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The 2020-21 NBA season has arguably seen what could be one of the greatest all-time super teams to have graced the NBA.
The Brooklyn Nets gave up a substantial chunk of their draft capital and key role players to acquire three-time scoring champion James Harden in an earth-shattering blockbuster deal of the season.
The Nets' big three of Kevin Durant, James Harden and Kyrie Irving look scary good at the offensive end. While the team is still working out the kinks in their system, especially at the defensive end, counting them out just yet would be foolhardy.
The reason behind this optimism lies in what transpired with similar 'big three's in the past.
Since the 2007-08 season, when the Celtics' big three of Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen got together, such super teams or big threes have mostly gone on to hoist the Championship before dismantling the band, albeit with a few exceptions.
Where do the Brooklyn Nets rank among all-time super teams in NBA history?
The Miami Heat's big three of James-Wade-Bosh and more recently the Warriors big three of Durant-Curry-Thompson have found tremendous success.
Nevertheless, there are a few combos like the big-three experiment of Westbrook-George-Anthony in OKC Thunder, which was a bust. A similar fate was endured by the 2012-13 ensemble of the LA Lakers, which featured Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol, Steve Nash, Dwight Howard and Metta World Peace (Ron Artest).
The Brooklyn Nets' big three will probably not suffer the same fate, as two of their big three have already reached the summit, winning the NBA championship in which they played a pivotal role. James Harden is the only one without a championship ring but has already shown signs he is ready to sacrifice to win it all at the Brooklyn Nets.
The rankings in this list feature super teams where top stars came together through a trade or free agency. The Brooklyn Nets' big three has been ranked based solely on their individual performances thus far and not as a projection of where they might end up when it’s all set and done.
#5 Brooklyn Nets: Kevin Durant, James Harden, Kyrie Irving
The Brooklyn Nets have the potential to climb up in this list in the future, but for now, the Nets' big three ranks as the fifth-best all-time super team in the NBA.
The Nets have already proven to be the hottest show in all of basketball this season but will need to add multiple titles to etch their name in history
The Brooklyn Nets have everything going for them with a trifecta that has the potential of attaining the highest combined average of all super teams in league history. The Brooklyn Nets' big three consists of two legitimate MVP caliber players in Durant and Harden and one of the most lethal backcourt players to have ever graced the hardwood in Kyrie Irving.
A few more roster changes that bring in talented defensive players could see the Brooklyn Nets turn into a serious title contender in the near future.
#4 Boston Celtics: Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen
The Boston Celtics fans will reminisce about the big moves made by Danny Ainge in the front office when they acquired two perennial All-Stars, Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen. Another vital part of this unit was the future Hall of Famer Rajan Rondo, who ran the offense as their primary point guard.
The trade move was an instant power grab that turned around the team's fortunes and elevated them to a powerhouse like no other at the time.
The Boston Celtics dominated the league in the regular season and then annihilated the competition in the playoffs before reaching the NBA Finals, where they beat the LA Lakers in six games to earn their only NBA title as a super team.
A low bar for the big three of the Brooklyn Nets could be to take over the Boston Celtics super team by winning two NBA championships, but that would be easier said than done.
#3 Miami Heat: LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh
The Boston Celtics' domination were in big part due to Lebron James' woes in the playoffs, back when he did not reach the NBA Finals eight times in a row.
The stars from the 2003 NBA draft class hatched a plan that saw LeBron James and Chris Bosh take their talents to South Beach and team up with D-Wade to create an elite superteam.
Die-hard NBA fans will remember LeBron James 'The Decision' special where he revealed his plans to join Dwyane Wade in Miami and the subsequent declaration of 'not five, not six, not seven,' NBA title aspirations that engulfed the competition.
The Miami Heat were further bolstered with one of the purest shooters in NBA history - Ray Allen - joining them in his quest for gold and glory. The Miami Heat went on to make four NBA Finals appearances, winning two NBA titles (2012 and 2013).
James was loathed as the villain of the NBA and carried that tag with him until he returned to his hometown and ushered in the second LeBron James era with the Cleveland Cavaliers.
#2 Golden State Warriors: Kevin Durant, Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson
It can be argued that the ensemble created in the bay area was the greatest super team in NBA history.
The Golden State Warriors made an NBA record 73 wins in the 2016 regular season before losing the championship to the Cleveland Cavaliers despite taking a 3-1 series lead.
The fallout resulted in the creation of a monster big-three of Kevin Durant, Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson, with many other notable role players playing their parts to perfection.
The Golden State Warriors began putting on a Jordan-esque show that dominated the NBA with authority. They went on to beat LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2017 and 2018 to win successive NBA championships.
Durant cruised his side to victory by winning back-to-back NBA Finals MVP awards.
The unit, however, fell apart after their defeat by Kawhi Leonard and the Toronto Raptors in the 2019 NBA Finals. Durant left to join the Brooklyn Nets in free agency.
One can only imagine the number of NBA titles they could have won if not for Durant taking his talent to the East Coast.
#1 Chicago Bulls: Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, Dennis Rodman
Everyone wants to be like Michael Jordan. The Chicago Bulls trio has stood the test of time and still reign as the best super-team ever created in the NBA.
Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen and Dennis Rodman took the NBA by storm and even helped steer the game to a worldwide scale with their epic performances that made them famous around the globe.
One can still find people who don't know what the NBA is but have heard of the name Michael Jordan.
The Bulls made a big move in the 1995-96 NBA season by acquiring Dennis Rodman and creating a beast of a team that dominated the game like none else.
The trio went on to register 72 regular-season wins on their way to their first NBA title in 1995-96. The Bulls' big three followed that up with two more NBA Championship-winning seasons to complete the revered 'three peat'.
Although the Jordan era was larger than that, the Bulls won six titles in eight years under Jordan before dismantling the team after the 1997-98 season.
