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For the die-hard NBA fan, the concept of a “Big Three” has become fundamental to the game. Throughout the history of the NBA, certain trios have transcended well beyond the mere sum of their parts, embodying dynasties, defining eras, and capturing imaginations. These partnerships have not only secured championships, but have also revolutionized basketball strategy, showcased extraordinary talent synergies, and fostered some of the most unforgettable moments in sports history. Let’s dive right in counting down the 25 greatest trios of all-time.
25. Steve Nash – Amar’e Stoudamire – Shawn Marion
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The NBA would not be the same if it weren’t for the mid-2000s Phoenix Suns. Led by offensive guru Mike D’Antoni, the Suns played an open, up-tempo, outside-centric style which took the league by storm. The key to unlocking Phoenix’s run was the acquisition of Steve Nash from the Dallas Mavericks, who went on to win two MVPs while quarterbacking the top offensive attack in the league. Nash’s running mates were a pair of the most athletic forwards in the league, Stoudamire and Marion. The trio played together for four years, winning 54-plus games in each season and making two Conference Finals appearances until management foolishly dealt Marion to Miami for an aging Shaquille O’Neal.
24. Chauncey Billups – Ben Wallace – Rasheed Wallace
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It all came together for the Pistons at the start of the millennium. Detroit made trades to acquire both Wallace’s as well as the floor general Chauncey Billups. While fellow Detroit starters Tayshaun Prince and Rip Hamilton were great players in their own right, the point guard-big men trio made up the indispensable core of the Pistons’ memorable run. The Pistons would go on to make six-straight Eastern Conference Finals appearances from ’03-08, playing some of the best team defense the league had seen in years. Each player was capable of taking over a game on either end of the floor, making this group an especially difficult team to prepare for.
23. Wes Unseld – Elvin Hayes – Phil Chenier
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The engine that fueled the Bullets’ (Wizards) lone NBA Finals victory, Unseld, Hayes, and Chenier are absolute legends within the culture of Washington sports. The trio made three Finals appearances together, ultimately sealing the deal in 1978 in a dramatic seven-game series with the Seattle SuperSonics. While Hall of Famers Unseld and Hayes get a ton of credit (deservedly so), Chenier was a formidable tertiary threat who averaged over 20 PPG and made three All-Star teams from ’73-78.
22. Russell Westbrook – James Harden – Kevin Durant
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The only trio featuring three former MVPs, it’s difficult not to wonder what the OKC Thunder could have become. General Manager Sam Presti did an excellent job picking high in the draft. He plucked Durant, Westbrook, and Harden all with top-5 selections. In their three years together, the Thunder went 152-78 — ultimately culminating in a 2012 NBA Finals appearance. After dropping the series to the Miami Heat in five games, OKC’s front office broke the team up by sending James Harden to Houston. Now all three players are on Western Conference contenders, and the Thunder are once again on the up and up. The aftermath has left the NBA world with an endless supply of ‘what ifs?’.
21. Wilt Chamberlain – Jerry West – Elgin Baylor
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In search of an extra piece to dethrone the mighty Boston Celtics, the Lakers traded for the league’s most popular and dominant player (Wilt Chamberlain). The transaction also effectively created the league’s first ‘Super Team’ in the process. The Lakers had combined the three most electric offensive players in the league on one team. However, the trio was never able to accomplish the ultimate goal together. LA came up short on two occasions in the NBA Finals, suffering brutal Game 7 losses to the Celtics and Knicks in consecutive years. It wasn’t until 1972 that the Lakers core broke through and won a championship — though Baylor was forced to miss most of the season due to an injury, and ultimately retired. In terms of pure star power, there aren’t a whole lot of teammates who boasted more than this trio.
20. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar – Oscar Robertson – Bob Dandridge
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In just two years, the Bucks made three moves that would completely shift the trajectory of the franchise. In 1969, Milwaukee selected collegiate phenom Lou Alcindor with the first overall selection. Three rounds later, they selected Bob Dandridge who went on to be a four-time All-Star and eventual All-NBA Second-Team selection. The very next summer, Milwaukee inked triple-double machine Oscar Robertson to a lucrative deal. Milwaukee rode its stars to its one and only NBA Championship in 1971 and would make the Finals again three years later — ultimately falling short in seven games to the Boston Celtics.
19. John Havlichek – Dave Cowens – JoJo White
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Ranking the trios in the Boston Celtics’ history alone could be its separate article given the franchise’s rich history. The Cowens-Havlichek-White grouping doesn’t get the same notoriety as some of the more high-profile Boston Big Threes, but they were just as potent as their title-winning peers. They won two titles together (’74 and ’76), and were equally as dangerous on both ends. Cowens was the team’s top rebounder and defender, while Havlichek and White were lethal scorers who never shied from the big moment.
18. George Mikan – Jim Pollard – Jim Mikkelsen
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The oldest grouping on this list, Mikan-Pollard-Mikkelsen helped the Lakers quickly become the best team in the NBA after joining the league in 1949. Minneapolis won four NBA titles with these three in tow from ’50-54. Mikan, Pollard, and Mikkelsen were the Lakers’ top three scorers in each of their championship-winning playoff runs. While they aren’t mentioned among the greatest Laker trios of all time, this old-school threesome deserves plenty of credit.
17. Kyrie Irving – LeBron James – Kevin Love
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When LeBron James decided his time in Miami had run its course, his hometown Cavaliers did everything in their power to craft a winning team around the league’s best player. After signing James to a multi-year deal, the Cavs dealt the No. 1 pick in the draft (Andrew Wiggins) to Minnesota in exchange for perennial All-Star Kevin Love. James and Love joined forces with a young and dynamic Kyrie Irving, creating one of the league’s most potent trios ever. Cleveland made four NBA Finals appearances in a row after signing James and improbably went on to win the 2017 NBA Championship after coming back from a 3-to-1 series deficit versus the 73-9 Golden State Warriors.
16. Moses Malone – Julius “Dr. J” Erving – Andrew Toney
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Moses Malone, Andrew Toney, and ‘Dr. J’ Julius Erving completely disposed of the competition en route to the 1983 NBA Championship. It was an utterly mind-boggling collection of talent. Malone himself was the MVP of both the regular season as well as the Finals. He and the Doctor were named First-Team All-NBA selections that very year. Toney was a two-time All-Star and one of the most creative and prolific scorers of the era. Philadelphia lost just one game during the 1983 playoffs and went on to sweep the defending champion Los Angeles Lakers in the Finals.
15. Paul Pierce – Kevin Garnett – Ray Allen
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Boston’s ‘Three Party’ wasted no time making their mark on the league. After trading a top-5 pick for Allen, and a package of young players for Garnett, the Celtics raced to a 29-3 record to begin the 2008 season. Once reaching the playoffs, the combination of shot-making, leadership, experience, and defense led the Celtics to their 17th title in the franchise’s history. Had it not been for untimely injuries in the ensuing years, the Celtics’ ‘Big Three’ would have likely won even more.
14. Isiah Thomas – Joe Dumars – Bill Laimbeer
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Detroit’s ‘Bad Boy’ Pistons lived up to their moniker. Laimbeer led a team filled with defensive-minded bullies (including Rick Mahorn, Dennis Rodman, and James Edwards). Thomas and Dumars embodied the Pistons’ style: Tough, skilled, and unselfish. Detroit buried into a defense-first attitude by punishing any opponent who dared to drive to the basket. After losing to the Lakers in a classic seven-game Finals, the Bad Boys made it back to the Finals the next two years. In those two Finals appearances, the Pistons lost just one game and were back-to-back champions. The Pistons dismantled Magic Johnson’s Lakers and a stacked Portland Trail Blazers team in the process.
13. Hakeem Olajuwon – Clyde Drexler – Robert Horry
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During Michael Jordan’s baseball hiatus, Hakeem Olajuwon stepped into the role of the best player in the world. “The Dream” was a two-way nightmare and one of the league’s best on both ends of the floor. Olajuwon guided the Rockets to the 1994 NBA Finals with no true co-star, ultimately winning the championship in a tightly-contested seven-game series over Patrick Ewing’s New York Knicks.
The very next year, Houston went out and traded for Drexler — the shooting guard who positionally blocked Portland from drafting Jordan in the 1984 NBA Draft. Together with clutch shot-maker Horry, the trio averaged a combined 72.1 points, 31.0 rebounds, 16.1 assists, 6.0 steals, and 4.6 blocks in a 4-0 sweep over Shaquille O’Neal and Penny Hardaway’s Orlando Magic in the 1995 NBA Finals.
12. Walt Frazier – Willis Reed – Dave Debusschere
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It’s a bit hard to imagine now, but once upon a time, the New York Knicks were world champions. The Knicks can attribute their last NBA title to a trio of former first-round picks who helped cultivate the sport in the country’s most lively city. Frazier, Reed, and DeBusschere will live on as NY icons for years to come. Game 7 of the 1970 NBA Finals solidified each of their places in NBA history. DeBusschere compiled an 18-point, 17-rebound double-double, Frazier chipped in a monstrous 36-point, 19-assist, 7-rebound stat line, and Reed played with a torn meniscus. This feat likely won’t be topped by any current or future Knick for some time.
11. Wilt Chamberlain – Jerry West – Gail Goodrich
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Pair anybody with two all-time greats like Jerry West and Wilt Chamberlain and it’ll make for a fearsome trio. Gail Goodrich was more than capable of filling in as the third star. The all-time great Laker was a five-time All-Star and made an All-NBA First-team. The trio rallied the Lakers to a historic 33-game winning streak in 1972 and went on to win the NBA title later that season.
10. Michael Jordan – Scottie Pippen – Horace Grant
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During the early 90s, no team could stack up with Chicago’s star-studded trio. Led by the game’s best Michael Jordan, the Bulls were a juggernaut on both ends of the floor. Pippen and Grant perfectly complemented Jordan’s playing style as defensive-minded players who could fill it up offensively when needed. This incarnation of the Bulls went on to win three-straight titles from ’91-93 and sometimes gets overlooked in terms of the greatest trios of all-time.
9. Stephen Curry – Klay Thompson – Draymond Green
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While the Warriors would eventually get an MVP-level upgrade down the line, it’s this trio that changed the entire landscape of the NBA as we know it. Led by two late lottery selections and a second-round pick, Steph-Klay-Draymond created an improbable juggernaut from ’13-16. During this time, Curry was at his peak as a player (back-to-back MVP) and Green was an absolute beast as a two-way stalwart. Thompson, of course, added elite shooting and perimeter defense. The Warriors’ troika won the NBA title in 2015 and would go on to win a record 73 games during the following regular season. This specific trio would go on to win in 2022 to add to its impressive resume.
8. Kobe Bryant – Shaquille O’Neal – Derek Fisher
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The only reason the Kobe-Shaq Lakers aren’t higher on this list is that it was more of a ‘big two’ rather than a ‘big three’. With that said, the pairing was truly that special. There’s never been a better one-two punch in the history of basketball. Kobe was the closest thing to Michael Jordan in virtually all categories. When healthy, O’Neal was the most dominant physical force in the league’s vast history. He changed the complexions of not only games and series but also how the NBA called fouls (with the hack-a-Shaq axiom playing a very prevalent role during this time). Fisher proved that the ‘third banana’ doesn’t have to be an All-Star as he perfectly accentuated LA’s superstars by being a fearless shooter and defender.
7. Larry Bird – Kevin McHale – Robert Parrish
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There’s no denying how impactful this frontcourt was during the 1980s. Bird is among the greatest players and shooters ever. Though one couldn’t slip a credit card under his shoes when he ‘jumped’ off the floor, his all-around efficiency was only overshadowed by his ability to make clutch shots at a high rate. Parish was an enforcer in the paint and an often unappreciated member of the Celtics dynasty. McHale is one of the most potent low-post players in league history and could score over anyone with ease. One of the all-time great groups for a franchise that is plenty familiar with star-studded trios.
6. LeBron James – Dwyane Wade – Chris Bosh
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Not too often have we seen two top-five players join forces at the height of their powers. In the past when “Super Teams” had been created, one or two members of the team had usually been past their prime. When LeBron James signed with the Heat he was just 25 years old, Chris Bosh a year older at 26, and Miami mainstay Dwyane Wade was still only 28. The James-Wade-Bosh trio was predictably unstoppable, leading the Heat to four-straight Finals appearances and back-to-back titles in ’12 and ’13.
5. Kevin Durant – Stephen Curry – Klay Thompson
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During their back-to-back title-winning campaigns, it appeared as if this trio was on a clear trajectory to becoming the most dominant in league history. The Durant-era Warriors were a well-oiled machine on both ends of the floor. Thompson is uncanny in his ability to spot and find open pockets of space on the floor. Curry’s range is legitimately from 40 feet and in, and Durant can score the basketball in any way possible. From a macro perspective, you’ve got arguably the top two shooters of all-time (Curry, Thompson) flanked by a guy who is half man/half unicorn (Durant). Injuries ultimately derailed a third-straight title run, and Durant felt unfulfilled enough that he bolted for Brooklyn following the 2019 season.
4. Tim Duncan – Tony Parker – Manu Ginóbili
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It doesn’t get much more consistent than San Antonio’s powerful triad. Tim Duncan was an undeniable force from the very moment he began his NBA career. Duncan, with some help from an aging David Robinson, led the Spurs to a title win in the lockout-shortened 1999 NBA season. The Spurs would go on to add a pair of international point guards to aid Duncan along the way. French point guard Tony Parker and Argentinian super-sub Manu Ginóbili were offensive maestros who bought into the team’s culture which was cultivated by coach Gregg Popovich. The Spurs won 50-plus games each year from 2000-2017 (2016 was Duncan’s last season), and the trio would win four titles together.
3. Tommy Heinsohn – Bill Russell – Bob Cousy
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As a unit, the Heinsohn-Russell-Cousy trio combined for six titles and a whole mess of other accolades. Cousy was the league’s premier point guard and showman. Russell is the greatest winner in league history and is considered a top-10 player of all-time. The late, great Heinsohn was a natural scoring wing who was an elite rebounder for his position. The group sits lower than its peers simply because the competition wasn’t that great — nor were there as many teams to play against (comparatively speaking).
2. Magic Johnson – Kareem Abdul-Jabbar – James Worthy
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Good luck to any defense having to face off with this trio. If the running-and-gunning from Magic and Worthy wasn’t enough, the Lakers could just dump it down to Abdul-Jabbar for an easy bucket down low at any point in the game. KAJ is the NBA’s all-time leading scorer for a reason. Aside from his brilliance in the painted area, Worthy resembled a 6-foot-9 gazelle gliding down the floor in transition. He — like Abdul-Jabbar — was the recipient of more than a handful of insanely brilliant passes from the man many consider to be the best point guard in the history of the sport in Magic. The troika combined for three titles during the ‘Showtime’ era.
1. Michael Jordan – Scottie Pippen – Dennis Rodman
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The Jordan-Pippen-Rodman group won three titles together consecutively from ’96-98. With respect to the Celtics of the 50s and 60s, the Jordan-led Bulls are arguably the greatest NBA dynasty in the history of the league. This iteration of the Bulls was even better than the team that featured Horace Grant in the Rodman spot. Rodman is one of the best defenders and rebounders ever, a perfect player to pair with the high-scoring Jordan and the versatile Pippen. The most prolific trio to ever do it, it’s going to be difficult for anybody to topple the mighty Bulls trinity.
