barkley had his best years with the Suns, including an MVP and a Finals appearance, but he only played four seasons with the team. It was a tough call at shooting guard between Johnson and Paul Westphal, but Johnson averaging over 20 points and 10 assists for multiple seasons is hard to ignore. Alvan Adams is probably the biggest snub here, but Marion (four) and Stoudemire (five) each made more All-Star teams as members of the Suns than Adams' one appearance.

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  • Portland Trail Blazers

    All-time starting five:

    PG: Damian Lillard

    SG: Clyde Drexler

    SF: Jerome Kersey

    PF: LaMarcus Aldridge

    C: Bill Walton

    Close calls: Walton gets the five-year qualification even though he only technically played four seasons (he missed one due to injury). Rasheed Wallace has a case at power forward, but Aldridge's four All-Star appearances with Portland trump Wallace's two. Kiki Vandeweghe had five strong years with the Blazers, but Kersey was a key cog on some of the best teams in franchise history. By that logic you could argue for Terry Porter to take Lillard's place, but Lillard's All-NBA selections push him over the edge.

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  • Sacramento Kings

    All-time starting five:

    PG: Tiny Archibald

    SG: Oscar Robertson

    SF: Peja Stojakovic

    PF: Chris Webber

    C: Jerry Lucas

    Close calls: Jack Twyman probably has the best case here as a Hall of Famer who put up big scoring numbers in the 1950s, but Stojakovic is associated with those great Kings teams of the early 2000s that were legitimate title contenders. Mitch Richmond had six All-Star seasons in Sacramento, but couldn't unseat Robertson or Archibald. Had DeMarcus Cousins played a few more seasons with the Kings, he'd be in the mix at center.

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  • San Antonio Spurs

    All-time starting five:

    PG: Tony Parker

    SG: Manu Ginobili

    SF: George Gervin

    PF: Tim Duncan

    C: David Robinson

    Close calls: This might be the only franchise where there's pretty much zero debate about the list. The only case you can really make is for Kawhi Leonard over Gervin due to his NBA Finals MVP and two Defensive Player of the Year awards, but Gervin made nine All-Star teams and led the league in scoring four times. Plus, after this summer, you're probably not going to see many Spurs fans going to bat for Leonard.

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  • Toronto Raptors

    All-time starting five:

    PG: Kyle Lowry

    SG: DeMar DeRozan

    SF: Vince Carter

    PF: Chris Bosh

    C: Antonio Davis

    Close calls: Not much argument here, with four of the five starters already designated as (young) franchise legends. Jonas Valanciunas could have a case at center, but he has yet to make an All-Star team, which Davis did in 2001.

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  • Utah Jazz

    All-time starting five:

    PG: John Stockton

    SG: Pete Maravich

    SF: Adrian Dantley

    PF: Karl Malone

    C: Mark Eaton

    Close calls: Andrei Kirilenko is worthy of inclusion, but where? You could slide Malone to center and dump Eaton, but that would be pushing it. Mehmet Okur was also an All-Star for Utah, but Eaton's shot-blocking prowess gives him the spot.

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  • Washington Wizards

    All-time starting five:

    PG: John Wall

    SG: Earl Monroe

    SF: Gus Johnson

    PF: Elvin Hayes

    C: Wes Unseld

    Close calls: Hall of famer Walt Bellamy has a case at center or power forward, but Unseld and Hayes were key members of the Wizards/Bullets' only title in 1978. Gilbert Arenas had some great seasons for Washington, but doesn't have the longevity or Wall or Monroe. Antawn Jamison was also considered at small forward, but Johnson had five All-Star appearances to Jamison's two.

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