Top 10 Best NBA Trios in History
Greatest Trios in NBA History: Number 1
LA Lakers; Johnson, Abdul-Jabbar, and Worthy (1985, ’87, ’88 NBA Champions)
After winning the NBA Championship in 1980 and 1982, fans in Los Angeles were sure that their Lakers would rise to become the team of the ’80s. However, the potential dynasty was met with the rude awakening that the league was filled with talent, and there were great teams in other cities who were equally as hungry for championship glory. In 1983, the team lost the NBA Finals to the Philadelphia 76ers. The very next season, they lost the NBA Finals to the Boston Celtics.
By the time 1985 rolled around, the supporters had turned to detractors. After the Lakers were blown out at Boston Garden in Game 1 of that year’s finals, journalists from across the country began writing that the Lakers were finished. However, a resurgent Kareem Abdul-Jabbar would dominate the rest of the series and go on to win Finals MVP while leading the team to victory in six games.
In 1987, Earvin “Magic” Johnson emerged as the best player in the NBA. He walked away with that year’s regular season MVP award and eventually led the team to a showdown with their rivals, the Boston Celtics, in the NBA Finals. In Game 4, Johnson hit a hook shot to give the team a lead they would not relinquish in the closing seconds of the game. It is still considered one of the greatest moments in NBA history. The team would go on to win the series in six games and be crowned champions once again.
The next year, the Lakers would find themselves matched up against a new opponent, Isiah Thomas and the “Bad Boy” Detroit Pistons. The series would go seven games, but James Worthy’s triple-double in the final matchup would be the deciding factor. The Lakers had accomplished what no other team had done since the Celtics of the 1960s, repeating as champions! The trio of Magic, Kareem, and Worthy will always be remembered for the unforgettable “Showtime era” and for being the first team to win back-to-back titles in the NBA in almost twenty years.
TJ Brown is a certified personal trainer and a member of the National Sports Media Association, as well as the National Association of Black Journalists. His work is often humorous and insightful, and always original.