A superteam in the National Basketball Association (NBA) is a team that uses player acquisitions (via trades or free agency) in a short period of time to create a higher than average concentration of top-level players. While there is no official definition, it is generally viewed as a team with three or more Hall of Fame, All-NBA, or perennial All-Star players that join together to pursue an NBA championship.
NBA championship-winning superteams 1968–1973: Los Angeles Lakers
The earliest example of a superteam not being developed through the draft was superstar Wilt Chamberlain joining Jerry West and Elgin Baylor on the Los Angeles Lakers in the 1968 offseason. This trio reached the NBA Finals on two separate occasions, both times losing in a game seven, first to the Boston Celtics in and then to the New York Knicks in . The team then reacquired Gail Goodrich from the Phoenix Suns after previously losing him in the 1968 NBA expansion draft. The Lakers eventually won the NBA championship in 1972 while recording what was at the time the best regular season record ever at 69–13 (including the longest winning streak in NBA history at 33 straight victories), but Baylor had retired early in the season due to injuries. Nevertheless, Baylor still earned a championship ring for his services to the team. Chamberlain retired in 1973, ending what can be considered the first superteam in NBA history; West later retired as a player in 1974, while Goodrich left in free agency in 1976.
1979–1991: Los Angeles Lakers
On June 16, 1975, the Los Angeles Lakers made a blockbuster trade to acquire Kareem Abdul-Jabbar from the Milwaukee Bucks. In 1977, the Lakers signed Jamaal Wilkes in free agency after the Golden State Warriors declined to match the Lakers' offer. In the 1978 NBA draft the Lakers drafted Michael Cooper as the 60th pick, who would be a key role-player in the showtime championships. In the 1979 NBA draft, new owner Jerry Buss drafted Earvin "Magic" Johnson with the #1 pick acquired via trade with the New Orleans Jazz. The Lakers saw immediate success, forming the foundation of the team that would be dubbed Showtime, and winning the 1980 NBA Finals over the Philadelphia 76ers, with rookie Johnson winning Finals MVP.
The team reached the playoffs a year later but suffered a stunning upset in the first round at the hands of the eventual Western Conference champion Houston Rockets. The Lakers responded by not only firing coach Paul Westhead and replacing him with former Lakers player Pat Riley, but also by acquiring former MVP Bob McAdoo from the New Jersey Nets on a Christmas Eve trade in 1981. These moves helped lift the Lakers to their second NBA championship of the Showtime era in 1982. In the offseason, the team selected forward James Worthy as the #1 pick in the 1982 NBA draft due to a trade with the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Lakers then reached the NBA Finals in both 1983 and 1984, losing to the Philadelphia 76ers and Boston Celtics.
The 1984–85 Los Angeles Lakers accumulated a 62-20 record in the regular season and reached the 1985 NBA Finals to face the Boston Celtics again, this time taking their revenge in a 4-2 series win. Despite the departures of Jamaal Wilkes and Bob McAdoo, the team posted an identical regular season record in the following year, but were upset in a shocking loss in the Western Conference Finals to the Rockets, this time led by Hakeem Olajuwon. After this defeat, the 1986–87 Los Angeles Lakers embarked on one of the greatest seasons in franchise history, winning 65 games in the regular season and posting a 15-3 record in the playoffs that culminated in a win over the Celtics in the 1987 NBA Finals. The Lakers achieved their first repeat championship of the era with a 4-3 win over the "Bad Boys" Detroit Pistons in the 1988 NBA Finals. After losing a rematch with the Pistons in the 1989 NBA Finals, Abdul-Jabbar announced his retirement from the NBA. The Showtime era continued through early 1990s, including an NBA Finals appearance in 1991 under new head coach Mike Dunleavy Sr., but they were unable to recapture the success of the 1980s. Johnson announced his retirement from the sport during the 1991 preseason after revealing he had tested positive for HIV, with Worthy retiring 1994.
1980–1988: Boston Celtics
With the sixth pick of the 1978 NBA draft, the Celtics selected Larry Bird, who returned to school at Indiana State University for another season rather than playing professionally. The team finished with a 29-53 record. Bird joined the Celtics for the 1979–80 NBA season and guided the team to a 32 win improvement, achieving a 61-21 record and an Eastern Conference Finals appearance. The team further bolstered their roster in the following offseason, trading the #1 and #13 picks in the NBA draft to the Golden State Warriors to acquire center Robert Parish and the #3 pick of the draft, used to select power forward Kevin McHale. These players combined with Bird for what pundits and analysts consider to be one of the best frontcourts in NBA history. The Celtics further improved upon their previous season, winning 62 games in the regular season and the 1981 NBA Finals over the Houston Rockets led by Moses Malone.
After failing to reach the NBA Finals in the next two seasons, the Celtics traded with the Phoenix Suns to acquire All-Star guard and former NBA Finals MVP winner Dennis Johnson, which also let them waive Archibald afterward. The Celtics made an immediate return to their postseason success, winning the 1984 NBA Finals 4–3 over the longtime rival Los Angeles Lakers. On September 6, 1985, the team traded for former MVP and NBA champion Bill Walton. The Celtics completed one of the most impressive seasons in NBA history, winning 67 games in the regular season and a 15-3 run in the playoffs that culminated with a win in the 1986 NBA Finals against a Houston Rockets led by the center duo of Hakeem Olajuwon and Ralph Sampson. As a result of their historic dominance and overwhelming star power, the 1985–86 Boston Celtics are widely considered one of the greatest teams in NBA history.
Despite losing #2 pick Len Bias to a drug overdose days after the 1986 NBA draft and a drug scandal involving Dennis Johnson, the Celtics returned to the NBA Finals once again in 1987, this time falling to the Lakers 4-2. The Celtics were unable to recreate their championship success in the following seasons, losing in the Eastern Conference playoffs to "Bad Boys" era Detroit Pistons and New York Knicks. Afterwards, the team slowly came apart, with Dennis Johnson retiring first after failing to acquire a new contract with Boston in 1990, followed by Larry Bird retiring in 1992 after years of battling injuries, McHale retiring in 1993 and Robert Parish signing with the Charlotte Hornets in 1994.
1982–1986: Philadelphia 76ers
After the NBA-ABA merger, the Philadelphia 76ers obtained the player rights for Julius Erving from the New York Nets, reaching the 1977 NBA Finals in his first year with the team. In the following seasons, the team traded with the Denver Nuggets to acquire Bobby Jones and also drafted guards Maurice Cheeks and Andrew Toney. As a result, the 76ers made both the 1980 and 1982 NBA Finals, losing in 6 games to the Los Angeles Lakers each time. The 76ers became an undisputed superteam on September 15, 1982, when restricted free agent Moses Malone was acquired in a sign-and-trade with the Houston Rockets. The 1982–83 Philadelphia 76ers achieved a 65–17 record in the regular season, and when asked how they would fare in the playoffs, Malone answered "fo, fo, fo", predicting a sweep in each series. The Sixers nearly achieved Malone's boast, sweeping the New York Knicks, defeating the Milwaukee Bucks in five games, and winning the third championship in franchise history with a four-game sweep of the defending champion Lakers in the 1983 NBA Finals.
The following season, the 76ers only managed a 52–30 record and were upset in the First Round by the New Jersey Nets. In the 1984 NBA draft, the 76ers drafted Charles Barkley with the 5th overall pick. With the inclusion of Barkley, the 76ers improved to a 58–24 record and reached the Conference Finals, where they were eliminated by the Boston Celtics in 5 games. The following season, the 76ers had a 54–28 record and were eliminated in the Conference Semifinals by the Milwaukee Bucks in 7 games. In the offseason, Bobby Jones announced his retirement and the 76ers traded Moses Malone to the Washington Bullets, ending the superteam era of the Philadelphia 76ers with the sole championship. Julius Erving later retired in 1987 and other notable players slowly left over the following years.
1995–1998: Chicago Bulls
At the beginning of the decade, the Chicago Bulls had won three straight championships from 1991 to 1993 with Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen leading a team coached by Phil Jackson. Following this three-peat, Jordan retired from the NBA after the 1993 championship, choosing to pursue professional baseball in honor of his recently deceased father's memory. Before the end of the 1994–95 season, Jordan announced his return to the team and the league, but the Bulls were unable to repeat their former championship success and fell to the Orlando Magic in the 1995 NBA Playoffs. During the following offseason, the Bulls traded for the eccentric former two-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year winner Dennis Rodman. The Bulls finished their first season together with a 72–10 regular season record, setting NBA records for the most wins, highest winning percentage, and highest net rating in a single season, the latter of which still stands. Their dominance continued in the playoffs, posting a 15–3 playoff record and winning their fourth championship in six years. The 1995–96 Chicago Bulls have since been regarded as one of the greatest teams in NBA history.
Following this triumphant season, the Bulls repeated their success in the following year with a 69–13 regular season record and a 15–4 playoff record for the team's fifth championship win in franchise history. The series win in the 1997 NBA Finals in six games over the Utah Jazz was highlighted by Jordan's "Flu Game", during which Jordan was purportedly ill from food poisoning. The 1997–98 NBA season proved more challenging for the Bulls, as tensions in the front office, an aging roster, and injuries to key players threatened to derail the team. Despite these struggles, detailed in the 2020 documentary series The Last Dance, Jordan still managed to lead the team to a 62-20 regular season record. Pushed to seven games by Indiana Pacers in the Eastern Conference Finals, the Bulls emerged victorious and reached their third NBA Finals in a row and their sixth in eight years. The team completed their second three-peat by beating the Jazz 4–2 in a rematch of the previous season, with Game 6 of the 1998 NBA Finals famously ending with Jordan's last shot in a Bulls uniform, a play now considered one of the greatest moments in NBA history. The Bulls' dynasty disbanded the following offseason during which Phil Jackson was relieved as head coach, Michael Jordan announced his retirement from the NBA for the second time, and many of the team's key players were traded or signed to new teams in free agency.
2007–2012: Boston Celtics