The NBA has a litany of greats in its 76-year history as the premier league in basketball. Out of the thousands of players that have played, picking an all-time starting five is not easy.
I spoke to Ray Allen on behalf of Fadeaway World during his visit to NBA India and asked him about his all-time starting five, with the added twist of also naming a sixth man.
Ishaan Bhattacharya: Who would be in your all-time starting five with a sixth man?
Ray Allen: “With a sixth man? Michael Jordan, Magic (Johnson), Larry (Bird), Shaq (O’Neal), and Hakeem Olajuwon. Sixth man? It would be, I would say LeBron.”
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This team would be the definition of unstoppable. Imagine facing this team and being happy that Larry Bird is subbing out, just to see LeBron James getting ready to check in. Not only could this team score 160 points, it can limit opponents to 60 points. Allen put together a real nightmare of a team.
Greatness Comes From Being Ready For The Moment
The players that Allen picked have demonstratively proven one thing in their career and that is they will not shy away from the big moments. Every single player on his list has won Finals MVP multiple times, showing that they can take control of a game when they’re needed to most and deliver results.
Allen got a chance to play against all of those players in his 18-year NBA career except Larry Bird and Magic Johnson. He started out with the Milwaukee Bucks in 1996, in the same division as Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls, so he is familiar with what the GOAT can do. He was playing in the West for the Seattle SuperSonics when Shaquille O’Neal was dominating the league on the Lakers alongside Kobe Bryant.
Allen’s history with LeBron is much more significant, as Allen was one of LeBron’s bitter rivals during his years on the Celtics. Ultimately, Allen would join LeBron on the Miami Heat and win a title with him in 2013. He averaged 18.9 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 3.4 assists for his career across four teams and is the second-leading three-point shooter of all time.
