When discussing the greatest players in NBA history, Michael Jordan’s name is almost always at the top of the list. The Chicago Bulls legend, who dominated the league for nearly two decades and secured six championships, reflected on the idea of creating the ultimate starting five. However, his choices excluded two widely celebrated players, LeBron James and Kobe Bryant.
In a 2013 interview with NBA 2K, Jordan was asked to assemble his ideal five-player lineup. He took a moment to consider his options before responding: “In a pickup game, who would I pick up? What five guys would I pick up?” Naturally, he included himself and paused before revealing his selections: Scottie Pippen, Magic Johnson, James Worthy, and Hakeem Olajuwon. Confident in his picks, MJ declared, “I got no chance of losing. None at all.”
Despite their differences over the years, Michael Jordan never hesitated to select his partner from Chicago, Scottie Pippen, as a key member of his all-time starting five. Their nearly decade-long collaboration and the six NBA titles they captured together solidified Pippen’s place as one of the forwards on this legendary roster.
The Showtime Lakers, who dominated the league in the 1980s and were Jordan’s primary rivals early in his career, clearly left a lasting impression. It’s no surprise, then, that Jordan tapped his former Dream Team teammate, Magic Johnson, to run point guard, while also choosing James Worthy as the small forward.
Finally, Jordan was quick to emphasize the importance of his center. “Olajuwon—he was in the top 10 in five categories: steals, rebounds, blocks, scoring, and shooting percentage,” Jordan noted. “You know, to have a big guy this size to be in the top 10 in steals, now you can assume that he would in blocks, which to me shows versatility of what type of guy he really was.”
Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen of the Chicago Bulls during the 1993 NBA Finals – Game 3.
Jordan leaves out Kobe and LeBron
Michael Jordan’s 2013 pick notably excluded stars like Kobe Bryant and LeBron James. This omission could be attributed to the fact that, at the time, James was still establishing his dominance in the league, while Bryant was active, and perhaps Jordan preferred to wait until after his retirement to gain a more complete perspective on his career.
However, when asked in a 2019 interview with Today if he still stood by his choices, Jordan responded without hesitation: “In a heartbeat.” He then went on to explain the rationale behind his selections. “I’m going into trenches. I played against and with all these guys, I’m going to who I know,” the Bulls legend said. “Every single night the responsibility to go out there and represent greatness every single night.”
Jordan snubs Curry as well
After confirming his ideal starting five, Michael Jordan was asked about another of the NBA’s current stars. “Stephen Curry shouldn’t be offended when he watches this,” the reporter remarked, referring to the Golden State Warriors guard, who had already won three NBA titles by then.
“I hope not—he’s still a great player,” Jordan responded quickly. However, he couldn’t resist adding a lighthearted jab at Curry. “Not a Hall of Famer yet, though,” Jordan quipped, flashing a sly grin that prompted a laugh from the interviewer.
see also
Los Angeles Lakers legend Magic Johnson names the greatest NBA player of all time
Notable absentees from Jordan’s selection
Even though Michael Jordan based his selections on having either been teammates with or faced the players he chose, many top players were still left out of His Airness’s ideal starting five.
One of the most significant omissions is Boston Celtics legend Larry Bird, whose dominance in the 1980s and his role as a teammate to Jordan on the 1992 Dream Team made him a notable absence. Other stars from that iconic Team USA, such as Charles Barkley, Patrick Ewing, and Karl Malone, were also left out of Jordan’s selection.