The Los Angeles Lakers are one of the greatest franchises in the history of sports with some of the greatest NBA players of all-time donning the purple and gold. Magic Johnson, Kobe Bryant, Shaquille O’Neal and LeBron James, just to name a few, will all go down in history as Laker greats.
As such, when people name their all-time starting fives, it is nearly impossible to do so without having a Lakers player in the lineup. Even Jaylen Brown, member of the rival Boston Celtics and current NBA Finals MVP, had to name a couple of Lakers on his list.
Brown recently listed his all-time starting five, naming Lakers legends Bryant and James next to Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant and Bill Russell, via House of Highlights:
It was nearly three Lakers stars on Brown’s lineup as Shaquille O’Neal was originally named, but he would change his mind and replace him with Russell. Brown explained this by saying he wanted a lineup that could get up and down the court quickly and Russell allows for that more than Shaq. It did also allow him to get a Celtics legend in the lineup and, perhaps, escape some anger from Boston fans.
Nonetheless, the lineup is a more than formidable one, and one that would actually fit together basketball-wise. Brown’s lineup is excellent on both ends of the court with Kobe, LeBron and Russell all being top-tier defenders, along with two of the greatest shooters the NBA has ever seen in Curry and Durant.
It’s always fun to see who players put in these types of lineups. Brown went with more of a current lineup aside from Russell, but it makes sense as these are the players he grew up watching or played against. And in the end, even a Celtics player can’t escape putting multiple Lakers in his all-time lineup.
LeBron James says he and Kevin Durant ‘bring out the best in one another’ as USA teammates
LeBron James, Kevin Durant and Stephen Curry are currently starring for Team USA at the 2024 Olympics in Paris. In their opening contest against Serbia, it was LeBron and Durant leading the way in a dominant victory.
Durant led Team USA with 23 points while LeBron finished with 21 points and nine assists. Afterwards, LeBron said he and Durant ‘bring out the best in one another’ and called it a ‘treat’ to team with him for USA.
