All Time Multi-National Best Starting 5

[Dmac]

I have done one of these elsewhere for Soccer before now but as that is not popular here at all, lets see how this works out for Basketball.

So. Just a little bit of fun really.

Select the best starting NBA 5, only using a Nationality once, using players from any era. It helps if you have actually seen them play but there are no wrong answers really.

I'd say the big point of that is you can only pick one American player so make it count.

Fell free to add a bench too if you feel like you can.

Go!

 

[Chris]

PG - Luka Doncic
SG - Donovan Mitchell
SF - Giannis
PF - Kristaps Porzingas
C - Joel Embiid

 

[Dmac]

PG - Luka Doncic
SG - Donovan Mitchell
SF - Giannis
PF - Kristaps Porzingas
C - Joel Embiid

I intended to make this an all time best 5 not just current players... without actually saying.

I will change that.

 

[Chris]

I intended to make this an all time best 5 not just current players... without actually saying.

I will change that.

I'll have a different one soon then that will hopefully be easier to make

 

[Grimoire Lenin]

SG: Michael Jordan (American)
PG: Steve Nash (Canada)
PF: Dirk Nowitzki (Germany)
C: Hakeem Alojuwon (Nigerian)
SF: Andrei Kirilenko (Russian)

 

[Dmac]

Mine would be:

PG: Steve Nash (Canada)
SG: Manu Grinobli (Argentina)
SF: LeBron James (USA)
PF: Dirk Nowitzki (Germany)
C: Pau Gasol (Spain)

So before my team gets a lot of hate I feel like I need to explain it.

I have only gone for players that I have seen play in the time I have been properly following Basketball which has only been since around 2007/08.

So LeBron goes in there instead of Jordan and Gasol goes in over Hakeem.

 

[Chris]

PG: Steve Nash (Canada)
SG: Michael Jordan (American)
SF: Giannis Antetokounmpo (Greece)
PF: Dirk Nowitzki (Germany)
C: Hakeem Alojuwon (Nigerian)

Only changed to Giannis at SF from Grim's list. Not by design but I was going through an "All-time best list" to craft this and I think the rest are all pretty easy unless you wanna not have MJ and then you have some freedom for an American in the other positions, but I don't think it's worth it. Hakeem easy pick for C IMO so it would leave PF/SF/PG open for an American without MJ.

 

[Dmac]

PG: Steve Nash (Canada)
SG: Michael Jordan (American)
SF: Giannis Antetokounmpo (Greece)
PF: Dirk Nowitzki (Germany)
C: Hakeem Alojuwon (Nigerian)

Only changed to Giannis at SF from Grim's list. Not by design but I was going through an "All-time best list" to craft this and I think the rest are all pretty easy unless you wanna not have MJ and then you have some freedom for an American in the other positions, but I don't think it's worth it. Hakeem easy pick for C IMO so it would leave PF/SF/PG open for an American without MJ.

Having looked into it properly now it seems very clear cut of who people will pick to be honest.

I, as I explained, included LeBron over MJ because of LeBron being in my era and MJ was already gone.

However, there are people that would genuinely put LBJ in over MJ anyway as it is an ever moving debate and I sit completely on the fence in it. But that is something that changes the look of the team because having one or the other shifts it around to include others than otherwise wouldn't make it in.

Other than that though once your one American has been used Nash and big Dirk are musts.

 

[Chris]

LeBron would have been my second choice for an American fairly easily tbh. I just don't think it's worth sacrificing MJ for. Can't say I've watched him live myself either though. I'd have to find another C and SG if I didn't include people I haven't watched live. Unsure which non-American shooting guard I'd pick without looking at a list tho

 

[Ace]

PG: Steve Nash (Canada)
SG: Michael Jordan (American)
SF: Giannis Antetokounmpo (Greece)
PF: Dirk Nowitzki (Germany)
C: Hakeem Alojuwon (Nigerian)

This.

Luka over Nash by the time Luka ends his career imo.

 

[Grimoire Lenin]

PG: Steve Nash (Canada)
SG: Michael Jordan (American)
SF: Giannis Antetokounmpo (Greece)
PF: Dirk Nowitzki (Germany)
C: Hakeem Alojuwon (Nigerian)

Only changed to Giannis at SF from Grim's list. Not by design but I was going through an "All-time best list" to craft this and I think the rest are all pretty easy unless you wanna not have MJ and then you have some freedom for an American in the other positions, but I don't think it's worth it. Hakeem easy pick for C IMO so it would leave PF/SF/PG open for an American without MJ.

See, I wasn't going for current players as we don't really know how their careers will go. Giannis could possibly fall off the face of the earth (unlikely) by the time his career is done.

 

[Dmac]

LeBron would have been my second choice for an American fairly easily tbh. I just don't think it's worth sacrificing MJ for. Can't say I've watched him live myself either though. I'd have to find another C and SG if I didn't include people I haven't watched live. Unsure which non-American shooting guard I'd pick without looking at a list tho

I really cannot think of anyone who could slot into SG over Manu in that scenario.

I would be interested to see if you could.

 

[Chris]

See, I wasn't going for current players as we don't really know how their careers will go. Giannis could possibly fall off the face of the earth (unlikely) by the time his career is done.

You could argue Shaq did kinda do that in his career but I don't think it affects how I rate him all time bc I weigh the peaks much higher. If Giannis fell off very soon though then yeah I'd have to bump him down bc as good as he is, I'd need more years for all-time stuff so I'm still making a bit of an assumption.

If not Giannis, I'd probably go with ol' Andre too

 

[CakeWalker]

PG: Steve Nash
SG: Leandro Barbosa
SF: Loul Deng
PF: Dirk Nowitzki
C: Shaquille O'Neal

Coach: Igor Kokoškov

 

[Dmac]

PG: Steve Nash
SG: Leandro Barbosa
SF: Loul Deng
PF: Dirk Nowitzki
C: Shaquille O'Neal

Wow!

I mentioned expected one or the other when it comes to LeBron or MJ.

I did not expect a team with neither of them.