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Informal term for top-tier basketball teams in the NBA / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A superteam in the National Basketball Association (NBA) is a franchise which has three or more Hall of Fame-caliber players who decided to join together in pursuit of a league championship.[discuss][1] They may alternatively be All-Star or All-NBA players, recently or currently.[2] While the term was originally used to describe teams with many talented players or sustained success, it currently serves a more derogatory role, criticizing teams that disrupt the competitive balance of the league and/or benefit from the movement of star players.[3]
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Because of its close relationship with player empowerment, the definition of what constitutes a superteam is heavily contested.
The first "Superteam" that was created was when superstar Wilt Chamberlain joined fellow superstar players Jerry West and Elgin Baylor, on the Los Angeles Lakers in the 1968 offseason.[4][5][6][7]
LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh were named the "Big Three" and would establish their dominance by making the NBA Finals in all of their four years together, winning back-to-back titles in 2012 and 2013. James had joined the Heat as a reigning back-to-back MVP and equal six-time All-Star with Dwyane Wade, whilst Chris Bosh had five All-Star selections.[8][9][10]
Due to this, many other superteams have been formed/drafted since in order to secure a championship.[11] The second superteam since the Heat's formation was the Golden State Warriors from 2016–2019. This team included four perennial All-Stars: Stephen Curry (also reigning back-to-back MVP, and first unanimous MVP winner), Klay Thompson, Draymond Green, and Kevin Durant,[5] winning back-to-back titles in 2017 and 2018. In 2018, the Warriors also signed All-Star DeMarcus Cousins from the New Orleans Pelicans in free agency and was the first NBA franchise in 42 years (since the 1976 Boston Celtics) to start five players that had been All-Stars the previous season.[12][13]
Although superteams are mostly thought of as a new concept, some have retroactively applied the term to 20th century teams that featured multiple star players. However, some refute this by claiming that those players were past their prime and teamed up as a last ditched effort to win a championship, such as the 2007–2012 Celtics.