NBA: All-time starting 5 of the 1990's 

Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen (Image courtesy: nba.com)
Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen (Image courtesy: nba.com)

The 80s was known as the start of the golden era of basketball and rightly so, but the 90s was the decade in which the sport's popularity sky-rocketed to being one of the biggest sports worldwide. This was mainly due to the prominence of Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls. Together they won six out of the ten titles in the decade and many argue that they could have ended up with as many as nine if Jordan didn't retire twice in five years.

Other than the Bulls, the 90s saw three teams that won championships. The Detroit Pistons (1990), Houston Rockets (1994,1995) and San Antonio Spurs (1999) were all able to reach the promised land during this decade.

This decade also saw the NBA break new ground in financial terms as well. Michael Jordan became the first basketball player to have his own signature shoes and soon players like Charles Barkley and Grant Hill followed as well.

The new breed of players introduced to the league in this decade was also incredible. Players such as Allen Iverson, Shaquille O'Neal, Kevin Garnett, Kobe Bryant and Dirk Nowitzki are just the start of the incredible list to make their debuts in the 90s.

So, with all factors considered, let's take a look at the starting five of the decade

Point Guard - John Stockton (Utah Jazz)

John Stockton looks on
John Stockton

When the question of perfect point guard is asked, the first person that comes to mind is John Stockton. Unlike almost every other great point guard, Stockton made the game look so easy. No fancy dribbling or flashy passes. Just the simple bounce pass along with the perfect execution of the Pick-and-Roll.

Stockton was named an All-Star eight times in the 90s and was an All-NBA first team twice. He led the league in assists for an incredible nine years in a row between 1988 and 1996. Stockton also led the league once in the decade.

He broke the record for the most assists in a single season in 1990 with an incredible total of 1,164. He finished his career by leading the all-time list in both steals and assists with 3,265 (steals) and 15,806 (assists).

The only accolade the eluded Stockton was the NBA title. He reached the Conference Finals thrice but lost. When he did manage to get beyond the Western Conference, he was matched up against the greatest player of all-time. He played in two Finals and lost both to the Chicago Bulls in 1997 and 1998.

Shooting Guard - Michael Jordan (Chicago Bulls)

Michael Jordan
Michael Jordan

Yeah, I bet you saw this coming.

This was probably the only unanimous decision on the list. Michael Jordan, who had made quite an impact towards the latter part of the 80s, just kept getting better. He finally managed to defeat the Detroit Pistons and go on to win his first title in 1991. After that, the NBA became his playground. He won two more titles in the following two years to complete his first three-peat.

At the end of the 1993 Finals, Jordan made an abrupt decision to retire from basketball and pursue baseball. But, the basketball gods were on our side and sent him back to us towards the end of the 1995 regular season.

After a second-round loss, the Bulls looked better than ever the following year. Jordan along with Scottie Pippen and Dennis Rodman led the Bulls to another three-peat between 1996 and 1998.

Jordan also won a host of individual honors. He was an All-Star and in the First-Team in every full season that he played during the decade. He was also a seven-time scoring champion and two-time leader in steals in the 90s. He was named MVP in 1991,1992,1996 and 1998 and was also named Finals MVP in all six years that he won the title.

At the end of the 1998 season, he retired once again before coming back 2001.

Small Forward - Scottie Pippen ( Chicago Bulls / Houston Rockets / Portland Trailblazers)

Supersonics V Bulls
#33 Scottie Pippen

No matter how many individual accolades Scottie Pippen managed to attain during his illustrious career, he was and always will be underrated. He was the perfect partner for Michael Jordan and proved to be one of the most selfless players too by doing whatever was asked of him. He was and till date is regarded as the most versatile defensive player in NBA history. With Pippen's defence combining with Jordan's pure magic, they led the Bulls to six titles in eight years.

Although fans and critics will always underrate him, the stats and accolades don't. Pippen was named an All-Star on seven occasions during the 90s. He was named to the First-Team thrice and to the All-Defensive first team a staggering eight times. In 1995, Pippen also led the league in steals.

Pippen led the Bulls during the two seasons that Jordan had retired. In the first season, he led his team in points, assists, blocks and steals. The following year, he led them in points, assists, rebounds, blocks and steals hence becoming at the time only the second player to lead his team in all major statistical category.

It's safe to say that without Pippen, Jordan would have never won as many titles and many still debate if he would have even won a title without Pippen so no matter how much people might ignore his value, the purists always will know the truth.

Power Forward - Karl Malone (Utah Jazz)

Malone in game
Karl Malone

Nicknamed "The Mailman" for his ability to deliver without fail, Karl Malone is arguably the greatest power forward that ever played. He broke numerous records during his illustrious career and formed one of the most formidable duos in the league with John Stockton. The duo led Utah to a playoff berth in each and every season they played together. Unfortunately, this never translated into a title.

Malone reached the Conference Finals on three occasions and the NBA Finals twice in the 90s but was not able to capture a title. In 1999 once Michael Jordan retired, many thought that Utah might finally capture a title the following year but they lost to Portland in the second round.

Although he never got a ring, Malone's personal achievements won't be matched by many. He was named in every All-Star game that took place in the decade (1999 All-Star game was canceled). He was also named All-NBA first team in all ten years of the decade. Added to this, he was named the league's MVP in both 1997 and 1999.

Malone finished his career as the second highest scorer in NBA history with 36,928 points. He also holds the record for the most number of free throws attempted and made. He also is tied with Kobe Bryant and LeBron James for the most number of All-NBA elections with thirteen.

Center - Hakeem Olajuwon (Houston Rockets)

Hakeem Olajuwon
Hakeem Olajuwon

The center position was probably the hardest to pick from. There were so many great big men during this decade such as Ewing, O'Neal and David Robinson that it is so hard to pick the best among them with so many different arguments being put forth for each player. But, at the end, everyone would agree that Hakeem Olajuwon was the best of them all. His amazing footwork and athleticism had never been seen before among the big men.

After years of mediocre performances in the playoffs, Olajuwon and the Rockets defied odds and won back-to-back championships in 1994 and 1995 with the latter title coming after finishing sixth in the Western Conference. Olajuwon was the only All-Star on his team during their title runs and was named finals MVP both times.

Olajuwon was named an All-Star on seven occasions in the 90s and was also named in the All-NBA first team three times in the decade. In 1994 he won the season MVP, Defensive Player of the Year and Finals MVP hence becoming the only player to do so. Olajuwon is also the first foreign player to win the season MVP. He led the league in rebounding once and also led the league in blocks on three occasions in the 90s and more importantly, was the only leader to be able to capture a ring during an era that was dominated by one team.

Quick Links

Edited by Yash Matange