Boston Celtics
Starting Five: Bill Laimbeer, Vinny Del Negro, Dana Barros, Michael Carter-Williams, Nerlens Noel
Image Source: CBS Detroit
Yikes.
The city of Boston is synonymous with winning — though there’s not a lot of talent coming from the city itself. Bill Laimbeer is clearly the best player of the bunch, though that’s a bit concerning considering he’s nothing more than a role player. Other than that, Bean Town doesn’t have much local flavor to work with.
Image Source: Kim Klement/USA TODAY Sports
Toronto Raptors
Starting Five: Rick Fox, Andrew Wiggins, Jamaal Magloire, Tristan Thompson, Cory Joseph
Image Source: Grantland
To be fair, the roots of basketball within the country of Canada aren’t nearly as deeply entrenched as they are in the United States. Canada has been producing basketball players at a higher clip. Some of their prodigal sons (Steve Nash, Kelly Olynyk) come from the west coast of the country. In this case, the city of Toronto is hoping that R.J. Barrett is more like Nash than the last Toronto-based player picked high the draft (Anthony Bennett).
Image Source: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports
Miami Heat
Starting Five: Mitch Richmond, Anthony Mason, Eddie Jones, Trevor Ariza, Udonis Haslem
Image Source: NBA
The city of Miami is surprisingly enough not a huge hotbed for NBA talent. The football-crazy nature of the city may have something to do with it, though at least Miami has produced one surefire Hall of Famer (Richmond). In a hypothetical 5-on-5 game, the Miami team appears to be quite balanced from top to bottom.
Image Source: ESPN
Memphis Grizzlies
Starting Five: Penny Hardaway, J.J. Redick, Oscar Robertson, Bailey Howell, Lou Williams
Image Source: Google
The Memphis squad is a bit top-heavy. Though Hardaway didn’t completely live up to expectations during his time in the league, he’s undoubtedly a Memphis legend. Robertson aka “The Human Triple-Double” was born in the state of Tennessee. The same can be said for Lou Williams — who hailed in Memphis before moving to Atlanta.
Image Source: Richard Mackson/USA TODAY Sports
Houston Rockets
Starting Five: Clyde Drexler, Jimmy Butler, Stephen Jackson, DeAndre Jordan, Rashard Lewis
Image Source: NBA
This Houston team is extremely balanced. The likes of Drexler, Butler, Lewis, and Jackson would account for plenty of scoring from the wing. When needing to defend the paint in a hypothetical scrimmage, the Houston team would be well stocked with Jordan patrolling the backline.
Image Source: Adam Hunger/USA TODAY Sports
Seattle SuperSonics
Starting Five: John Stockton, Jason Terry, Jamal Crawford, Brandon Roy, Nate Robinson
Image Source: sportige
The city of Seattle is included within this list for a few reasons. One, the city deserves to yet again have a team. Secondly, the SuperSonics is an awesome franchise. Third, Seattle has a rich basketball tradition. While the lack of height will prevent this squad from winning a tournament, it sure would be a fun team to watch in a pickup setting.
Image Source: Joe Camporeale/USA TODAY Sports
Portland Trail Blazers
Starting Five: Klay Thompson, Kevin Love, A.C. Green, Terrell Brandon, Damon Stoudamire
Image Source: Oregon Live
Though both born in Los Angeles, Thompson and Love grew up with each other in the ritzy Portland suburb of Lake Oswego. Brandon, Green, and Stoudamire all grew up within the city limits. While Thompson and Love are the undoubted headliners within the group, the team lacks the top-end depth to be competitive with some of the other cities mentioned on the list.
Image Source: Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports
Atlanta Hawks
Starting Five: Shareef Abdur-Rahim, Dwight Howard, Walt Frazier, World B. Free, Norm Nixon
Image Source: Twitter
Atlanta can field a very interesting team. It has a little bit of everything — including guys that can get buckets, versatility on the offensive end, and (when healthy/motivated/not embroiled in controversy) a guy who can defend the paint at an elite level. The city of Atlanta would be rather excited to watch this collection of talent perform together.
Image Source: Bleacher Report
Dallas Mavericks
Starting Five: Chris Bosh, LaMarcus Aldridge, Grant Hill, Spud Webb, Larry Johnson
Image Source: Hoops Hype
Dallas’ frontcourt is beastly. Bosh and Aldridge are both able to hurt teams from the perimeter as well as in the paint. Johnson is an animal on the boards, and Hill had the promise of once being an NBA great. Though we love Webb and what he brings to the table, the guard spots are clearly weak for the city of Dallas.
Image Source: John Glaser-USA TODAY Sports
Orlando Magic
Starting Five: Vince Carter, Tracy McGrady, Amar’e Stoudemire, Darryl Dawkins, Vin Baker
Image Source: OpenCourt-Basketball
Orlando’s team is intriguing — if anything. It features three players (Stoudemire, Carter, McGrady) whom were physical marvels during their respective primes. The frontcourt would be well taken care of with Stoudemire, Dawkins, and Baker cleaning up in the paint. McGrady and Carter have undeniable chemistry — thought the lack of a floor general/spacer may hurt this hypothetical five-man squad.
Image Source: Bleacher Report
Cleveland Cavaliers
Starting Five: LeBron James, John Havlicek, C.J. McCollum, Nate Thurmond, Jerry Lucas
Image Source: Yahoo!Sports
Of course, the Cleveland teams starts and ends with LeBron. A James-Havlicek pairing is mouth-watering — especially for their three teammates. There are other teams on this list with better collective talent. However, LeBron’s brilliance helps the Cleveland team ascend a few spots. We’d also love seeing James work alongside a legitimate big man (Thurmond).
Image Source: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports
New Orleans Pelicans
Starting Five: Karl Malone, Willis Reed, Elvin Hayes, Bob Pettit, Robert Parish
Image Source: Heightline
While Seattle was a guard oriented team, the New Orleans version will maul opponents to death. Four players on this list hover between 6-feet-9 and 6-feet-10. Parish — the tallest member of the quintet — is also the nastiest. Without question, one won’t be able to drive the lane against New Orleans without receiving an elbow to either the rib cage or the nose.
Image Source: Pinterest
Detroit Pistons
Starting Five: Draymond Green, Magic Johnson, George Gervin, Chris Webber, Dave DeBusschere
Image Source: Google
Detroit’s starting five perfectly describes the city from which it hails. There’s a fair combination of grit, physicality, flashiness all in one. Johnson would love playing alongside DeBusschere and Gervin. Webber would also be the beneficiary of a number of phenomenal passes — particularly in transition. When looking at the other groups, Detroit might be the most underrated team on the list.
Image Source: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports
Los Angeles Lakers/Clippers
Starting Five: James Harden, Reggie Miller, Russell Westbrook, Kawhi Leonard, Bill Walton
Image Source: Daily Mail
Here’s when we get into the heavy-hitters category. LA’s team is an interesting mix of current players (Harden, Westbrook, Leonard) along with two Hall of Fame players. Though a native of San Diego, Walton’s inclusion comes from the fact he went to UCLA. A healthy Walton was on track to become one of the game’s all-time greats — regardless of position. This group is dynamic, skilled, and could vault themselves higher up the list when the careers of the aforementioned current players come to a close.
Image Source: Russ Isabella-USA TODAY Sports
Chicago Bulls
Starting Five: Dwyane Wade, Anthony Davis, Derrick Rose, Isiah Thomas, George Mikan
Image Source: Chicago Sun-Times
Chicago is loaded — plain and simple. It’s a team chock-full of elite athletic ability, competitiveness, and skill. Davis and Mikan perfectly complement one another in an inside-outside situation. From there, a three-guard group of Wade, Thomas, and (a healthy) Rose is absolutely ridiculous. This would be a fun team to watch.
Image Source: Nick Turchiaro-USA TODAY Sports
Golden State Warriors
Starting Five: Gary Payton, Jason Kidd, Damian Lillard, Ray Allen, Bill Russell
Image Source: Google
Yay Area, stand up! Russell was born in Louisiana — though moved to Oakland as an eight-year-old. He then attended the University of San Francisco, and thus became Bay Area royalty. Lillard and Payton rep the city of Oakland as much as anyone. The same can be said for Kidd, who is widely considered one of the best two-way guards in league history. Allen moved all over the place as a kid, though he was born in the Northern California city of Merced.
Image Source: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports
Washington Wizards
Starting Five: Kevin Durant, David Robinson, Elgin Baylor, Adrian Dantley, Dave Bing
Image Source: Troy Taormina
The nation’s capital is loaded with elite basketball-playing savants. Durant has the potential to one day be a top-10 player of all-time. during their respective primes, Robinson, Baylor, Dantley, and Bing were all considered elite players. Aside from that, all five have been/will be inducted into the Hall of Fame.
Image Source: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports
Philadelphia 76ers
Starting Five: Kobe Bryant, Wilt Chamberlain, Earl Monroe, Paul Arizin, Jack Twyman
Image Source: Mental Floss
Philadelphia might not collectively be as good as Washington D.C.’s collection of talent. With that said, there may not be another team within this list to possess a one-two punch as good as Bryant and Chamberlain. Kobe knows a thing or two about playing with a dominant big man. This duo alone could lead any five-on-five team to a tournament title. When throwing in Monroe as a third cog, things get even more terrifying for opponents.
Image Source: Robert Hanashiro-USA TODAY Sports
New York Knicks/Brooklyn Nets
Starting Five: Julius Erving, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Bob Cousy, Nate Archibald, Bernard King
Image Source: Google
New York City and its surrounding boroughs is absolutely loaded with revolutionary talent. It says something when Chris Mullin can’t even crack the potential starting five. When analyzing this potential starting five, there are really no weaknesses anywhere on the floor. Abdul-Jabbar’s presence alone makes this group a threat to win any hypothetical tournament/series.
Image Source: Basketball Forever
Charlotte Hornets
Starting Five: Michael Jordan, Stephen Curry, Dominique Wilkins, James Worthy, Jerry Stackhouse
Image Source: Google
Interestingly enough, the NBA city of Charlotte plays host to the best five-man group of any team. Even though Jordan was born in Brooklyn, he spent the vast majority of his life in the state of North Carolina. When paired with Curry, this backcourt is virtually unguardable. Even more frightening, Jordan and Curry get the benefit of playing against two jumbo wings resembling gazelles careening down the floor in Worthy and Wilkins. Lastly, Stackhouse in his prime would be the best fifth man in the history of basketball.
Image Source: Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images