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.
[1][2][3] 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.
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 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.
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 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.
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 offseason, Bobby Jones announced his retirement and the 76ers traded Moses Malone to the Washington Bullets,[23] ending the superteam era of the Philadelphia 76ers with the sole championship.
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 shockingly retired from the NBA after the 1993 championship, choosing to pursue professional baseball in honor of his recently deceased father's memory.
[24] Before the end of the 1994-95 season, Jordan announced his return to the team and the league with a famous fax carrying the statement "I'm back",[25] but the Bulls were unable to repeat their former championship success and fell to the Orlando Magic in the 1995 NBA Playoffs.
[31] 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.
The Celtics then traded Ryan Gomes, Gerald Green, Al Jefferson, Theo Ratliff, Sebastian Telfair, and a first-round draft pick to the Timberwolves in exchange for superstar power forward Kevin Garnett on July 31, 2007.
[48] On July 11, 2012, the Heat signed Ray Allen, adding one of the greatest three-point shooters in NBA history while simultaneously weakening their primary rival, the Boston Celtics.
[58] A month later, on August 23, Minnesota Timberwolves power forward Kevin Love was acquired in a three-team trade for Anthony Bennett and Andrew Wiggins, who had been selected first overall by the Cavaliers in the 2013 and 2014 NBA Drafts, respectively.
The Cavaliers advanced to the NBA Finals for the second time franchise history, but untimely injuries to Love and Irving played a part in a 4–2 series loss to the Golden State Warriors.
During the lockout-shortened 1999 season, the Rockets made a sign-and-trade for Chicago Bulls small forward Scottie Pippen in one last effort to win with Olajuwon and Barkley after Clyde Drexler retired in 1998.
[86][87] After the series loss, the team was dismantled: coach Phil Jackson resigned (but eventually returned the position a year later),[88] Malone retired, and O'Neal and Payton were traded, with both later winning a title together with the Miami Heat in 2006.
Pau Gasol signed with the Chicago Bulls during the 2014 offseason[94] while Steve Nash retired during the middle of the following season, ending the Lakers' second superteam attempt of the century, On July 12, 2013, the Brooklyn Nets acquired Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce from the Celtics, pairing them with Deron Williams and Joe Johnson.
After that season, the Thunder traded away both Westbrook (to the Houston Rockets) and George (to the Los Angeles Clippers), the latter of which resulted in the acquisition of future all-star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
[113] After sustaining the longest playoff drought in franchise history, even after acquiring LeBron James in free agency from the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Lakers traded for All-NBA player Anthony Davis of the New Orleans Pelicans.
[114] During the 2021 free agency period, the Lakers acquired Russell Westbrook in a five-team trade,[115] and signed Carmelo Anthony, Dwight Howard, Rajon Rondo, DeAndre Jordan, Trevor Ariza, Avery Bradley, as well as Malik Monk.
Along with the contemporary Brooklyn Nets superteam, the Lakers were expected to be clear championship contenders, and both teams were considered heavy favorites to meet in the 2022 NBA Finals.
[116][117][118] In contrast to these high expectations, the 2021-22 Lakers finished with a 33-49 record and missed the playoffs entirely, a result that multiple outlets termed the "most disappointing team in NBA history".
[125] After winning the 2019 NBA Finals in his sole season with the Toronto Raptors over the superteam Golden State Warriors, Kawhi Leonard signed as a free agent with his hometown Los Angeles Clippers.
The Clippers later signed former MVP point guard Russell Westbrook off of waivers in 2023,[126] which aided their return to the playoffs, but lost 4–1 to the Phoenix Suns superteam, with Leonard missing most of the series.
[130] The addition of Paul not only ended their decade-long playoff drought, but also helped the team reach the NBA Finals for the first time since 1993, ultimately losing 4-2 to Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks.
Claims persist that superstar players are no longer looking to make the game competitive, but rather finding an easier way to win championships and nullifying smaller contenders by joining other elites.
[135] However, there have been cases for both sides as others argue that the NBA has achieved its highest grossing TV revenue, that it was all done under the rules of the salary cap, and that it is enjoyable sports entertainment.
[136] Recent efforts made to punish teams that look to assemble long-term superteams, starting in the 2023–24 season, have been implemented under newly established salary cap rules and limitations at hand.