Coming up with an all-time NBA starting five isn’t an easy task, and Detroit Pistons star Cade Cunningham has become the latest to try his hand at it. Fanatics asked Cunningham to name his best starting lineup, and he went with some big names.
“My all-time starting five, not including me, Steph [Curry] at the one,” Cunningham said. “[Michael Jordan] at the two, Kobe [Bryant] at the three, [LeBron James] at the four. Let’s go [Shaquille O’Neal] at the five.
“With them on the same team, I think they have a chance of going 82-0, but they gotta be locked in,” Cunningham added. “I’ll probably say 77-5.”
If these five were locked in all the time, they would probably go 82-0. There is no weakness here that one can point to.
Stephen Curry is Cunningham’s point guard, and he has won four titles, one Finals MVP, two MVPs, and two scoring titles. Curry has made 11 All-Star and 11 All-NBA teams, and is the greatest shooter in league history. More and more are starting to believe he is also the greatest point guard of all time.
While Curry might have a case for that title of greatest point guard, Cunningham’s shooting guard is widely regarded as the greatest player ever. Michael Jordan won six titles, six Finals MVPs, five MVPs, one DPOY, and 10 scoring titles. Jordan made 14 All-Star, 11 All-NBA, and nine All-Defensive teams.
Cunningham then slotted in Kobe Bryant, the closest thing we have seen to Jordan, at small forward. Bryant won five titles, two Finals MVPs, one MVP, and two scoring titles. He made 18 All-Star, 15 All-NBA, and 12 All-Defensive teams. The Los Angeles Lakers icon tends to split opinion when it comes to his placement in all-time rankings, but there is no denying the fact that he is one of the best ever.
Cunningham went from a former Laker to a current one by picking LeBron James as his power forward. James has won four titles, four Finals MVPs, four MVPs, a scoring title, and an assists title. The 40-year-old has made 21 All-Star, 21 All-NBA, and six All-Defensive teams, and is the league’s all-time leading scorer. A growing number are starting to believe he is the greatest ever, not Jordan.
Bryant and James’ former teammate, Shaquille O’Neal, got the nod from Cunningham at center. O’Neal won four titles, three Finals MVPs, one MVP, and two scoring titles. He made 15 All-Star, 14 All-NBA, and three All-Defensive teams. O’Neal is unquestionably the most dominant player of the modern era.
All five have very impressive resumes and don’t seem out of place. With the NBA having had so many great players, though, you’re inevitably leaving out some big names.
Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar are the two names that immediately come to mind, but Cunningham was clearly going modern here with his selections. Jordan is the only one among these five to have played in the 1980s, and he tends to be a default pick in these starting fives.
Cunningham is unlikely to find himself mentioned in the same breath as these icons, but he looks set to have quite an impressive career. The 24-year-old is averaging 27.4 points, 5.6 rebounds, 9.9 assists, 1.4 steals, and 0.8 blocks per game in 2025-26.
Cunningham has led the Pistons to a 14-2 record so far, and one wonders how far he can take this group this season. They’ll be in action next against the Indiana Pacers at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on Monday at 7 PM ET.
