NBA All-Time Starting 5: Creating the ultimate lineup without altering positions

Shooting Guard: Michael Jordan

With all due respect to Kobe Bryant and Jerry West, may they rest in peace, this was the easiest decision on the board. Michael Jordan is the greatest shooting guard in the history of the NBA -- it's not particularly close -- and he is an ideal fit for this all-time player roster.

Jordan was of course the best player in the history of the league with the ball in his hands, an absolute killer who defied defensive attention and the laws of physics to put up incredible scoring numbers. Putting the ball in his hands was a recipe for championship success, as the Chicago Bulls discovered a whopping six times in eight years.

What's more, on this team an opponent couldn't even afford to shift defensive attention toward Jordan, because that would mean abandoning another all-time player. Against one-on-one coverage Jordan would be unstoppable.

Yet Jordan was hardly a one-trick pony. His defensive intensity was legendary, and his ability to terrorize the opposing team's best backcourt would make it extremely difficult to get into an offensive set against this team. He won Defensive Player of the Year and was one of the all-time great ballhawks.

Jordan wasn't an elite 3-point shooter, but he was a career 83.5 percent free-throw shooter and could grow more comfortable from long-range with some time to adjust to the modern game; if he played today he would almost certainly be a knockdown shooter. The ultimate killer, Jordan is the most obvious pick on this entire team.

Others Considered: Kobe Bryant, Jerry West