Greatest 1st team all-NBA year ever?

[Hook_Em]

Gotta go with with 87-88’:

Magic
MJ
Barkley
Bird
Hakeem

Size, scoring, passing, two defensive hounds, toughness, IQ

[kcktiny]

Wilt Chamberlain
Bob Pettit
Elgin Baylor
Jerry West
Oscar Robertson

1961-62 and 1963-64.

[MiamiBulls]

2003

A Frontcourt consistent of Shaquille O'Neal, Kevin Garnett & Tim Duncan

A Backcourt consistent of Kobe Bryant and Tracy Mcgrady

[lessthanjake]

Besides ones others have named, 1988-89 and 1990-91 were really good. Magic, Jordan, Barkley, Karl Malone, and Robinson/Hakeem. The 1989-90 year was almost as good, but just a little less so because the center was Ewing.

The 2020-21 year has a pretty great first team too: Jokic, Giannis, Kawhi, Steph, and Luka.

[rk2023]

1990, 2003, 2020

[AEnigma]

By names involved, 2013 is extremely strong (Lebron/Durant/Paul/Kobe/Duncan) — but obviously those were below average years for Duncan and Kobe.

The best guard years were from 1987-91, when Magic and Jordan were locked into the first-team. Of that stretch, 1988 I think is comfortably the best overall (Hakeem/Bird/Barkley). The weakness there is at forward: I would take the first team forwards every year from 2003-18 over that duo, plus 2020 and possibly a few more. However, 2014-16 is disqualified because of the historically weak first-team centres, and if we only look at calibre of play rather than at the names involved, then 2006 (end of prime Shaq), 2008 (early prime Dwight), 2012 (down year Dwight), and 2013 (old Duncan) are out too. Additional filtering can be applied to 2018 (Lillard not up to par), 2011 (Rose not up to par), 2007 (Amar’e not up to par), 2005 (Iverson not up to par), and 2004 (Kidd not up to par). That leaves 2003, 2009, 2010, 2017, and 2020. Of those, I will cross out 2010, because early prime Durant is a weaker link (as we saw in the postseason) than prime Dirk. 2020 also has a sophomore Luka, who was great but similarly in his early prime. So my top four by quality of play is then:

2017: Westbrook/Harden/Kawhi/Lebron/Davis (top four MVP plus prime Davis; peaks from Westbrook and Kawhi)

2009: Wade/Kobe/Lebron/Dirk/Dwight (top four MVP in a historically strong race, plus prime Dirk; arguable peaks from the top three, and only Dirk was not all-defensive)

2003: Kobe/McGrady/Garnett/Duncan/Shaq (top five MVP!; ludicrous frontcourt, plus McGrady’s peak and a similarly elite Kobe season)

1988: Magic/Jordan/Bird/Barkley/Hakeem (top four MVP plus prime Hakeem; best guards plus the best centre season so far, and while I am lower on the frontcourt here for defensive reasons, it is ultimately still prime Bird and Barkley)

Best “team” is probably 2009 because of the outstanding two-way aptitude around Dirk, but I think most impressive to me is 2003, with both Duncan and Garnett providing historic seasons (easy to argue the two best “traditional power forward” seasons in league history… with the other contenders being directly adjacent seasons from each of them), Shaq providing strong first team centre play, and McGrady and Kobe providing historic wing seasons of their own; it is the only year where I would argue all five could qualify as top thirty peaks, and here we also have three of them acting as top fifteen peaks (equal to 1988, although I know some are much higher on 1988 Bird).

[Tim Lehrbach]

here we also have three of them acting as top ten peaks (equal to 1988).

Duncan, Garnett, and... ?

[AEnigma]

here we also have three of them acting as top ten peaks (equal to 1988).

Duncan, Garnett, and... ?

Intended Shaq here but on further reflection I should probably amend and just say top fifteen.

[Djoker]

Probably 1988. Four pantheon guys in their primes + another top 30 guy in Barkley also in his prime. 2003 is a close second. Those two are a cut above all others mentioned in the thread to me.

[SpreeS]

Hakeem/Barkley/Bird/Jordan/Magic (the best team)
O'Neal/Duncan/Garnett/Kobe/McGrady (the best defence)
Jokic/Giannis/Kawhi/Doncic/Curry (the best offence)
Howard/Lebron/Durant/Kobe/Paul (HM)

[XTC]

2010 was nasty

Wade
Kobe
Lebron
KD
Dwight