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A superteam in the National Basketball Association (NBA) is a franchise which has three or more Hall of Fame-caliber players who decided to join together in pursuit of a league championship. They may alternatively be All-Star or All-NBA players, recently or currently. While the term was originally used to describe teams with many talented players or sustained success, it currently serves a more derogatory role, criticizing teams that disrupt the competitive balance of the league and/or benefit from the movement of star players.

Because of its close relationship with player empowerment, the definition of what constitutes a superteam is heavily contested.

The first "Superteam" that was created was when superstar Wilt Chamberlain joined fellow superstar players Jerry West and Elgin Baylor, on the Los Angeles Lakers in the 1968 offseason.

LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh were named the "Big Three" and would establish their dominance by making the NBA Finals in all of their four years together, winning back-to-back titles in 2012 and 2013. James had joined the Heat as a reigning back-to-back MVP and equal six-time All-Star with Dwyane Wade, whilst Chris Bosh had five All-Star selections.

Due to this, many other superteams have been formed/drafted since in order to secure a championship. The second superteam since the Heat's formation was the Golden State Warriors from 2016–2019. This team included four perennial All-Stars: Stephen Curry (also reigning back-to-back MVP, and first unanimous MVP winner), Klay Thompson, Draymond Green, and Kevin Durant, winning back-to-back titles in 2017 and 2018. In 2018, the Warriors also signed All-Star DeMarcus Cousins from the New Orleans Pelicans in free agency and was the first NBA franchise in 42 years (since the 1976 Boston Celtics) to start five players that had been All-Stars the previous season.

Although superteams are mostly thought of as a new concept, some have retroactively applied the term to 20th century teams that featured multiple star players. However, some refute this by claiming that those players were past their prime and teamed up as a last ditched effort to win a championship, such as the 2007–2012 Celtics.

1956–1969: Bill Russell's Celtics
After winning 11 championships in 13 years, the Boston Celtics of the 1950s and '60s were regarded as an NBA superteam, serving as a guidepost for future dynasties. Led by 5-time MVP Bill Russell, they won an NBA record 8 consecutive championships.

Prior to the 1976 settlement of Robertson v. National Basketball Association, free agency did not exist in the NBA. As a result, Russell and his teammates were acquired through NBA drafts and trades. The Celtics drafted Tom Heinsohn in 1956, Sam Jones in 1957, and John Havlicek in 1962. Bob Cousy was taken in the 1950 Chicago Stags dispersal draft, after being drafted into the league the same year. Others like Bill Sharman and Bailey Howell were traded to the Celtics. Russell himself was acquired in a draft day trade.

1982–1986 76ers
On September 15, 1982, NBA superstar Moses Malone was traded by the Houston Rockets to the defending Eastern Conference champions Philadelphia 76ers for Caldwell Jones and a 1983 1st round draft pick (Rodney McCray was later selected). The 76ers achieved a 65–17 record, made it to the NBA Finals and swept the defending champions Los Angeles Lakers. The following season, the 76ers had 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 compared to the previous season. They made it to the Conference Finals where they were eliminated by the defending champions Boston Celtics in 5 games. The Celtics went on to get eliminated in the NBA Finals in 6 games against the Los Angeles Lakers. 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, the 76ers traded Moses Malone along with Terry Catledge, a 1986 1st round draft pick (Anthony Jones was later selected), and a 1988 1st round draft pick (Harvey Grant was later selected) to the Washington Bullets for Cliff Robinson and Jeff Ruland, ending the superteam era of the Philadelphia 76ers.

2004: Karl Malone and Gary Payton join Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant on the Lakers
The earliest 21st century version of the superteam formed with the confluence of four future Hall of Fame players on the Los Angeles Lakers. Following a defeat against the eventual champion San Antonio Spurs in the 2003 Western Conference Semifinals during their attempt to win a fourth consecutive NBA championship, the Lakers signed star players Karl Malone and Gary Payton as free agents in the following offseason. The former All-NBA Team awardees added to a roster that already featured superstars Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant. Payton himself would later comment "That was probably the first super team with the four of us" during an interview on the CBS Sports podcast Nothing Personal with David Samsom. After finishing the regular season, the Lakers attained the second seed in the Western Conference with a record of 56-26. They won the first three rounds of the 2004 NBA playoffs to reach the 2004 NBA Finals, where they were defeated by the Detroit Pistons 4-1 despite being considered heavily favored in the series.

2008: Boston Celtics assemble Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen, and Paul Pierce
Following a lackluster 2006-2007 season, finishing 24-58, the Celtics sought a new move to propel them to the top of the league. Following the end of the season, during the summer of 2007, Danny Ainge made a blockbuster move. "On draft night, he traded No. 5 pick Jeff Green, Wally Szczerbiak and Delonte West to Seattle for perennial all-star Ray Allen and Seattle's second-round pick (which the team used to select LSU's Glen "Big Baby" Davis). 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. These moves created a new "Big Three" of Pierce, Allen, and Garnett." This new "Big Three" created the most drastic record changes in NBA history seeing them finish 66-16 for the season en route to the 2008 NBA Championship.

2010: LeBron James and Chris Bosh join Miami Heat to create the modern superteam
In the 2010 offseason, LeBron James entered free agency with free choice of his next team. He had just come off one of the best statistical seasons of his career, been voted All-Star six times, and won back-to-back MVP awards with the Cleveland Cavaliers. Although there was much speculation and hype surrounding James and his choice, it was kept hidden for many weeks until he announced his plans on a live ESPN broadcast, The Decision. He chose to join the Miami Heat and fellow draft class member and good friend, Dwyane Wade.

Wade had already had proven himself a superstar with the Miami Heat where he won the 2006 NBA Championship and Finals MVP. His other achievements included 6-time All-Star, 5-time All-NBA teamer, and 2009 scoring champion. Chris Bosh, another member of their draft class, would also join James and Wade, then a 4-time All-Star and franchise all-time leader in points, rebounds, blocks, and minutes played at the time he left the Toronto Raptors. The three banded together to make 4 straight NBA Finals out of 4 seasons played together. They first lost the 2011 NBA Finals to the Dallas Mavericks before winning two straight over the Oklahoma City Thunder and the San Antonio Spurs respectively, and becoming the first Eastern Conference team to win back-to-back titles since the 1998 Chicago Bulls. During this time, they had dominated much of the NBA and the Eastern Conference only to rematch the Spurs in the 2014 Finals, which they lost.

Following the loss, LeBron James reentered free agency, left the Miami Heat, and returned to his hometown team, the Cleveland Cavaliers, thus ending the run of the Miami Big Three. During their time, James won back-to-back MVP and Finals MVP (2012 and 2013) as well as the 3 members were voted All-Stars for all 4 years. They also made NBA history with such feats as 27 straight victories from February 3 to March 25, 2013, the second-longest win streak in NBA history, as well as only the second time that three teammates had each scored 30 points and grabbed 10 rebounds in a regulation match, which had last happened over 50 years prior.

Many other players and franchises would follow in the footsteps of the Big Three by joining other superstar players to form their own superteam in a quest to win an NBA championship. However, it would be LeBron James himself who formed the next "big three" of the league.

2012–2013: Los Angeles Lakers
On July 11, 2012, Steve Nash was traded by the Phoenix Suns to the Los Angeles Lakers. On August 10, 2012, NBA superstar Dwight Howard was traded by the Orlando Magic to the Los Angeles Lakers in a 4-team trade. This trade formed a superteam of superstars Kobe Bryant, Dwight Howard, and All-Star Pau Gasol. The Lakers dealt with injuries with Pau Gasol only playing 49 games due to a foot injury and Steve Nash only played 50 games due to a leg injury. On April 12, 2013, Kobe Bryant tore his achilles in a game against the Golden State Warriors. Due to the injuries, the Lakers finished with a 45–37 record and were swept in the First Round by the San Antonio Spurs.

2014–2018: Cavaliers vs. Warriors
After the 2014 Finals loss, LeBron James went back into free agency, deciding to end his Miami Heat stint and head back to his hometown to the Cleveland Cavaliers to bring a title to the "Promised Land". Cleveland already had Kyrie Irving on their roster, whom they drafted in 2011 (1st overall). Irving had won Rookie of the Year in 2012, was a two-time All-Star (and All-Star MVP in 2014), as well as was the youngest player in NBA history to score 40 points at Madison Square Garden. Joining them via trade would be Kevin Love from the Minnesota Timberwolves to complete the trio. Love had finished the previous season with his best production yet, with career-high averages in points and assists as well as an All-Star selection in 2012. In his 6-year stint with the Wolves, he had also recorded the longest streak of double-doubles (double figures in two of either points, rebounds, assists, blocks or steals) at 52, as well as became the first player since Moses Malone in 1982 to record 30 points and 30 rebounds in a regulation game. With the Boston Celtics and San Antonio Spurs' respective big threes nearing retirement, LeBron James sought out easier-to-win championships with the Cleveland Cavaliers just as he attempted with the Miami Heat. Kevin Love, considered one of the best power forwards in the league, Kyrie Irving, a perennial All-Star and budding superstar, and LeBron James instantly making the Cleveland Cavaliers a title favorite.

Also during the 2015 season, the Golden State Warriors had their own emerging team, becoming a dynasty that would dominate the league and establish them as another superteam with the 2016 addition of Kevin Durant. Although James' team was built through trades and free agency, the Warriors would build their team through the draft and development to obtain the core that would come to challenge the Cavaliers for championships. The Warriors had drafted Stephen Curry as the No. 7 pick in 2009, Klay Thompson at No. 11 in 2011, and Draymond Green at No. 35 in 2012, to form the nucleus of this team, while adding Andrew Bogut (another team's No. 1 draft pick in 2005) and Andre Iguodala (2-time Defensive Player of the Year) as core players to run for the title in the 2015. The Warriors completed the 2015 regular season with the No. 1 Western seed with a 67-15 record, won a Western Conference championship, and faced the Eastern Conference champion Cavaliers in the NBA Finals.

The young Warriors team won the Finals over the Cavaliers in six games, following the injuries to Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving, their first championship in 40 years. This firmly established the Warriors as a great team after their core players won a multitude of awards in their breakthrough season/competed for others: Stephen Curry (MVP, All-Star selection, All-NBA First team), Klay Thompson (All-Star Selection, All-NBA team, tenth in MVP voting), Draymond Green (All-Defensive team selection, the runner up for the Defensive Player of the Year award), and Andre Iguodala (2015 Finals MVP). Cleveland's Big Three had won accolades as well to further bolster their superteam status despite the Finals loss: Kyrie Irving (All-Star Selection, All-NBA Third team) and LeBron James (All-Star Selection, All-NBA First team). Following the 2015 Finals, these two teams would dominate their respective conferences the next year and rematch the Finals.

The Warriors had started the 2015–16 season by breaking the opening wins record (24, before losing on December 12 to the Milwaukee Bucks) as well as some other NBA records by the end of the season. These include the most road wins in a season (34), most consecutive home wins (54), and best regular season record at 73–9, edging the Michael Jordan-led 1996 Bulls' 72–10. The Cleveland Cavaliers topped the Eastern Conference and again made the NBA Finals after defeating the Detroit Pistons, Atlanta Hawks, and Toronto Raptors. The Warriors also made the Finals, but en-route had faced some problems in the Western Conference Finals where they fell down 3–1 against the Oklahoma City Thunder (after beating the Houston Rockets and the Portland Trail Blazers in the prior rounds). The Warriors came back and won the series and once again faced the Cavs for the NBA title. This Finals saw the Cleveland Cavaliers make their own 3–1 comeback, the first team to ever come back 3-1 in the NBA Finals. Both teams' key players were selected in the All-Star match. Stephen Curry became the first-ever unanimous MVP, LeBron James won Finals MVP in the series and Draymond Green joined both LeBron and Curry in the All-NBA teams.

The following off-season, the Warriors made a move to re-assert their spot as the most dominant franchise in the league by acquiring Kevin Durant in free agency. Durant had been a member of the Oklahoma City Thunder and was part of the team that had led the Warriors 3–1 in the Western Conference Finals, but then blew the lead and missed out on their first conference championship since 2012. Durant joined the Warriors highly decorated and as one of the best players in the league with a resume of 2014 MVP, five-time NBA Scoring Champion, seven-time All-Star, and six-time All-NBA teamer.

Before the playoffs, the Warriors had matched or broken several NBA records. They reclaimed the top seed with 67 wins along, won the most ever games by a 40-point-plus margin, and extended their run of most games without back-to-back losses in the regular season to 146 (spanning from April 9, 2015 to March 2, 2017). The starters, Curry, Durant, Draymond Green, Andre Iguodala, and Klay Thompson, were known by some as the "Hampton 5", or the "Death Lineup".

In the postseason, the Warriors broke the records for best start (15–0), longest win streak (15), and best overall record (16–1), whilst the Cavaliers made a strong run of their own. Cleveland entered the Finals with only one loss in the conference playoffs before relinquishing the title to the Warriors 4–1. The season's accolades between the two teams included: the Warriors had four players in the All-Star match (Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, Draymond Green, and Klay Thompson) a shared NBA record, as well as the Cavs had their Big Three in (LeBron James, Kyrie Irving, and Kevin Love). All-NBA selections were also given to Curry, Green, James, and Durant, whom won Finals MVP. Although both the Warriors and Cavaliers remained favorites in their respective conferences, there was another shift in the when the Cavaliers traded point guard Irving to the Boston Celtics in August for their own starting point guard, Isaiah Thomas, who was injured at the time. Although Thomas had won an All-NBA selection the previous season, he was not seen as the same caliber of player as Irving. Thomas would struggle to come back from his injury in Cleveland, subsequently getting traded. The Cavaliers nonetheless made the Finals, with a more troubled path featuring near loses in series to the Indiana Pacers (a 4–3 win) in the First Round, and the Boston Celtics (also 4–3) in the Eastern Conference Finals, as only the fourth seed in the Eastern Conference standings. The Warriors also did not finish atop of the Western Conference (2nd seed) as well as slimly won the Western Conference Finals over the Houston Rockets in seven games. They swept the 2018 Finals over Cleveland to win a second straight title, and three out of four Finals.

Kevin Durant won another Finals MVP and made the All-NBA team, alongside LeBron James and Stephen Curry. After the two teams had battled in four straight Finals (an NBA first), their rivalry ended as James joined the LA Lakers on a four-year deal in free agency, ending Cleveland's title hopes as well.

2018–19 season: Warriors form an All-Star team
As in 2016 when the Warriors signed Kevin Durant, they reaffirmed their place as a superteam cast when they signed Demarcus Cousins as a free agent from the New Orleans Pelicans in the 2018 off-season. Although he was injured then, he was still considered a dominant "big man" with great skill and defensive tenacity, which had won him two All-NBA selections and four All-Star games before the signing. The Golden State Warriors became the first franchise in 42 years to be able to start five All-Stars (as they had all been the previous year), one in each floor position. It was almost a year after his injury occurred when Cousins took the floor as the Warriors faced the Los Angeles Clippers on January 19, 2019, that the team finally started the five perennial All-Stars in a game.

2021–2022: Brooklyn Nets
Near the start of the 2020–21 season, on January 13, 2021, the Brooklyn Nets traded for James Harden in a blockbuster four-team trade, which reunited Harden with his Oklahoma City Thunder teammate Kevin Durant, and also gave him All-Star Kyrie Irving to form a new superteam in the East.

2021–present: Los Angeles Lakers
During the 2021 offseason on July 29, the Los Angeles Lakers traded for Russell Westbrook in a trade that also sent two future 2nd round draft picks (2024 and 2028) to the Lakers and Montrezl Harrell, Kyle Kuzma, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, and the 22nd pick of the 2021 NBA draft to the Washington Wizards. This trade formed a new superteam of LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and Westbrook in the West.

1960s–1970s
During the Celtics' dynastic run in the 1960s, their most formidable foe included Wilt Chamberlain, who was individually the most dominant offensive force of his era. Despite his individual talents, an NBA championship eluded Chamberlain through the first seven seasons of his career. In 1965, Chamberlain was traded to the Philadelphia 76ers, joining perennial all-star Hal Greer. Future Hall of Famer Billy Cunningham joined the team the next season, and in 1967, the trio led the Sixers to the NBA championship.

After the 1968 season, Chamberlain was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers, where he also joined a star-studded team featuring Jerry West and Elgin Baylor. The trio failed to win a championship together, however, losing to the Celtics in the 1969 Finals, and to the New York Knicks in the 1970 Finals. Baylor would retire early in the 1971–72 season, but that coincided with the beginning of the Lakers' 33-game winning streak, culminating in a championship for the franchise.

The Knicks also boasted its own superteam, with Willis Reed, Walt Frazier, Bill Bradley and Dave DeBusschere as its stars. That group captured the 1970 championship. Later on, the Knicks added Earl Monroe and Jerry Lucas who helped them win the 1973 championship. Also during the 1970s, the Milwaukee Bucks traded for perennial all-star Oscar Robertson before the 1971 season, joining rising superstar Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. That team went on to win its first championship in franchise history.

1980s–1990s
In the 1980s, the Los Angeles Lakers had a formidable team in the Showtime Lakers that boasted stars Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (five-time MVP, nine-time All-Star and All-NBA), Magic Johnson, and James Worthy, whom combined won 23 All-Star and 14 All-NBA selections, three MVPs, and five Finals MVPs in the decade. The team won five NBA championships, eight conference championships, and developed a culture of Hollywood glamour and entertaining basketball.

They also had a dynasty rivalry with the Boston Celtics whom won three NBA championship rings in the '80s. Boston featured all-time greats Larry Bird (nine All-Stars, three MVPs, 10 All-NBA and two Finals MVP), Robert Parish (seven All-Stars, two All-NBA), Kevin McHale (five All-Star, two All-NBA), and Dennis Johnson (five All-Star, two All-NBA and one Finals MVP). Other Hall of Famers who won championships with the Celtics during the Bird era included Nate Archibald, a former perennial All-Star point guard for the Kansas City Kings, and Bill Walton, a former All-Star and MVP with the Portland Trail Blazers. In Bird's rookie season (1980) he also had Hall of Famers Dave Cowens and Pete Maravich as teammates, though that group did not win a championship. The Celtics won the 1981, '4 and '6 championships, the second of which came against the Lakers. They also lost the Finals in '85 and '7, both to the Lakers. The '86 championship team, featuring Bird, McHale, Parish, Johnson and Walton, became the first of only two teams to win 40 home games in a regular season, and is considered the greatest team in franchise history.

Another notable team in that era were the Philadelphia 76ers of Julius Erving and Moses Malone. In the summer of 1982, the Sixers acquired Malone from the Houston Rockets, adding a formidable interior presence the team lacked after losing the 1980 and '82 Finals against the Showtime Lakers. Alongside fellow All-Stars Maurice Cheeks and Bobby Jones, the '83 Sixers won 67 games, and only lost one playoff game en route to a championship. The Sixers later drafted Charles Barkley in the famous 1984 draft, but Barkley only emerged as a superstar after both Malone and Erving left the club.

The Chicago Bulls of the 1990s won six NBA championships, but they boasted a "Big Three" for only 3 years. After Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen helped the Bulls win championships from 1991–93, the addition of former All-Star and perennial rebounding champion Dennis Rodman in the 1995 off-season made the Bulls even more dominant. The trio helped the Bulls win another championship three-peat from 1996–98, off of regular season win totals of 72 (a then-record), 69, and 62.

Notes:
 * All All-NBA and All-Star stats were at the time of the team being formed. Does not show total appearances in their career.
 * Included the teams that have won an NBA championship

Failed superteams
The Houston Rockets won the 1994 and 1995 championships, but in an attempt to capture a third ring added Charles Barkley in the 1996 off-season. Barkley, then 33, joined a talented yet aging squad with Hakeem Olajuwon (also aged 33) and Clyde Drexler (aged 34). The group won 57 games in 1997, but came within two games of reaching the NBA Finals, losing to the Utah Jazz with All-Stars John Stockton and Karl Malone. The Rockets won only 41 games the next season and lost the first round to the Jazz. After Drexler retired, the Rockets acquired Scottie Pippen from the Bulls. The trio of Olajuwon, Barkley, and Pippen went 31-19 in a lockout-shortened 1999 season, but it ended in a first-round exit to the Lakers. Pippen was traded to the Portland Trail Blazers amid a long-standing feud with Barkley.

The Los Angeles Lakers of Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant won three consecutive NBA championships from 2000–02, but after losing the second round in 2003, acquired Karl Malone and Gary Payton in hopes of a fourth championship. Despite winning 56 games in the 2003–04 season, the Lakers could not avoid controversy, such as the sexual assault case with Bryant, and the simmering feud between him and O'Neal. Malone, then aged 40, also suffered major injuries for the first time in his career. The Lakers reached the NBA Finals, but lost to the Detroit Pistons. In the off-season, both Malone and Payton left the team, and O'Neal was traded to the Miami Heat. O'Neal and Payton, along with Dwyane Wade, went on to win the 2006 championship with the Heat.

The Lakers also formed another superteam in the 2012 off-season, acquiring Steve Nash and Dwight Howard to join Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol. Bryant and Gasol had led the Lakers to the 2009 and 2010 championships, but with both stars in their 30s, their window of contention was slowly closing. This Lakers team suffered through a coaching change (they replaced Mike Brown with Mike D'Antoni), injuries to Nash and Howard, and Howard's conflicts with teammates. The Lakers made the playoffs off a 45-win campaign, but an Achilles injury to Bryant at the end of the regular season doomed the team, getting swept by the San Antonio Spurs in the first round. Howard then joined James Harden in Houston as a free agent, while Nash retired after the 2014 season. In 2019, Howard rejoined the Lakers, now featuring LeBron James and Anthony Davis, and won a championship as a role player off the bench.

In 2021, the Lakers added Russell Westbrook and Carmelo Anthony to join holdovers LeBron James and Anthony Davis. However, this Lakers team featured a quartet of all-stars aged 30 or older; James and Anthony were both 37, Howard was 36, and Westbrook was 33. They proceeded to win only 33 games, not only missing the playoffs, but also the play-in tournament for seventh to tenth-placed teams. Westbrook struggled to click due to poor shooting and defense, and both James and Davis failed to remain healthy due to various injuries.

Controversies
There have been some controversies about the new superteam era in the NBA. Claims persist that superstar players are no longer looking to make the game competitive, but rather finding an easier way to attain an NBA championship ring and nullifying smaller contenders by joining other elites. From James' decision for the Miami Heat and Durant joining the all-time winningest team in the Golden State Warriors, there has been derision from the media and fans in their efforts to unbalance the NBA. 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.