Throughout history, in the real world, in sports and in entertainment, the heights of excellence are more easily reached by the great duos than by individuals. Here are the 50 greatest duos in NBA history.
All through the history of the NBA, great championship teams and Hall of Famers have been exemplified by dynamic duos. In fact, it’s difficult to find a championship team that didn’t have a great duo, whether it be two Hall of Famers, or a superstar with a perfect complement.
Like Batman needs Robin, so too did Magic need Kareem, Michael need Scottie, Malone need Stockton and Duncan need Parker.
LeBron James learned the hard way in the late 2000s that you can achieve great things in the regular season and early rounds of the playoffs by yourself, but to get over that mountain and win a title, you need a partner-in-crime. That’s why he took his talents to South Beach and joined forces with Dwyane Wade and his Miami Heat.
Of course, LeBron was labeled the second-fiddle in that relationship, but turned out to be the headlining act. Sometimes duos don’t work out just the way you expect them to, for better or for worse.
We here at HoopsHabit have compiled an exhaustive list of the top-50 duos of all-time, starting with the 50th duo and working our way all the way down to number one. Read, enjoy, and let us know where your favorite duo ranked in the comments.
Next: Number 50
50. Paul Westphal and Alvan Adams, Phoenix Suns
The Phoenix Suns struggled to find championship-caliber for most of their existence in the NBA until the Seven Seconds Or Less era led by Steve Nash and Mike D’Antoni in the mid-2000’s, but the first era of excellence that the franchise enjoyed came between 1975 and 1980 under the leadership of Paul Westphal and Alvan Adams.
Those Suns teams posted a record of 230-180, winning 56.1 percent of their games, missing the playoffs just once and made the 1975-76 NBA Finals and fell (as many did) to the Boston Celtics in six games.
Adams averaged 17.1 points, 8.7 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game, and Westphal averaged 22.5 points and 5.6 assists per game while the duo was together in Phoenix.
Adams played his entire 13-year career in Phoenix and retired as the second all-time scorer in franchise history with 13,910 points, and Westphal went on to make a name for himself in the coaching world, with stops with the Suns, Seattle Supersonics and Sacramento Kings.
He’s currently an assistant coach with the Brooklyn Nets.
Next: Number 49
49. Dave Bing and Bob Lanier, Detroit Pistons
Before Isiah Thomas and Joe Dumars, Bill Laimbeer and Dennis Rodman, Chauncey Billups and Ben Wallce, Dave Bing and Bob Lanier were the original Big Two for the Detroit Pistons. Bing and Lanier were never able to lead the Pistons to the promised land, only making the playoffs in two of the four years they played together in Detroit, and posting a record of just 203-207, but they were the first pairing of stars that the franchise had seen.
They also almost bridged the gap of the dark days of Pistons history with the sterling times of head coach Chuck Daly, Isiah Thomas and the Bad Boys, as Lanier moved on to play with the Milwaukee Bucks just two years before Thomas was drafted.
While they played together, Lanier averaged 22.3 points and 12.5 rebounds, while Bing averaged 21.9 points and 6.8 assists.
Next: Number 48
48. Alex English and Kiki Vandeweghe, Denver Nuggets
It’s common knowledge these days that the Denver Nuggets utilize the high elevation of their location to their advantage by playing at a fast pace to wear out visiting teams, but that wasn’t always the case in the Mile High City.
In 1979-80, the Nuggets played at just the ninth-fastest pace in the NBA, and the year before they played the 13th fastest. That all changed in 1980-81, when they drafted Kiki Vandeweghe to play alongside Alex English.
That season they had the fastest pace in the NBA, playing at a preposterous 109.8 possessions per game. For context, the Golden State Warriors currently play the fastest pace in the NBA with 102.3 possessions per game.
The Nuggets didn’t win a lot in the four years English and Vandeweghe played together, going just 166-162, but their union was more about the blueprint that they laid out for Nuggets teams in the future.
In their time together, English averaged 26 points, 6.9 rebounds and 4.7 assists per game, and Vandeweghe added 23.3 points and 5.3 rebounds per game of his own.
Next: Number 47
47. Vince Carter and Tracy McGrady, Toronto Raptors
The Toronto Raptors had one of the most dynamic and exciting duos in the NBA in the form of cousins Vince Carter and Tracy McGrady, but they had them just a little too soon, from only 1998-00.
McGrady came to the NBA straight out of high school and didn’t really hit his stride until departing Toronto for the Orlando Magic after the 2000 season, and that’s where he revealed himself to be one of the best scorers in the NBA.
As for Vince Carter, he proved to be a great scorer from nearly the very beginning of his career, and he maintained his scoring ability long into his career before transitioning fairly smoothly into a capable role player in his latter years with the Dallas Mavericks and the Memphis Grizzlies.
While we didn’t really get to see the cousins shine on the court together with the Raptors, history will reflect that this dynamic duo got their start with the same franchise, and they were both launched to bigger and better things.
Next: Number 46
46. Tracy McGrady and Yao Ming, Houston Rockets
The tale of Tracy McGrady and Yao Ming is one of what could have been for the Houston Rockets if these two young stars had been able to stay healthy.
The Rockets went 192-136 while the two played together, making the playoffs in three of the four years they shared the floor between 2004-05 and 2007-08, but they never escaped the first round. That failing was something that McGrady became known for over the years, whether fair or not. Over the 15 years McGrady played in the NBA, he never won a playoff series until he joined the San Antonio Spurs.
While they were together, McGrady averaged 24.1 points and 5.8 rebounds and 5.8 assists per game, while Yao Ming averaged 21.4 points and 9.6 rebounds all while battling toe, knee and ankle injuries for a number of years.
This could have been one of the more interesting and dynamic duos in NBA history if not for these injuries and misfortunes.
Next: Number 45
45. Mitch Ritchmond and Chris Mullin, Golden State Warriors
Among the most dynamic scoring wing duos in modern NBA history are Mitch Ritchmond and Chris Mullin of the Golden State Warriors. The two joined forced for just three seasons from 1988-89 through 1990-91, but the two put up numbers.
Richmond was a scorer from the jump when he got to the NBA, averaging 22 points per game as a rookie, and his final tally in Golden State came in at an average of 22.7 points and 5.5 rebounds to go with 3.4 assists.
Mullin didn’t get rolling from day one like Richmond did, but he was no less adept a scorer, averaging 25.8 points, 5.7 rebounds and 4.4 assists per game while the duo was together.
The Warriors were just a touch above the .500 mark when Richmond and Mullin held court, going 124-122, but in the years before and after their tenure the franchise would have been thrilled with .500 records.
Next: Number 44
44. Oscar Robertson and Jerry Lucas, Cincinnati Royals
Oscar Robertson and Jerry Lucas were the definition of a dynamic duo that was never able to get to the promised land of NBA playoff success. While both together and individually they were among the most super of all superstars, their Cincinnati Royals were never able to make it to the Finals, and posted a record of only 267-215, winning 55 percent of their games.
They both played the best statistical years of their career while together in Cincinnati, with Robertson averaging 29.6 points, 10.7 assists and 7.6 rebounds per game, and Lucas adding a preposterous 19.7 points and 19.2 rebounds per game.
Both players went on later in their careers to be complementary role-type players on championship teams elsewhere.
Lucas moved on to the New York Knicks, where he joined forces with Walt Frazier and Earl Monroe to win the 1972-73 NBA championship, and Robertson went to the Milwaukee Bucks where he played with the incomparable Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and helped lead the Bucks to the 1970-71 NBA title.
Next: Number 43
43. Steve Nash and Dirk Nowitzki, Dallas Mavericks
Steve Nash and Dirk Nowitzki made most of their fame in the NBA seperately, but their union early in their career with the Dallas Mavericks helped revitalize a franchise that had been mostly moribund throughout their history to that point.
Nash was drafted 15th overall by the Phoenix Suns in 1996, and then came to Dallas in 1998, which was the year Nowitzki was drafted by the Mavs.
The duo didn’t start to come into its own until 2000-01, when they led the Mavericks to a 53-29 record and their first playoff berth in 12 years, and led the way to the Mavs becoming a perennial Western Conference power in the NBA.
Nash and Dirk led the Mavs to a record of 281-179 over the course of their time together 1998-99 until 2003-04, when Nash departed via free agency and returned to the Phoenix Suns.
Next: Number 42
42. LeBron James and Kyrie Irving, Cleveland Cavaliers
This pairing of LeBron James and Kyrie Irving is here more for what it may yet do for the Cleveland Cavaliers than for what it has done, and that’s saying something.
Just a year after LeBron’s return to his hometown team in Cleveland, the Cavaliers have already returned to the NBA Finals for the first time since his last season in Cleveland. While Kyrie Irving suffered through knee injuries that eventually ended his season in Game 1 of last year’s Finals and have held him this season until late December, this duo almost accomplished their goal in year one.
The project is already ahead of schedule, and year two is where things get interesting. The Cavs are the prohibitive favorite to win the East again, but the conference has toughened up considerably. To make things more difficult, the Western Conference has two super-teams in the Golden State Warriors and the San Antonio Spurs.
There is no doubt that LeBron, Kyrie and the rest of the Cleveland Cavaliers have their work cut out for them.
Next: Number 41
41. Chris Paul and Blake Griffin, Los Angeles Clippers
The Los Angeles Clippers had been the laughingstock of the NBA since their inception in 1970, then known as the Buffalo Braves. They were a punchline for 40 years, with only six winning seasons between 1970 and 2010, but all that changed when they drafted Blake Griffin first overall in 2010 and then brought Chris Paul over in a trade from the New Orleans Hornets.
Since then, they’ve been one of the best teams in the stacked Western Conference, boasting a record of 225-116, winning 66 percent of their games. Although they haven’t been able to break through the Western Conference semifinals, they’re a perennial contender thanks to the contributions of Paul and Griffin.
While this duo has been together, Paul has averaged 18.6 points, 9.9 assists and 2.3 steals per game, twice leading the NBA in assists and leading the league in steals three times.
Griffin has averaged 21.4 points and nine rebounds per game, and has emerged as an MVP candidate on a yearly basis for the dangerous Clippers.
Next: Number 40
40. Shawn Kemp and Gary Payton, Seattle SuperSonics
The Seattle SuperSonics had never really been able to put together a consistent stretch of winning basketball until Shawn Kemp and Gary Payton came to town, but they wasted no time making their presence felt.
In the seven years they played together in Seattle, the SuperSonics went 384-190, winning at a 66.8 percent clip. They were one of a number of strong Western Conference teams to run into the buzz-saw of Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls in the NBA Finals, falling in six games to them in the 1996 NBA Finals after a 64-18 regular season.
The Sonics had three seasons with 61 or more wins, but could never do better than that Finals appearance against the Bulls.
While they played together, Kemp averaged 17.7 points and 10.4 rebounds per game, while Payton added 15.5 points, 6.5 assists and 2.3 steals per game.
Next: Number 39
39. Hakeem Olajuwon and Ralph Sampson, Houston Rockets
Perhaps the NBA’s original “Twin Towers,” Hakeem Olajuwon and Ralph Sampson afforded the Houston Rockets an unparalleled inside presences.
The seven-foot-tall Olajuwon and the seven-foot-four Sampson were both No. 1 overall draft picks by the Rockets, with Sampson going being picked first in 1983 and Olajuwon being picked in 1984.
In the three seasons they shared the floor in Houston, Sampson averaged 19.5 points, 10.3 rebounds and 1.7 blocks per game, while Hakeem “The Dream” averaged a stellar 22.4 points, 11.6 rebounds and 3.1 blocks per game while shooting 52.4 percent from the floor.
The big men led their Rockets to a 141-105 record, good for a somewhat-meager 57.3 percent, although it’s still well above the franchise’s all-time winning percentage of 51.7 percent. They also made it to the 1986 NBA Finals, but were defeated in six games by the Boston Celtics.
Next: Number 38
38. Willis Reed and Walt Frazier, New York Knicks
The New York Knicks haven’t been especially relevant in awhile, in spite of the presence of Carmelo Anthony and Phil Jackson, but a few decades ago the Knicks were relevant indeed.
At their most relevant, Willis Reed and Walt Frazier were at the helm for the Knicks. In fact, both NBA championships that the Knicks have won as a franchise came during the seven years this duo held court in the Big Apple.
In those seven years, between 1967 and 1974, the Knicks posted a combined record of 363-211, good for a 63.2 winning percentage, and won the 1970 and 1973 NBA championships. They also went to the NBA Finals in 1972, falling to the mighty Los Angeles Lakers in five games.
Reed played his entire 10-year career with the Knicks, and Frazier played 10 years in New York and finished out his career with a three-year stint with the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Next: Number 37
37. Elgin Baylor and Jerry West, Los Angeles Lakers
Very few duos come close to having played as many seasons together as Elgin Baylor and Jerry West did for the Los Angeles Lakers. The pair played together from the time West was drafted in 1960 in the first season that the Lakers played in Los Angeles after moving from Minneapolis, until Baylor nine games into the 1971-72 season.
The Lakers had next to no trouble winning the Western Conference on a yearly basis, but couldn’t get over the hump in the NBA Finals, running into their nemesis in the Boston Celtics and meeting their demise almost every time.
The Baylor and West Lakers made seven NBA Finals in their 12-year run together, with West winning the eighth appearance in 1971-72, following a regular season in which they put together an incredible 69-13 record — with Baylor retiring before that.
Over the course of this era, the Lakers recorded a 585-289 record, which was good for a winning percentage of 66.9 percent.
Next: Number 36
36. Charles Oakley and Patrick Ewing, New York Knicks
In an era where being the most physical team was the surest way to victory, the New York Knicks had the market cornered. Charles Oakley and Patrick Ewing made for a duo that could best described as thunder-and-more-thunder.
The physical big men left no rebound uncollected, and no elbow unthrown. Ewing was the scorer, while Oakley was the enforcer. Ewing put up 24.3 points, 10.9 rebounds and 2.8 blocks per game from 1988-89 through 1997-98, while Oak added 10.4 points and 10 rebounds.
The bruising Knicks of the late 1980s and 1990s were good at what they did, going 506-314 in the 10 years the big men played together, never missing the playoffs. Their best regular season was a 60-22 effort in 1992-93, and they went to the NBA Finals the year after, losing to the Houston Rockets in seven games.
Next: Number 35
35. Shaquille O’Neal and Anfernee Hardaway, Orlando Magic
Shaquille O’Neal and Penny Hardaway brought the fledgling expansion Orlando Magic franchise to relevance in the early 1990s, but all was not well in the Magic Kingdom.
As will sometimes happen when two young superstars share the limelight, there just wasn’t enough fame to go around in Orlando between Penny and Shaq. They parted ways after just three years together, going 167-79 in those three seasons, good for a winning percentage of 67.8 percent.
Shaq moved on to the Los Angeles Lakers and the Miami Heat over the course of a long and illustrious career, and Penny suffered a devastating knee injury in the 1997-98 season, after which he was never quite the same.
In spite of the ignominious end that their pairing came to, this union of Shaq and Penny was one of the most dynamic and exciting young duos the NBA has ever seen.
Next: Number 34
34. Dennis Rodman and Bill Laimbeer, Detroit Pistons
Dennis Rodman and Bill Laimbeer comprised two of the baddest of the Bad Boys era of Detroit Piston basketball from the time Rodman came into the picture in 1986 until he departed after the 1993 season, and helped lead the Pistons to back-to-back championships in 1989 and 1990.
While Isiah Thomas and Joe Dumars in the backcourt provided the Bad Boys with their flash, dash and shooting, Rodman and Laimbeer provided the steel fist that the Pistons pummeled their opponents with on a nightly basis.
Over Rodman’s final three seasons with the Pistons, he averaged 12.5, 18.7 and 18.3 rebounds per game, leading the NBA in rebounding in the last two seasons, and then the subsequent five seasons with the San Antonio Spurs and Chicago Bulls.
Laimbeer and Rodman rank first and second respectively offensive rebounds, and first and third in defensive rebounds in Pistons franchise history.
Next: Number 33
33. Steve Nash and Amar’e Stoudemire, Phoenix Suns
Steve Nash and Amar’e Stoudemire combined forces for the Seven Seconds or Less era of the Phoenix Suns, an era which largely shaped the way NBA basketball is played today with teams seeking pace and space in their offensive attack.
Nash and Stoudemire played together for the Suns for six seasons from 2004-10. The Suns went 332-160 over those six years, winning 67.4 percent of their games, by far the best such stretch in franchise history.
In 2003-04, the year before Nash came to town, the Suns went 29-53. But when they added the Canadian point guard to the mix in 2004-05, the Suns started off the SSOL era with a 62-20 season, good for a 33-game improvement.
Over the course of their time together, Stoudemire averaged a stellar 23.2 points and nine rebounds per game, while Nash added 17 points and 10.9 assists.
Next: Number 32
32. Hakeem Olajuwon and Clyde Drexler, Houston Rockets
In the two-year long NBA-wide malaise that took place when Michael Jordan decided to try out baseball between 1993 and 1995, the Houston Rockets stepped up and ran the league.
The Rockets won their first two and only two NBA titles in 1993-94 and 1994-95, the first of which came on the strength of Hakeem Olajuwon and good perimeter shooters, but the second came on the strength of a new addition.
In 1994-95, Olajuwon was joined by a true superstar in the form of Clyde Drexler. “The Glide” was 32 when he joined forces with Olajuwon and the Rockets, so he was no spring chicken, and only played 35 games in the regular season, but he was a stud in the playoffs.
Drexler played all 22 playoff games for the Rockets and scored 20.5 points and added seven rebounds and five assists per game, complementing the dynamic post presence of Olajuwon beautifully.
Next: Number 31
31. Rick Barry and Nate Thurmond, San Francisco Warriors
Perhaps the shortest-lived of all our duos, Rick Barry and Nate Thurmond provided a nasty one-two punch for the San Francisco Warriors back in the late 1960s.
Rick Barry was drafted by the Warriors second overall out of the University of Miami in the 1965 NBA Draft, and led them to a 35-45 record in 1965-66. That’s not remarkable, but the year before the Warriors went 17-63, so his arrival helped spur an 18-game improvement.
The following year, in 1966-67, the Warriors went 44-37, and made it all the way to the NBA Finals where they fell to the Philadelphia 76ers in six games. Those Sixers, led by Wilt Chamberlain, went 68-13 in the regular season and are considered one of the best teams of all-time.
As with all good things, this duo came to an end, and quickly. Barry was lured by the bigger money of the American Basketball Association, and he jumped ship for the Oakland Oaks of the fledgling ABA.
While Barry and Thurmond were together, Barry averaged 30.6 points and 9.9 rebounds, and Thurmond averaged 17.4 and 19.5 rebounds. It will go down in history as a pity that these two young stars didn’t get more time on the floor together.
Next: Number 30
30. Wes Unseld and Elvin Hayes, Washington Bullets
Wes Unseld and Elvin Hayes presided over the best era in the history of the Washington Bullets (now the Wizards) franchise. In their time together in Washington, spanning between 1974-75 and 1980-81, the Bullets went 336-242, good for a winning percentage of 60 percent.
They made the playoffs all except for their last season, and went to the NBA Finals twice, losing to the Golden State Warriors in four games in 1975 and winning the title in 1978, defeating the Seattle Supersonics in seven games.
The two big men, both of whom are in the Hall of Fame with Hayes being inducted in 1990 and Unseld being inducted shortly before in 1988, were interior forces for the Bullets. Hayes averaged 21.3 points, 11.7 rebounds and 2.3 blocks per game over their seven0year run, and Unseld added 9.0 points and 12.2 rebounds per game.
Next: Number 29
29. Julius Erving and George McGinnis, Philadelphia 76ers
Between the era of Wilt Chamberlain in the 1960s and the era of Moses Malone (alongside Julius Erving) in the 1980s for the Philadelphia 76ers, George McGinnis and Julius Erving helped bridge the gap in the city of brotherly love between 1976 and 1978.
McGinnis and Erving never scaled the heights to a championship, but they made the playoffs in both years and made it to the NBA Finals in 1976-77, falling in six games to the Portland Trail Blazers.
The Sixers of McGinnis and Dr. J went 105-59, good for a 64 percent winning percentage. McGinnis averaged 20.9 points and 11 rebounds per game while he was in Philly with Erving, and the legendary Erving had an average of 21.9 points and 6.9 rebounds, both marks which were very close to his career averages.
McGinnis moved on to the Denver Nuggets in 1978-79, and ended his career with the Indiana Pacers, while Erving played his entire NBA career in Philadelphia.
Next: Number 28
28. Wes Unseld and Earl Monroe, Baltimore Bullets
Wes Unseld and Earl Monroe helped lead the fledgling Baltimore Bullets’ franchise from expansion ignominy to playoff relevance in their three years together in Baltimore. The Bullets had never put together a winning season from the founding of the organization in 1961-62, but the first season Unseld and Monroe took the floor together that all changed.
In year one in 1968-69, the Bullets went 57-25, a 21-game improvement over the previous season, and by the end of their three years the Bullets posted an overall record of 149-97, winning 60.6 percent of their games. They made the 1970-71 NBA Finals, losing in four games to the Milwaukee Bucks of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Oscar Robertson.
In their three seasons, Unseld averaged 14.7 points and 17.3 rebounds, including an 18.2 rebound per game average in his rookie season, and Monroe averaged 23.7 points, 3.7 rebounds and 4.6 assists per game. He went on to play the final nine seasons of his career with the New York Knicks.
Next: Number 27
27. Clyde Drexler and Terry Porter, Portland Trail Blazers
Clyde Drexler and Terry Porter were a dynamic duo indeed for the Portland Trail Blazers in the mid-1980s through the early 1990s. They helped lead the Blazers to a 458-280 record, good for a winning percentage of 62 percent.
The Blazers were a perennial playoff contender under their tenure, but were never able to claim an NBA championship. In their best three-year stretch between 1989 and 1991, a period in which they went 179-67, they went to the NBA Finals twice, losing to the Detroit Pistons and the Chicago Bulls, and also lost in the Western Conference Finals to Magic Johnson’s Los Angeles Lakers.
After their time together in Portland came to an end, Porter moved on to the Minnesota Timberwolves and also played with the Miami Heat and San Antonio Spurs, while Drexler moved on to the Houston Rockets where he won the 1995 NBA championship with the Rockets.
Next: Number 26
26. Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook, Oklahoma City Thunder
Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook are one fo the most explosive duos in the NBA today, and perhaps ever. The two combine to provide the Oklahoma City Thunder with a kind of thunder-and-lightning attack, with Durant being a silky smooth shooter who can get into the paint at will, and Westbrook playing a style similar to a bull in a china shop.
If not for bad injury luck, Durant and Westbrook could have had an NBA championship under their belt by this point.
Westbrook was forced to carry the Thunder on his back last season when Durant was forced to miss most of the season with a Jones fracture in his foot, and almost squeeked them into the playoffs, but when the two are combined, they’re unstoppable.
Since losing in the first round of the 2009-10 playoffs to the eventual NBA champion Los Angeles Lakers, the Thunder have not lost a series earlier than the Western Conference Finals when Durant and Westbrook have been healthy together.
Next: Number 25
25. Paul Arizin and Neil Johnston, Philadelphia Warriors
Before there were the Golden State Warriors or the Philadelphia 76ers, there were the Philadelphia Warriors. The Warriors played in Philly from their inception in 1946-47 in the Basketball Association of America until they moved to San Francisco in 1962.
The greatest Warriors back then by far were Paul Arizin and Neil Johnston, two Hall of Famers who led Philly to their first NBA title (they had won a BAA championship in 1947) in 1955-56.
The two began their time together in 1951 and parted ways when Johnston retired in 1959, but they missed two seasons in 1953 and 1954 when Arizin joined the Marines to fight in Korea.
When they were together, they balled. Johnston averaged 19.4 points per game and added 11.3 rebounds, and Arizin recorded 23.9 points and 8.7 rebounds per game. Arizin was a 10-time NBA All Star, and twice led the NBA in scoring.
Next: Number 24
24. Chauncey Billups and Ben Wallace, Detroit Pistons
Chauncey Billups and Ben Wallace were barely afterthoughts when they joined forces in Detroit with the Pistons. Billups was a bust lottery pick, given up on by a number of teams across the NBA, and Wallace was a throw-in on a trade that sent Grant Hill from the Detroit Pistons to the Orlando Magic.
Nobody could have imagined they would become the heart and soul of a championship basketball team, and that an entire city would come to identify with them.
While Billups and Wallace ruled the roost in Detroit from 2002-03 til 2005-06, the Pistons went to four straight Eastern Conference Finals (six with Billups alone), and went to the NBA Finals twice, winning once against the Los Angeles Lakers in 2003-04 and falling in seven games to the San Antonio Spurs the following year.
The Pistons were 222-106 in the four years they played together, good for a winning percentage of 67.7 percent.
Next: Number 23
23. John Havlicek and Dave Cowens, Boston Celtics
One of many championsip winning duos across the decades for the Boston Celtics, John Havlicek and Dave Cowens were second to none. Others may have won more titles (although in their eight years together they did in fact win two NBA championships), but these guys not only won, they nearly bridged the gap between the eras of Bill Russell from the 1950s and 1960s and Larry Bird in the 1980s and 1990s.
As a duo, Havlicek and Cowens and their Celtics posted a record of 414-242 and a winning percentage of 63.1 percent. They missed the playoffs just twice, in their first year in 1970-71 and in their last year in 1977-78, won two championships and made it to the Eastern Conference Finals an additional three times, running up against the New York Knicks the first two times and the Washington Bullets the final time.
In their time together, Havlicek averaged 21.6 points per game, and in their first season alongside each other he averaged 28.9 points, nine rebounds and 7.5 assists per game.
Cowens averaged a stellar 18.8 points and 15.2 rebounds per game while playing with Havlicek.
Next: Number 22
22. David Robinson and Avery Johnson, San Antonio Spurs
Avery Johnson did some bouncing around the NBA before finding a home with the San Antonio Spurs and David Robinson. He played with the Seattle SuperSonics, the Denver Nuggets, the Golden State Warriors and Houston Rockets (and had a short stint with the Spurs in the middle) before settling down for good in San Antonio.
The Little General and the Admiral, as Johnson and Robinson were known respectively, helped lead the Spurs into the new millennium alongside young superstar big man Tim Duncan. The Spurs had a record of 463-243 between 1994-95 and 2002-03 when Johnson and Robinson were together, good for a 65.3 winning percentage, and they won two NBA championships, in 1997-98 and 2002-03.
While Tim Duncan was largely a finished product when he was drafted by the Spurs out of Wake Forest in 1997, it’s possible that his career and his psychological makeup and professional approach may have developed differently without the tutelage of David Robinson and Avery Johnson in his formative years in the NBA.
Next: Number 21
21. Stephen Curry and Draymond Green, Golden State Warriors
The defending champions are well represented in this list with last season’s MVP in Steph Curry and one of this season’s biggest rising stars in Draymond Green. Steph Curry has proven to be an otherworldly talent this year, but Draymond Green has risen from the depths of being a second round draft pick to being considered one of the best power forwards in the NBA, and one of the most important players to his team in the league.
Curry is averaging 32.3 points per game on 51.7 percent shooting from the floor and 45.8 percent from three-point range, and Draymond Green is averaging 13.9 points, 8.7 rebounds and seven assists per game, in addition to being the closest thing to a Swiss Army knife that an NBA player can be.
Curry, Green and the Golden State Warriors have run roughshod over the NBA this season in defense of last season’s title, and there’s no reason to think they’ll let up anytime soon.
Next: Number 20
20. Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce, Boston Celtics
The union of Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce revitalized Boston Celtics basketball, making the franchise relevant again and leading them to the 2007-08 NBA championship.
When Garnett was acquired from the Minnesota Timberwolves in a blockbuster trade on July 31, 2007, he joined Pierce in helping lead the Celtics in a historic turnaround. The Celtics had a 24-58 record in 2006-07, and had an incredible 42-game improvement in 2007-08, recording a 66-16 record and earning an NBA Finals victory over the Los Angeles Lakers.
The Celtics went 273-121 in the four seasons of the Garnett and Pierce era, good for an astounding winning percentage of 69.2 percent.
They never won another championship as a duo, falling to Kobe Bryant and his Lakers when the two teams rematched in the 2009-10 Finals, but in the historic basketball city of Boston, Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce will always be revered.
Next: Number 19
19. Shaquille O’Neal and Dwyane Wade, Miami Heat
Shaquille O’Neal and Dwyane Wade made for a tremendous center-guard duo for the Miami Heat. Shaq was nearing the twilight of his career, and Wade was just beginning his, and the two combined forces to lead the Miami Heat to the 2005-06 NBA championship.
Shaq was in his 12th NBA season when he was traded by the Los Angeles Lakers to the Heat, and Wade was in just his second. Shaq wanted to go to the Heat to play with Wade, whom he nicknamed “Flash.”
The Heat quickly improved with O’Neal, going from a pedestrian 42-40 record in 2003-04 to a 59-23 mark in 2004-05. They were defeated by the Detroit Pistons in the Eastern Conference Finals that season, but got vengeance on the Pistons in 2005-06 when they beat them in six games en route to winning the NBA championship over the Dallas Mavericks.
In the three years the Shaq and Wade duo was together, the Heat went 155-91, good for a winning percentage of 63 percent.
Next: Number 18
18. Tim Duncan and David Robinson, San Antonio Spurs
When Tim Duncan was drafted first overall by the San Antonio Spurs in 1997, one of the greatest dynasties in professional sports histories was born. His integration with David Robinson created the first iteration of it, creating the mighty Twin Towers duo.
The year the Spurs tanked to get Duncan in the 1997 draft, they went 20-62. In Duncan’s rookie season, the Spurs went 56-26, and in his sophomore season the Spurs won their first NBA championship.
The duo played together until Robinson retired in 2002-03, over which time the Spurs went 322-138, good for a tremendous winning percentage of 70 percent.
The two big men left virtually no rebounds uncollected, and destroyed opponents in the paint. Between 1997-98 and 2002-03, Duncan averaged 22.9 points and 12.3 rebounds per game, and Robinson chipped in 15.2 points and 9.2 rebounds per game.
Next: Number 17
17. Maurice Lucas and Bill Walton, Portland Trail Blazers
Maurice Lucas was a journeyman in the NBA, with stops with the Portland Trail Blazers, Phoenix Suns, New Jersey Nets, New York Knicks, Los Angeles Lakers and Seattle Supersonics.
It’s safe to say he never had it better than he did in his first NBA stop in Portland (he returned in his final season in 1987-88, we’ll discount that campaign) with Bill Walton and his Trail Blazers.
In that four-year stint from 1976-77 through 1979-80 (the first two of which were with Walton before he moved on to the San Diego Clippers), the Blazers went 190-138, made the playoff all four years and won the NBA championship their very first year together.
Over the course of their two years together, the Blazers went 107-57, Walton recorded a stat line of 18.8 points and 13.8 rebounds per game, and Lucas recorded a line of 18.4 points and 10.3 rebounds.
Next: Number 16
16. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Oscar Robertson, Milwaukee Bucks
Without a doubt, the best move the Milwaukee Bucks ever made as a franchise was selecting Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (then known as Lew Alcindor, as he didn’t change his name until after the Bucks won the 1971 championship) with the first overall pick in the 1969 NBA Draft. Perhaps the second best move was to bring on the veteran presence of Oscar Robertson, one of the best to ever play the game.
In Kareem’s rookie season, he led the Bucks to a 56-26 record, a 29-game improvement over the previous season. When Robertson came on board, the Bucks made their big leap.
The young Kareem and the experienced Robertson jelled immediately, leading the Bucks to a 66-16 record and an NBA championship in just their first season together in 1970-71, and returned to the finals in 1973-74, Robertson’s final season.
This dynamic duo led the Bucks to a tremendous 248-80 record and a winning percentage of 75.6 percent. Not a bad welcome to the NBA for what was then an expansion franchise.
Next: Number 15
15. Julius Erving and Moses Malone, Philadelphia 76ers
It may seem like a lifetime ago, and for many Philadelphia 76er fans it actually has been, but the Sixers franchise has won championships and had great seasons. Some of the best of those seasons came in the four years between 1982 and 1986 that Julius Erving and Moses Malone shared the floor in Philly.
In their first season together in 1982-83, the 76ers boasted a 65-17 record and won the franchise’s last (to date) NBA championship. As a duo, they never returned to the Finals but they had a record of 229-99 over those four seasons, which was good for a 69.8 winning percentage.
After Malone departed for Washington at the end of 1986, Dr. J played one more season in Philly before hanging it up after the 1987 season.
Erving retired as the fourth-highest scorer in Sixers history with 18,364 points.
Next: Number 14
14. Dave Cowens and Jo Jo White, Boston Celtics
Among the many great players and duos to darken the doors and play on the famed parquet at the Boston Garden in the heydays of the 1950s, 1960s, 1970s and 1980s, not the least of these was the pairing of Dave Cowens and Jo Jo White.
The inside-outside duo of big man Cowens and point guard White helped lead the Celtics to a 443-295 record, winning 60 percent of their games between 1970-71 and 1978-79 and two NBA championships in 1973-74 and 1975-76.
Both players have been inducted into the Pro Basketball Hall of Fame, with Cowens being inducted in 1991 and White more recently in 2015.
Over their nine years together, White averaged 18.7 points, 4.3 rebounds and 5.4 assists per game, while Cowens averaged 18.6 points, 14.6 rebounds, four assists, 1.2 steals and one block per game.
Next: Number 13
13. John Stockton and Karl Malone, Utah Jazz
Without a doubt, the longest tenured duo of any note was John Stockton and Karl Malone for the Utah Jazz, who played together through the mid-1980s and all of the 1990s, and even into the 2000s.
In the incredible 18 years Stockton and Malone shared the court in Utah, the Jazz went 915-522, and never won fewer than the 42 games they won in their first season together in 1985-86 (other than the shortened 1998-99 season where they went 37-13).
In spite of their regular season dominance, they were never able to take the Jazz to the promised land and deliver a championship. Between 1991 and 1998, they lost in the Western Conference Finals three times, and they ran into Michael Jordan’s Chicago Bulls in back-to-back years in the NBA Finals. We all know how that worked out for the Jazz.
Over the course of their careers together, Stockton averaged 13.1 points and 10.5 assists per game, and he led the NBA in assists for nine straight years between 1987 and 1996, averaging an incredible 13.1 per game over that stretch.
Malone added 25.4 points and 10.2 rebounds, and will forever be remembered as one of the best big men the NBA has ever seen.
Next: Number 12
12. Bill Russell and John Havlicek, Boston Celtics
The duo of Bill Russell and John Havlicek nearly bridged the eras for the Boston Celtics from the mid-1950’s, when Russell began his NBA career with the Celtics, merged through 1962 through 1969 when Russell and Havlicek played together, and stretched until Havlicek retired after the 1978 season.
In short, Havlicek was just a couple seasons shy of having played with both Bill Russell and Larry Bird, which is incredible continuity for a franchise.
Of course, when you win like the Celtics did over the decades, why go anywhere else?
Over the course of those seven seasons that Russell and Havlicek played together in Boston, the Celtics won six championships, and boasted a record of 395-170, winning 69.9 percent of their games.
Of note, Russell won a total of 11 NBA championships over the course of his career, with five of those coming before Havlicek was even drafted, and Havlicek won a total of eight championships, with two coming after Russell retired.
Next: Number 11
11. Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol, Los Angeles Lakers
These are dark times for the Los Angeles Lakers nowadays, but days of glory were not that long ago for the storied franchise.
Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol formed the most recent dynamic duo for the Lakers, leading them to two NBA championships and an NBA Finals appearance between 2007 and 2010.
They played together from 2007-08, when Gasol was acquired by the Lakers from the Memphis Grizzlies in a trade deadline deal, until 2013-14 when Gasol departed via free agency for the Chicago Bulls.
The Lakers went 262-193 in their seven year run, good for a winning percentage of 57.5 percent, the low number of which is thanks largely to an injury-riddled 2013-14 campaign in which they went 27-55.
The Lakers made the playoffs every season aside from that 2013-14 season, and it was the finest era of Lakers basketball since Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe joined forced in the late 1990s and early 2000s.
Next: Number 10
10. Wilt Chamberlain and Jerry West, Los Angeles Lakers
The Los Angeles Lakers of Wilt Chamberlain and Jerry West’s days were tremendous teams for the five years they were together from 1968-73, but even though they did win a championship, they were utterly snakebitten in the late stages of the playoffs.
Those Lakers lost three times in the Finals to their nemesis, the Boston Celtics. The Celtics were the ultimate juggernaut to end all juggernauts in the 1960s and 1970s, and the Lakers across many eras came up short against them.
In addition to their futility against the Celtics in the Finals, the Lakers were also defeated in the Western Conference Finals by the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar-led Milwaukee Bucks in 1970-71.
In spite of the repeated playoff near-misses that Chamberlain and West had in those five years together, the Lakers had a record of 278-130 in that era, and sported a winning percentage of 68.1 percent.
Next: Number 9
9. LeBron James and Dwyane Wade, Miami Heat
LeBron James and Dwyane Wade provided the driving force behind the polarizing Miami Heat teams between 2010 and 2014. While the Heat didn’t win “Not three, not four, not five, not six, not seven titles,” as James predicted when they were introduced to Heat fans along with Chris Bosh, they did win two NBA championships in dominant fashion and went to the NBA Finals all four years the duo were together.
In those four years, James and Wade combined for eight All-Star game appearances, three All-Star game MVP awards, and LeBron won two of his four NBA MVP awards alongside Wade.
James also was named to All-NBA First Teams all four years he played in Miami, three NBA All-Defense First Teams, and Wade was named to an All-NBA Second Team and two All-NBA Third Teams.
In their four years together, those Miami Heat teams went a combined 224-88, good for a 71.7 winning percentage.
Next: Number 8
8. Larry Bird and Robert Parish, Boston Celtics
Larry Bird and Robert Parish presided over a golden age of Boston Celtics basketball in the 1980s. Bird and Parish played together from 1980 until 1992, and over that span went to the NBA Finals five times and won three championships.
Before Bird was drafted in 1979, the Celtics went 29-53 in 1978-79. In his rookie season, they went 61-21, and he presided over a 32-game turnaround. Parish’s arrival in 1980-81 helped solidify the burgeoning Eastern Conference dynasty, and their first season as a duo went swimmingly as the Celtics went 62-20 and won the pair’s first NBA championship.
Bird and Parish’s Celtics boasted a record of 583-294, good for a winning percentage of 66.5 percent.
Those Celtics of the 1980s were the last great dynasty that the franchise had until 2007-08, when Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce joined forces to bring another title to Boston.
Next: Number 7
7. Isiah Thomas and Joe Dumars, Detroit Pistons
Isiah Thomas and Joe Dumars of the Detroit Pistons comprised the starting backcourt of one of the most infamous teams in NBA history– the Bad Boys.
Those Bad Boys helped put the Detroit Pistons on the map, revitalizing a franchise that had never been especially competitive before their arrival on the scene.
Thomas and Dumars played together for the Pistons from 1985-86, when Dumars was drafted by the Pistons, until 1993-94, when Thomas retired.
Over the course of those years, the Pistons went 372-306 (let’s pretend the final 20-62 season didn’t happen in 1993-94, when Thomas was no longer himself after suffering multiple injuries and retired after tearing his Achilles) and went to three straight NBA Finals between 1988 and 1990, winning two.
Thomas went on to coach the Indiana Pacers, and was later an executive with the Toronto Raptors and New York Knicks. Dumars became the president of basketball operations for the Detroit Pistons and led them to the 2003-04 NBA championship.
Next: Number 6
6. Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles Lakers
While Kobe Bryant has played his entire 20-year career with the Los Angeles Lakers, Shaq’s tenure in Los Angeles lasted just eight years.
What an eight years they were for the Lakers organization. The two combined forces to lead the Lakers to three straight NBA championships from 1999-00 to 2001-02, and a Finals loss against the Detroit Pistons in 2003-04.
There was always friction between Shaq and Kobe, particularly in the later stages of their time together, and it came to a head after the Lakers were defeated in the 2004 NBA Finals. Shaq moved on to Miami where he won another title with Dwyane Wade, leaving Kobe as the lone top dog in Los Angeles, who won two more championships with the Lakers.
In their eight years together, the Lakers had a record of 435-189 and a winning percentage of 69.7 percent.
Next: Number 5
5. Bill Russell and Bob Cousy, Boston Celtics
Bill Russell won multiple championships for the Boston Celtics with just about everybody he played more than one year with, but Bob Cousy proved a catalyst that helped him lead the Celtics to six NBA championships in the seven years they shared the famous parquet floor together at the Boston Garden.
The one season the Russell and Cousy Celtics didn’t win a title, they still made it to the NBA Finals before falling to the St. Louis Hawks.
Between 1956 and 1963, the Celtics boasted a regular season record of 379-151, which was good for a tremendous winning percentage of 71.5 percent.
While they were together, Cousy averaged 17.7 points, 7.9 assists and 4.3 rebounds per game, while the inimitable Bill Russell averaged a typically stupendous box score line of 17.1 points and 23.1 rebounds per game.
Next: Number 4
4. Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Los Angeles Lakers
Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and the Los Angeles Lakers ran roughshod over the NBA in the 1980’s, winning five championships between 1980 and 1989.
The Lakers won those five titles, and went to the NBA finals an addition three times. In the illustrious history of the Los Angeles Laker franchise, the 1980s of Magic and Kareem were one of their most dominant eras. The Lakers went 591-204 in that decade, good for a winning percentage of 74.3 percent.
Kareem finished his career with 38,387 points scored, which was the most in NBA history. His best years were in his younger days with the Milwaukee Bucks, but he made for the perfect one-two punch with the young Magic.
While Magic’s career ended prematurely after being diagnosed with HIV, he was unquestionably one of the best point guards in NBA history, and still is considered to be so to this day.
Next: Number 3
3. Bill Russell and Sam Jones, Boston Celtics
They say that winners win, and that’s exactly what the Boston Celtics did for the first couple decades of the NBA’s existence. The Celtics were virtually playing their own game on the parquet, and everybody else was just trying to keep up.
Bill Russell and Sam Jones are a big reason for that tremendous start the Celtics franchise enjoyed. Between 1956-57 and 1968-69, the Celtics won all but two NBA championships.
That’s 11 NBA titles. That’s incredible.
The gap between the Celtics and the rest of the league was unlike anything the NBA has ever seen, or will ever see again. Bill Russell was Bill Russell, averaging a ho-hum 15.1 points and 22.5 rebounds for 13 years, and Sam Jones added a scoring touch that the rest of the league couldn’t match.
Jones averaged 17.7 points for his career, peaking in 1964-65 with a 25.9 point per game average. It’s no surprise that the Celtics went 62-18 that season, and (you guessed it) won the NBA championship.
Next: Number 2
2. Tim Duncan and Tony Parker, San Antonio Spurs
Tim Duncan and Tony Parker have combined to win four NBA titles, and have been the driving force (along with head coach and president of basketball pperations Gregg Popovich) of a dynasty that has consistently been at the top of the NBA hierarchy for almost two decades, since Duncan was drafted first overall in the 1997 NBA Draft.
In addition to the four championships, this duo has combined for four NBA Finals MVP awards and 21 All-Star game appearances. Duncan and Parker are surefire first-ballot Hall of Famers when their time comes, and it wouldn’t be a big surprise to see them enter the Hall together, or to see them add another NBA championship to their resume before all is said and done.
Duncan and Parker have embodied professionalism and winning the right way since the beginning, and NBA fans are luckier than they realize to have enjoyed this era of Spurs dominance.
Next: Number 1
1. Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen, Chicago Bulls
The ultimate Batman-and-Robin duo in the history of the NBA, Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen combined forces to win six NBA championships for the Chicago Bulls and simply devastated the league in the 1990s.
The Bulls won six NBA championships between 1991 and 1998, and the only two years they did not win were the two seasons Jordan took off and semi-retired to play baseball between 1993 and 1995.
They recorded the best regular season in NBA history in 1995-96, recording a 72-10 record, and followed it up the next season with a 69-win season and a 62-win season in 1997-98. The Bulls had an incredible three-year record of 203-43, and a winning percentage of 83.5 percent.
Next: 50 Greatest Players Of All-Time
Over the course of the nine years Jordan and Pippen played together in Chicago, the Bulls sported a record of 412-173, good for a staggering winning percentage of 70.4 percent.