National Basketball Association

Magic, MJ, Bird lead Cowherd's All-Time NBA team

Published May. 20, 2022 11:09 a.m. ET

If you were given a pool of every NBA player who's ever lived, who would you craft a dream team with?

There are tons of names to choose from, and depending on your desired style of play, you could go in a bevy of directions. Whether you're crafting a defensive-minded squad, one centered around playmaking, or a strictly shooting team, the possibilities are endless.

For Colin Cowherd, his squad is about as complete as one can be. He's got shooting, playmaking, defense and size. And according to "The Herd" host, he'd put his group up against just about anybody.

Here's his first, second and third teams, as revealed Thursday on the show.

First Team:

PG Magic Johnson | 19.5 PPG, 7.2 REB, 11.2 AST

SG Michael Jordan | 30.1 PPG, 6.2 REB, 5.3 AST

SF LeBron James | 27.1 PPG, 7.5 REB, 7.4 AST

PF Larry Bird | 24.3 PPG, 10 REB, 6.3 AST

C Kareem Abdul-Jabbar | 24.6 PPG, 11.2 REB, 3.6 AST

Colin's thoughts: "You've got to have somebody that could hit 3s. Kareem, Michael and Magic couldn't hit them. Bird's the best shooter of his generation, and probably the best passer after Magic."

Second Team:

PG Isiah Thomas | 19.2 PPG, 3.6 REB, 9.3 AST

SG Kobe Bryant | 25 PPG, 5.2 REB, 4.7 AST

SF Julius Erving | 22 PPG, 6.7 REB, 3.9 AST

PF Tim Duncan | 19 PPG, 10.8 REB, 3.0 AST

C Wilt Chamberlain | 30.1 PPG, 22.9 REB, 4.4 AST

Colin's thoughts: "Kobe Bryant was the closest thing to MJ. People forget how good Dr. J was — 11-time All-Star and he would've had 15 had he not played in the ABA. He was never on a team that missed the playoffs. Wilt's a little flaky, Kobe would end up being the de facto leader on this team with Isiah Thomas."

Third Team:

PG Stephen Curry | 25.5 PPG, 5.2 REB, 6.3 AST

SG Jerry West | 27.0 PPG, 5.8 REB, 6.7 AST

SF Charles Barkley | 22.1 PPG, 11.7 REB, 3.9 AST

PF Kevin Durant | 29.9 PPG, 7.4 REB, 6.4 AST

C Shaquille O'Neal | 23.7 PPG, 10.9 REB, 2.5 AST

Colin's thoughts: "The reason I put Steph Curry on my third team is because I don't want him to take shots away from Kobe Bryant. I've always had a soft spot for Charles Barkley. He played in Orlando one night, and he literally had the greatest quarter I've ever seen. Orlando players were waving flags. It was left-handers, 3-pointers, dunks. Shaq in his prime — there's nothing you could do. The thing about Steph, there's nothing close to him. Michael, LeBron, Kobe, Kareem could not score as quickly as him. Very rarely are great players underrated."