Anthony Edwards Named His Greatest Starting Five in NBA History

Looking ahead to the future of the NBA, Anthony Edwards is expected to do great things in his career. The Minnesota Timberwolves guard has already accomplished some very impressive achievements in the five years he’s spent in the association. He’s a fierce defender and a relentless scorer, but one thing that fans are most impressed by is his self-confidence and the manner in which he’s never intimidated by an opponent, no matter how big a star they are.

Whether it’s LeBron James or Steph Curry, it doesn’t matter what an NBA star has achieved in the past, Edwards is confident he is better than anyone he faces off against. With that said, he’s not afraid to praise greatness and has discussed the best players in NBA history in the past. In an interview with GQ Sports, he even named his all-time dream starting five to ever play in the league and didn’t include Curry or Kobe Bryant.

5

Point Guard – LeBron James

While he’s not naturally a point guard, LeBron James has developed into an incredible ball handler during his career and has often acted as the primary playmaker for his teams. He’s an elite passer and his vision on the court is unmatched, so it’s easy to see why Edwards made the decision to pick the Los Angeles Lakers star in the position.

As quoted by Yahoo! Sports, Edwards justified his decision to select James here and said:

As the all-time leading scorer in NBA history, James is undoubtedly one of the greatest players ever and the only man that the majority have slotted ahead of him in their all-time rankings is the star who Edwards picked next at shooting guard.

4

Shooting Guard – Michael Jordan

What is there to say about Michael Jordan that hasn’t already been said? The Chicago Bulls icon is considered to be the greatest player in NBA history by the majority of people who have ever watched basketball and it’s easy to see why. MJ dominated the NBA throughout his career and no one has come close to replicating the legacy he forged.

Jordan is still talked about to this day, over two decades after his retirement. His competitive streak made him a nightmare for opponents to deal with and no one has averaged more points-a-game over the course of their career than the former shooting guard’s average of 30.1 points-a-game over the course of 15 seasons.

3

Small Forward – Kevin Durant

The second player in Edwards’ side that is still currently playing in the NBA is Kevin Durant. The Houston Rockets small forward is an pure a scorer as there has ever been in the association. Whether it’s from deep, in mid-range or at the rim, the former Golden State Warriors star can score with relative ease. His lengthy frame makes him nearly impossible for defenders to guard.

In any other generation, Durant would have been considered the greatest player in the NBA for the majority of his career, but he’s always had LeBron James to contend with. Still, if you want a wing who is a guaranteed bucket, there aren’t many better options in NBA history than Durant.

2

Power Forward – Nikola Jokic

Originally, Edwards chose Tim Duncan to be the power forward in his team. The Big Fundamental is often labelled one of the most underrated figures in NBA history, but the Timberwolves star quickly changed his mind and went with Nikola Jokic instead. The Joker is naturally more of a centre, but is capable of playing at the four and is currently the best player in the world.

The Denver Nuggets star is an incredible scorer, rebounder and playmaker, the likes of which the sport has never seen from its big men. He is dominant and led the Nuggets to an NBA title. He might not be the most athletic player in the league, but there’s no denying the impact he has on the court.

1

Centre – Shaquille O’Neal

Playing Jokic out of his natural position means Edwards must have had an all-time great at the centre role and that was the case as he picked Shaquille O’Neal. The former LA Lakers and Orlando Magic star was a force of nature during his career on the court. He was a defensive machine, dominated the boards and bullied his opponents in the paint.

Shaq’s charisma meant he transcended from beyond the court to mainstream culture and is as famous as any basketball player has ever been. Don’t let that fool you, though, there have been few centres in the history of the sport who come close to how impressive he was and it’s easy to see why Edwards chose him.