Minnesota Timberwolves’ D’Angelo Russell gives his all-time starting five

On Wednesday afternoon, Wolves’ guard D’Angelo Russell entered an Instagram live stream which he gave his All-Time starting five, including 2.5 players from the current NBA.

The least surprising entries on his list were Michael Jordan and LeBron James, the two players that have a case to be made to be the best player of all time. Jordan is a 14x NBA All-Star, has been on an All-NBA team 11 times, won five MVP awards, and was a 10x scoring champion.

James, who is currently on the Lakers, is a 16x All-Star, has been on 15 All-NBA teams, won four MVP awards, and has been on the All-Defense team six times. You can debate who you believe the greatest player of all time is, but both are extremely special players.

The late Kobe Bryant was also included on Russell’s list. Bryant was a two-time scoring champion, an All-Star 18 times over the course of his career, and finished on 15 All-NBA teams and 12 All-Defense teams. Bryant also won an NBA championship five times over the course of his career.

Russell included his former teammate, Stephen Curry, as well. Curry doesn’t quite have the accolades of Bryant, James, or Jordan, but he is also less tenured than all three of those players. Curry is a six-time All-Star, three-time NBA champion, an MVP twice (one of which was unanimous), and has been a scoring champion as well.

D’Angelo Russell couldn’t decide who the last spot in his starting five should be, but he noted it was between Kevin Durant and Shaquille O’Neal. Russell noted the dominance that both players have had over their careers.

Kevin Durant is probably the better fit for the modern NBA, but looking across generations, O’Neal was incredible for essentially the entirety of his career.

Notable ommissions include Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Wilt Chamberlain, Larry Bird, Hakeem Olajuwon, Magic Johnson, among others. Russell chose a slightly modern lineup but regardless, his list is solid.