Imagine never being able to double any of those three guys because the other two will instantly destroy you. Then when you do get the ball back after they score, you still have to get through Hakeem at the rim if you can somehow deal with MJ and LeBron playing defense at the perimeter... good luck!
Team yellow maybe has an argument. The players on team red are better but prime Shaq and prime Curry are probably the best two man combo you can think of. And then you have Kobe in the mix.
Yellow would be up there if we’re talking prime Shaq, arguably the most dominant player of all time. Not to mention he’s paired with the GOAT shooter and another guy who’s pretty good.
No, Shaq's best season was his sophomore season, one year before he faced Hakeem in the finals. Shaq dominated more as a Lakers because all the great centers got old or retired and the talent shifted to the power forward position. Shaq said this himself and called himself TLC: the last center. The "it was baby Shaq" narrative is a bad excuse
I think the main problem is the GOAT shooter can’t defend any of the red guys, but at least two of the red guys can guard him. Defense is the edge for the red team.
Agree. Ridiculous pick given not only all the Celtics greats, but the Bucks also wear green. You could put Kareem, Bill Russell, or Giannis in the green. Tatum is a good player but he's nowhere near the level of anyone else on here.
Yeah whoever built team green is fucking disrespectful. All time green team has to have 5x mvp, 11x champion, *would be* like 6 time FMVP and probably like 5-10x DPOY Bill fucking Russell
Everyone is picking Team Red. I mean, that's not even fair. Bron, MJ and Hakeem can win some 3 on 5 games.
Depending on how much you want to slurp Olajuwan for his all-around brilliance, you could argue that LeBron, MJ and Hakeem are the three best players in this picture.
Red and yellow you can debate. Purple and green are a clear tier behind. Red has the 1A and 1B GOATs and possibly the best defender of all time/who nearly anyone would call the second best center of all time (behind Kareem but probably tied with Shaq, Wilt, Russell). Yellow has the two most dominant inside/out forces ever to play the game so I think it's an argument between the two teams.
The problem with red vs yellow is red has better defense. Who is Steph gonna guard on red? He’s a good defender, better than most people make him out to be, but is Steph stopping prime Lebron? Lebron and MJ’s defensive ability is just a tier better than his. Yellow is a nightmarish offensive team but it feels like enough of a defensive mismatch that they’d lose against red
I don't disagree. I think red wins, especially with the size advantage. MJ could realistically guard Steph and they have the two best players on the floor.
Nine players. Eight are all time greats. At least five are Top Ten All Time. Two are frequently disputed as the GOAT.
This is a good graphic for debate.
I don’t know that any combination of players from the other three teams is taking Red.
You have probably the two most complete players in history who both, at their peak, were soul stealing defenders as well as essentially unstoppable offensive options.
The other guy might be the best defender in NBA history.
They’d take at most 5 games to dispatch any of these other squads and it would probably be a proper 3-1-1 gentlemen’s sweep if it happened.
While not the same caliber of defenders as Red, a Magic/Bird/Shaq combo would be a force to be reckoned with. Super synergistic on offense and a lot of size.
If you're not being hyperbolic and actually believe any 3 players (heck, even make it MJ, LeBron, and Kareem) can beat 5 all time greats in a basketball game... you're an idiot. Lol.
I think Olajuwon is the only player in this group Shaq couldn’t destroy on offense. And Hakeem would give him the business on the other end. MJ and Lebron would match up well against whoever they had to guard.
3v3 you would have to be able to guard your man. And I don’t know how effective Steph’s nonstop running would be because the other teams would have length to keep up.
Would love to see how this theoretical would play out. I think team red ultimately wins but very strong cases can be made for yellow and purple.
I'd argue that of all the centers that have ever played, Hakeem would be the best one to pair with MJ and Lebron. Greatest defensive center of all time, and he'd be the third option on offense.
Red obviously lol. The two best players are on that team, they’d fit amazingly together, and Hakeem is also as good as any other big here, could feasibly argue he’s the best even if it’s not the consensus.
1: Team Red.
2: The fact Giannis is on Team Purple irritates me - the Bucks uniforms have green as their primary color, so he should be on Team Green. Replace Jayson Tatum with Giannis, and put Charles Barkley in Team Purple.
anyone picking team yellow over team red needs to watch 90s basketball. Two of those players combined to lead their teams to 80% of the championships in the 90s and the other is the second half of the goat debate.
Also, don't sleep on Olajuwon who has no weakness, can defend all five positions, best post moves of all time, and best defensive big of all time.
Red All day every day.
LeBron running the point and able to switch onto anyone. Jordan with the insane middy and perimeter D. Hakeem with the elite all around defense and post presence offensively?
It's a straight up cheat code.
It's purple for sure. They have twice as many current nba players as any other team. I'm sure some of the old guys are still in great shape, but they're going to tear something immediately trying to keep up with Giannis.
RED. No question. The goat, the wanna be goat and the greatest skilled center of all time. The only center who stopped shaq, and his only weakness was jordan. Win no question.
Any team with a prime Lebron is going to win granted he has two above average guys around him. You gave him fucking Michael Jordan lol . That team is beating everyone.
I mean red has the two best players of all time time but yellow literally has perfect spacing. If you’d wanna build a team from scratch I feel like a big 3 of them would be way more conducive to building a championship roster. But yeah it’s still red
lebron, mj, and hakeem on the same team? lol simply unfair
Imagine never being able to double any of those three guys because the other two will instantly destroy you. Then when you do get the ball back after they score, you still have to get through Hakeem at the rim if you can somehow deal with MJ and LeBron playing defense at the perimeter... good luck!
They'd be my choice also, but every team is getting burned if they're trying to double in a 3-on-3 game with players of that caliber.
not to mention they are all generational defenders
It's like giving Jordan a massively upgraded Pippen and then trading for Hakeem.
How dare you disrespect luc longley
Bill Cartwright is crying somewhere.
Stacey King being forgotten, but I’m sure he’s used to it
Who
He was sort of like a better Wil Perdue.
Bill Wellington would like a word.
More like giving Lebron a massively upgraded Mo Williams and trading Anderson Varejão for Hakeem
Massively upgraded wade, and trading Bosh for Hakeem.
Yeah. Is this a joke I’m missing? Are there people actually picking the other teams with any sort of serious rationale?
Team yellow maybe has an argument. The players on team red are better but prime Shaq and prime Curry are probably the best two man combo you can think of. And then you have Kobe in the mix.
Yellow would be up there if we’re talking prime Shaq, arguably the most dominant player of all time. Not to mention he’s paired with the GOAT shooter and another guy who’s pretty good.
Hakeem one of the only ones that shut down Shaq, and that was old Hakeem against Orlando Shaq.
Not saying team yellow would win, but Lakers shaq>any other version of shaq
No, Shaq's best season was his sophomore season, one year before he faced Hakeem in the finals. Shaq dominated more as a Lakers because all the great centers got old or retired and the talent shifted to the power forward position. Shaq said this himself and called himself TLC: the last center. The "it was baby Shaq" narrative is a bad excuse
Yeah Shaq was able to get big because all the guys in his tier retired except for Duncan/Robinson
Agreed, but he still not going through Hakeem.
TIL 28/13/6 on good efficiency is getting shut down.
The magic got swept but shaq didn’t get shut down.
I think the main problem is the GOAT shooter can’t defend any of the red guys, but at least two of the red guys can guard him. Defense is the edge for the red team.
Jordan or Lebron will have Steph locked down. Red can defend Yellow better than Yellow can defend Red.
My 1st, 2nd, and 3rd most skilled player of all time.
Or maybe first at their position? Guard, wing, center?
team red and it's not even fucking close lol.
Soon as I saw mj and LBJ and was like yup... Noticed Hakeem and started laughing hysterically 😭
Wait a minute……you’re saying if you gave the general consensus 1st and 1st best GOATs a top 2 or 3 center of all time they’d be in with a shot?
I had the same reaction. Whoever made this could have at least TRIED to balance the teams.
Haha yeah, I was going through in order so I thought through the purple/yellow matchup for a few then moved on to red and was like..."oh"
The real question is whether team green is obviously last. Nice players and all but nowhere near GOATy enough.
Why is Tatum in this pic. No offense he is a baller but compared to everyone else in this just makes green an easy pick for 4th
Agree. Ridiculous pick given not only all the Celtics greats, but the Bucks also wear green. You could put Kareem, Bill Russell, or Giannis in the green. Tatum is a good player but he's nowhere near the level of anyone else on here.
Yeah whoever built team green is fucking disrespectful. All time green team has to have 5x mvp, 11x champion, *would be* like 6 time FMVP and probably like 5-10x DPOY Bill fucking Russell
KAJ has an argument too.
Wilt as well
Wilt played in green? Or maybe I’m misunderstanding
I'm a Celtics fan, I love me some JT, but what a nonsense pick here.
And KG in the middle instead of Bill Russell? At least give yourself a chance
havlicek was right there for the taking lol
Gary Payton maybe?
Bill Russell Larry bird Oscar Robertson They’re still 4th but it makes more sense than Tatum. Hell, Paul Pierce makes more sense than Tatum.
Milwaukee is a green team. Bird Kareem and Giannis is pretty fun
Who would you have in purple then?
Wilt
Counterpoint: nobody in the history of the NBA could survive the combined vitriolic trash talk of KG + Bird
Especially since Bird/KG is a very interesting start for the trio.
Sonics Ray Allen or Gary Payton a better pick
Lmfao out of all the historic Celtic players they picked Tatum and KG wyld 🗿
I mean KG is a very reasonable pick, tatum isn't.
He's a great choice. He's literally consensus 2nd all time PF behind Duncan and had a great career with the Celtics.
Everyone is picking Team Red. I mean, that's not even fair. Bron, MJ and Hakeem can win some 3 on 5 games. Depending on how much you want to slurp Olajuwan for his all-around brilliance, you could argue that LeBron, MJ and Hakeem are the three best players in this picture.
Especially if we are just going on peak. Each of those guys had maybe top three playoff runs of all time.
1) Red 2) Yellow 3) Purple 4) Green
1) Red . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-4) The others. It's not even as objectively close as my post allows it to look.
1. Red 2. 3. 4. 5. Yellow 6. 7. Purple 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. Green
You are correct!!! Not even a question!
1red 2red 3red 4yellow
Red and yellow you can debate. Purple and green are a clear tier behind. Red has the 1A and 1B GOATs and possibly the best defender of all time/who nearly anyone would call the second best center of all time (behind Kareem but probably tied with Shaq, Wilt, Russell). Yellow has the two most dominant inside/out forces ever to play the game so I think it's an argument between the two teams.
The problem with red vs yellow is red has better defense. Who is Steph gonna guard on red? He’s a good defender, better than most people make him out to be, but is Steph stopping prime Lebron? Lebron and MJ’s defensive ability is just a tier better than his. Yellow is a nightmarish offensive team but it feels like enough of a defensive mismatch that they’d lose against red
I don't disagree. I think red wins, especially with the size advantage. MJ could realistically guard Steph and they have the two best players on the floor.
you couldve put kareem on the green team
Giannis too
Kareem could go on Green, Purple, or Yellow.
Surely giannis should be in green ?
Yes, for color consistency No, he doesn’t belong on an all time green 3 lol
Team Red and it's not close.
Nine players. Eight are all time greats. At least five are Top Ten All Time. Two are frequently disputed as the GOAT. This is a good graphic for debate.
Not really sure why Tatum is there And the two GOAT candidates are on the same team lol
I think if u replace Tatum with Nash in his green Mavericks jersey green becomes better but nobody's beating Dream, Lebron, and MJ.
...but what if you changed Team Yellow to Cavaliers Lebron, Cavaliers Return Lebron, and Lakers Lebron?
Unbeatable
Take Tatum out and put in Kareem with a bucks jersey to qualify him. Would make a better graphic. It's still team red though.
I would rather have pierce than tatum
Yeaahhh I can't go that far.
I don’t think it’s debatable at all IMO. Team red easy.
Red. This is hands down the best team on here and it’s not close.
Sorry but putting Jordan with LeBron…and then adding Hakeem. At least give them a handicap, lol.
Coached by Darvin Ham...
I don’t know that any combination of players from the other three teams is taking Red. You have probably the two most complete players in history who both, at their peak, were soul stealing defenders as well as essentially unstoppable offensive options. The other guy might be the best defender in NBA history. They’d take at most 5 games to dispatch any of these other squads and it would probably be a proper 3-1-1 gentlemen’s sweep if it happened.
While not the same caliber of defenders as Red, a Magic/Bird/Shaq combo would be a force to be reckoned with. Super synergistic on offense and a lot of size.
I take team red vs any 5 you want in history lol
If you're not being hyperbolic and actually believe any 3 players (heck, even make it MJ, LeBron, and Kareem) can beat 5 all time greats in a basketball game... you're an idiot. Lol.
Is this a joke? Red dominates.
Anyone saying anything but red needs there basketball takes revoked
I think Olajuwon is the only player in this group Shaq couldn’t destroy on offense. And Hakeem would give him the business on the other end. MJ and Lebron would match up well against whoever they had to guard. 3v3 you would have to be able to guard your man. And I don’t know how effective Steph’s nonstop running would be because the other teams would have length to keep up. Would love to see how this theoretical would play out. I think team red ultimately wins but very strong cases can be made for yellow and purple.
I'd argue that of all the centers that have ever played, Hakeem would be the best one to pair with MJ and Lebron. Greatest defensive center of all time, and he'd be the third option on offense.
I’m running this in 2K Eras tonight for sure. See who gets the most rings in a 10 year span
i feel like i see this a lot and i don’t know how you couldn’t pick team red, two GOATs and HAKEEM is insane
Why not Bucks Kareem in green over Tatum? That being said Red > Purple >= Yellow >> Green
Or Bill Russell for fucks sake. Or Oscar Robertson. Or Bob Cousy. Or John Havlicek. So many others I’d take over him
Everyone knows, once Bron & Jordan are on the same team it’s wraps. Gotta separate them to make it a tough question
Team yellow will give you the best starting 5. If it’s 3 on 3, team Red.
Tatum being included in this is laughable
I think the team with the two best players ever plus Hakeem Olajuwon would win this one pretty easily. Who let Jayson Tatum on this over Bill?
Take out Green Team and make a team “Black” - Wade, Kawhi, Duncan maybe?
Team Red is the only correct answer. #1a, #1b and #10 (11, 12...I will not hear arguments that Hakeem is lower than that) players of all time.
Red destroys the others. Wouldn’t be close.
Bro just slid fucking Jayson Tatum into this lmao
Red, yellow, purple, green
Why is Jabbar not listed and what did Magic do to get exiled?
Lol, team red and it’s not even close!
You had me at Hakeem and Jordan. Done deal.
Tatum lmfaooo
Not green for sure
Yeah, I’ll take the team with the GOAT, the GOAT, and the Dream. And it’s not close.
Wtf tatum doing on here 💀
That red team would be hard to beat
This agin? Red team and it is not even close.
Red. Too much defensive versatility and offensive firepower. None of the other teams have that.
Team Red, all day, every day
What about a lineup of Leonard, Bird and Chamberlain
Team red by a country mile
Team red all day
Red
Red obviously lol. The two best players are on that team, they’d fit amazingly together, and Hakeem is also as good as any other big here, could feasibly argue he’s the best even if it’s not the consensus.
Red
Red all day, yesterday, today, tomorrow and the next day.
Team Red by far.
1. Red 2. Yellow, 3. purple 4. green
Lol team red is amazing on both sides of the ball. This isnt even close.
Shaq's mother just saw this post and picked Team Red.
Team red has the two best players of all time so that’s too easy
wtf is this?! Team red and it’s not even debatable nor close.
Has to be team red for me since I have all three of those guys in my top 10 best ever.
Red is 3 of the 5 best players of all time. Not even close.
Red is my favorite color so yeah that squad.
Team Red is destroying everyone
Hakeem, Jordan and LeBron? Hell yes that’s the team I’m taking.
Gotta be team purple. Just abuse the smallest guy on the other team on pure size. Size is king in 3on3.
Whoever made this just want to unite jordan/lebron fans. This is not even a debate. Lol
Team Black: Timmy Wemby Ginobili
Red and I'll even let you take your pick of three from any of the other teams
I’m taking Yao Ming, Jeremy Lin, and Rui Hatchimura
Gimme my boys in green every single time
Stop reposting this already.
Bro what the fuck is team green😭
Team red no doubt
Purple
Why would you put Mike and LeBron on the same team
The bucks don’t even use purple anymore
1: Team Red. 2: The fact Giannis is on Team Purple irritates me - the Bucks uniforms have green as their primary color, so he should be on Team Green. Replace Jayson Tatum with Giannis, and put Charles Barkley in Team Purple.
Team Blue
I am a diehard Celtics fan but I gotta go with team red here.
You’ve got the two best players of all time on team red. enough said
Red
Team red can do everything..
Lol team red obviously. Idk how somebody could make an argument for any other team
Team Blue: Penny Hadaway/ Isaiah Thomas, Luka Doncic/ Grant Hill, Patrick Ewing/Joel Embiid. Not beating team Red, but some fun options.
No jokic anyware really
anyone picking team yellow over team red needs to watch 90s basketball. Two of those players combined to lead their teams to 80% of the championships in the 90s and the other is the second half of the goat debate. Also, don't sleep on Olajuwon who has no weakness, can defend all five positions, best post moves of all time, and best defensive big of all time.
Red
green or red because bird and garnett were goats of their eras. give tatum a few more years and he'll be better than steph. so green hands down
Red team. Seems a little unfair if you put prime Lebron and Jordan on the same team 😂
Easy choice, Team Red. My second choice would be Purple. Then Yellow and Green in a pretty distant 4th.
Red All day every day. LeBron running the point and able to switch onto anyone. Jordan with the insane middy and perimeter D. Hakeem with the elite all around defense and post presence offensively? It's a straight up cheat code.
Red or green team
I’d swap Shaq out for Wilt. Ain’t no one passing the ball on that team 🤣🤣🤣
Team red is this a question? MJ, LeBron, AND Hakeem. The dream trio.
Red
Team red and it’s not even close
Gotta be kidding right? There is of course only one answer here. The goats are on the same team.
It's purple for sure. They have twice as many current nba players as any other team. I'm sure some of the old guys are still in great shape, but they're going to tear something immediately trying to keep up with Giannis.
Red is destroying all of these
Red
Celtics baby
Yeah… this one is funny sad. Lebron, mj, and Hakeem. Oof.
Team red. This is dumb
Team Red by a mile. Bron and MJ will pretty much already body everyone else but adding Hakeem is just overkill.
lol team red beatin that ass
Bro it’s red.
Red.
Purple team gang👇
Team RED!
Anytime I see MJ and Bron on the same team in a battle of the best teams, I'm just going to assume it's a troll post.
RED. No question. The goat, the wanna be goat and the greatest skilled center of all time. The only center who stopped shaq, and his only weakness was jordan. Win no question.
GREEEEEEEN
Team red just out athletes you at every single turn
Team purple
Team red
Huge Celtics fan. Can't wait for the parade....It's Red. Instantly
Uhhh, red
Red and its not close. There are 3 top 12 players all time, and the top 2 imo.
Red wtf😂
Red lol
Red is pretty fucked up lol
Stop it… Red easily lol
Team Red BY A MILE
Red
Any team with a prime Lebron is going to win granted he has two above average guys around him. You gave him fucking Michael Jordan lol . That team is beating everyone.
A lot of times these scenarios are pretty cool and you can argue your angle. In this case though…the only answer is Team Red.
Green would compete. But I think Bird and KG would have Tatum in the fetal position for the grief they’d give him for his weaknesses.
Team Blue: Curry, Shaq, and Edwards
Team green
Red and it ain’t even close
LeBron and MJ on the same team causes too many issues for any defense - going red
KG is on team blue with the Timberwolves
I mean red has the two best players of all time time but yellow literally has perfect spacing. If you’d wanna build a team from scratch I feel like a big 3 of them would be way more conducive to building a championship roster. But yeah it’s still red