In majority of team sports, having 1 or 2 elite players doesn’t always mean you are a strong contender to win a title. In baseball, football, or even American football, a well-rounded team is required to be competitive. However, in basketball, given the fact that the game is played 5 on 5, having 2 elite players on your roster gives your team a great chance to compete for a title during any given season. This is what the NBA has prided itself on since the early bouts of Lakers versus Celtics: Cousy and Russel versus Chamberlain and West. Since this early era of basketball, every team has had a goal to obtain two elite superstar players and form a duo so formidable that they could wage war against any other team and come out victorious on the other side. Batman and Robin is always the duo that the media will cling to when comparing historic NBA duos. However, in this ranking of my top 5 duos in NBA history, I will be focusing on duos that are more similarly compared to Batman and Batman; two alpha elites on the same team capable of burying their opponent single-handedly on any given night. In the history of the NBA, there are dozens of elite duos, but for my list I am going to give you the 5 best in my opinion. Comment below whom you think I may have left out, or what you think I got wrong; but without further ado, let’s get to the list!

5. Karl Malone and John Stockton (1985-2003)

I understand Malone and Stockton are two players that in today’s standards are impossibly polarizing, and even hated by both casual and deep seeded NBA fans alike. Speaking strictly on the basketball part of this argument and not their personal lives (although I realize there are some serious character flaws), Malone and Stockton are by far the greatest NBA duo that never won a title together. They played together for 18 years- the most by any elite duo in NBA history as well- and during that time went to 2 finals and accumulated a record of 925 wins and 519 losses; the second greatest Big-Man and point guard duo in NBA History. I understand it may be weird to include them in my top 5 duos list, but if they had won even one championship together, I would have had them in the number 4 spot. Stockton is still the NBA’s all-time steals and assists leader, while Malone retired as the second all-time leading scorer in NBA history (now he sits third). The individual accolades are bountiful for them both, however their careers will always be marred with the failure to win the title in back to back years against another elite NBA duo, which we will discuss shortly.

4. Larry Bird and Kevin McHale (1980-1992)

As a Lakers fan, it pains me to do this, but Larry Bird and Kevin McHale definitely belong on this list. I won’t be including Robert Parish in this discussion, but effectively he was the third part of this all-time duo and it is important to mention him! During the 80’s, the Celtics won 3 titles and were one of the 2 most dominant teams of that decade. The reason for this was mainly because of the duo of Bird and McHale. The way they each played the game complimented each other’s styles so effortlessly. They were both hard-nosed defenders who were elite scorers and passers. On any given night, either of these Celtics could go off for 40 points and lead their team to victory. The main “what-if” scenario for this duo is, how many titles would they have won if they didn’t have to compete with the Showtime Lakers every year?

3. Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (1979-1989)

Speaking of those Showtime Lakers, perhaps the favorite NBA duo of many is Magic and Kareem. Two elite players whose playing styles complimented each other as perfectly as peanut butter and Jelly. Magic is regarded as the best passer in NBA history, while Kareem is deemed as the greatest post scorer of all-time; a literal perfect match of talents. During their run in the 1980’s, this duo won 5 NBA Titles while competing in 8 total finals together. Besides being perfect for each other on the court, off the court their personalities were also helpful in team culture. Kareem was very standoffish and often rude to other teammates and media members, while Magic smiled and joked with just about everyone and assumed the leadership role of the Showtime Lakers. Kareem preferred it this way, all he wanted to do was compete, he wasn’t into all the excess; so having Magic around allowed him to be himself and Magic became the darling of the NBA media. There are many people who regard this duo as the greatest of all time, and there is a strong argument for this; however, I think there are 2 superior duos left to discuss in NBA history.

2. Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen (1987-1998)

This is where I may lose some of you, but that’s okay! At number 2 on my list I have Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen. Now the chief argument as to why they should be number 1 is quite simple: they won 6 titles together and went undefeated in the Finals as teammates. In fact, during their 10 season together, they won the title in 6 of those years, which is the most dominant championship run of any duo in modern sports history, let alone NBA history. The only reason I do not have them as my number 1 duo of all time is simply because their skillsets are redundant. I understand, this is such a strange critique for a duo as successful as they were, but when I envision a perfect duo, I think of two alphas who dominate the game in two very diverse ways. Someone who was capable of dominating the interior on both sides of the court paired alongside a young guard who could dominate the other teams backcourt on both sides of the ball…. A duo like….

1.  Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal (1996-2004)

I know, I know, my bias is showing and I can understand the outrage of anyone who has made it this far down my list. However, I just do not think there has been a more dominant duo in NBA history than Kobe and Shaq. They were the most recent team in American sports to three-peat; take that Mahomes! The dominance that Kobe and Shaq played with during their time together was unmatched. During any given game, either of these legends could dominate in their own distinctive ways; Shaq would power his way and dunk it anyone or Kobe would finesse his way with footwork and skill to score in a million different ways. The worst part about this duo is knowing how many titles they would have won together if they could have just gotten along. After their playing days, they reconnected for a television sit down where they each owned up to their shortcomings when they were teammates. There is no doubt in my mind that if they could have worked it out that they would’ve won at least 4 more titles together; eclipsing Jordan and Pippen. But that is all conjecture and we will never know; now we leave it to the NBA fans to decide who the best duo is of all time. Let me know who you think it is below!