The Greatest Trios in NBA History

The term “Big 3” is thrown around somewhat flippantly in today’s NBA, but when a true one is assembled, it usually leads to years of league domination and multiple championships. These are the greatest NBA trios in history.
From the earliest days of the league to the Celtics of the 60s, Boston and Los Angeles’ battling Big 3’s of the 1980s, and the Bulls of the 1990s to the Miami Heat and Golden State Warriors of the new millennium, we’ve assembled a list of all the best trios that have ever set foot on the hardwood.
Did we miss any of the greatest NBA trios? Let us know.
LeBron James, Dwayne Wade, and Chris Bosh

Probably the definitive “Big 3” in NBA history, the Miami Heat of 2010-2014 totally changed how NBA superstars assembled teams. LeBron James took his talents – and Chris Bosh – to Miami to team with Dwayne Wade and form the first modern “super team.” And for the most part, they lived up to the massive hype, going to four consecutive NBA Finals and winning two titles in 2012 and 2013 before LeBron headed back to Cleveland to build another of the trios on the list.

Tommy Heinsohn, Bill Russell, and Bob Cousy

Tommy Heinsohn, Bill Russell, and Bob Cousy were the lead trio for one of the greatest dynasties in sports history. The trio was the anchor of the Celtics’ incredible run through the 1960s, winning 6 titles together and establishing Boston as the NBA’s premiere franchise, and arguably the league’s equivalent to baseball’s New York Yankees or the NHL’s Montreal Canadiens.
Larry Bird, Kevin McHale, and Robert Parish

The Celtics’ dominant dynasty of the 1980s was defined by the “Big 3” of Larry Bird, Kevin McHale, and Robert Parish. The trio led Boston to three NBA Championships in the 1980s – 1981, 1984, and the most dominant single season in franchise history 1986 – as well as two more NBA Finals appearances in 1984 and 1987, both losses to the Lakers. The three’s reign is the most recent period of sustained greatness in the Celtics’ long distinguished history.
Kobe Bryant, Shaquille O’Neal, and Derek Fisher

The Kobe/Shaq Lakers dynasty is almost always thought of as a two-man show, but there’s no denying how important Derek Fisher was to those teams. Fisher added a strong shooting and defensive hand to the squad, allowing Shaq and Kobe to offensively dominate the league to the tune of 3 NBA Championships (2000, 2001, and 2002) as well as another Finals appearance in 2004. Fisher would return to the Lakers to re-team with Kobe and win two more titles in the late 2000s.
Wilt Chamberlain, Jerry West, and Gail Goodrich

Wilt Chamberlain, Jerry West, and Gail Goodrich are yet another Lakers trio on our list. This trio is high on the list for their single-season performance in 1972. That year, the Chamberlain/West/Goodrich Lakers went on an astounding 33-game winning streak and capped the year with an NBA Championship. The title meant all the more, as it was the first one captured by the franchise in seven tries after their move to Los Angeles.
Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green

Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green are arguably the most dominant trio of the modern era of NBA basketball. The trio revolutionized the game during their time in Golden State, pioneering the 3-point shooting style dominant today. It’s worked for the team, as the trio has won 4 titles together with the Warriors (2015, 2017, 2018, and 2022) as well as two further Finals berths in 2016 and 2019.
Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, and Manu Ginobili

Tim Duncan won his first NBA title with the Spurs in 1999, but San Antonio didn’t truly become an NBA dynasty until they added Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili in the early 2000s. The team won 50 games every year the trio was together, from 2002 through 2016, and won NBA Championships in 2003, 2005, 2007, and 2014, plus another Finals berth in 2013. Talk about dominance.
Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, and Horace Grant

The Chicago Bulls of the 1990s won 6 titles in 7 years, but really the Bulls of 1991-93 and 1996-98 were two very different teams. While the latter team – we’ll get to them – may have been better known, there’s little doubt that the first incarnation were just a dominant. Bulls Dynasty 1.0 was led by Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, and Horace Grant, who led the team to Finals wins in 1991, 1992, and 1993.
Walt Frazier, Willis Reed, and Dave Debusschere

It may seem hard to imagine now, but there was a time that the New York Knicks were a powerhouse in the NBA. In the early 1970s, the trio of Walt Frazier, Willis Reed, and Dave Debusschere led them to 3 Finals in 4 seasons from 1970 through 1973. The team won titles in 70 and 73, forever ingratiating them the New York fanbase, especially since those currently stand as the last titles in franchise history.
Hakeem Olajuwon, Clyde Drexler, and Robert Horry

Six of the eight NBA Championships from 1991 to 1998 were won by the Michael Jordan Bulls. The two that weren’t, 1994 and 1995 during Jordan’s first retirement, belong to the Houston Rockets. The 1995 team in particular featured the dominant trio of Hakeem Olajuwon, Clyde Drexler, and Robert Horry. Houston won their second straight tile that season, sweeping the young Orlando Magic in the Finals. To this day, many wonder what happened in a series between the Rockets and Jordan’s Bulls.
Isiah Thomas, Joe Dumars, and Bill Laimbeer

The Detroit Pistons of Isiah Thomas, Joe Dumars, and Bill Laimbeer hold an exhausted place in NBA history. Their hard-nosed, defensive-minded team essentially ended the dynasty of the Magic Johnson Lakers of the 80s and – albeit briefly – kept the Michael Jordan Bulls from the title. After losing to the Lakers in the 1988 Finals, Detroit won NBA Championships in 1989 and 1990, defeating the Lakers in 89 and knocking off Chicago in both years. Jordan and the Bulls finally dethroned them in 1991, en route to the first of their 6 NBA Titles.
Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, and Ray Allen

The union and success of the Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen trio in Boston ushered in the modern era of NBA superteams. Assembled prior to the 2008 season, the trio led the Celtics to their first NBA title since 1986, pummeling Boston’s longtime rival Lakers in the Finals. While the Pierce/Garnett/Allen Celtics wouldn’t achieve that level of success again – only making one more Final, a loss in a 2010 rematch with the Lakers, the team set the blueprint for the next 15 years of NBA basketball.
Kyrie Irving, LeBron James, and Kevin Love

The Cleveland big three of Kyrie Irving, LeBron James, and Kevin Love might not be the most successful or longest-lasting of groups on this list, but what they did for the city of Cleveland might be the greatest achievement listed. In 2016, the group lead the Cavaliers to an NBA Championship victory in 2016, overcoming a 3-1 deficit to the mighty Golden State Warrior to give Cleveland it’s first professional sports title in over 50 years. The trio also made trips to another 3 NBA Finals in 2015, 2017, and 2018.
George Mikan, Jim Pollard, and Jim Mikkelsen

Fans only familiar with the Los Angeles era of Lakers basketball may not be aware of it, but the Lakers first great trio played together when the team was based in Minneapolis. George Mikan, Jim Pollard, Jim Mikkelsen helped the Lakers dominate the league in the early 1950s, to the tune of four NBA titles in five years: 1950, 1952, 1953, and 1954. They truly set the foundation for the decades of Lakers greatness that followed.

John Havlicek, Dave Cowens, and JoJo White

The Boston Celtics have had several legendary “big threes” over the course of the team’s illustrious history, with many of them winning multiple titles. While the group of John Havlicek, Dave Cowens, and JoJo White aren’t quite as renowned and successful as their peers, they deserve notoriety in their own right. They won two championships together, in 1974 and 1976, part of a stretch of 6 consecutive Conference Finals appearances for Boston.
Kevin Durant, Steph Curry, and Klay Thompson

This is a second representation of this era of the Golden State Warriors is represented with a trio, but honestly, Kevin Durant, Steph Curry, and Klay Thompson are too good to leave off. Granted, they were together for a shorter period of time than many on our list, but this version of the Warriors was lights-out dominant. They beat Cleveland in back-to-back seasons for back-to-back titles in 2017 and 2018 (redeeming 2016 that blew a 3-1 lead to the Cavs in 2016) and were arguably a Durant injury away from a 3-peat in 2019.
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Oscar Robertson, and Bob Dandridge

The Milwaukee Bucks assembled their big three of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Oscar Robertson, and Bob Dandridge over the course of 1969 and 1970, drafting Abdul-Jabbar and Dandridge in 1969, then singing Robertson in 1970. The trio paid immediate dividends, winning the Bucks an NBA Championship in 1971. The trio led the team to another Finals appearance in 1974 where they lost to the nemesis of many NBA teams, the Boston Celtics.
Wilt Chamberlain, Jerry West, and Elgin Baylor

The trade that aligned Wilt Chamberlain with Jerry West, and Elgin Baylor on the Lakers could arguably be called the NBA’s first “super-team” as they were assembled to topple the Boston Celtics. The Lakers trio technically made the Finals together three times, losing in 1969 and 1970. The team would finally win the title in 1972, however, Baylor lost most of the year to injury and had to retire by season’s end.
Russell Westbrook, James Harden, and Kevin Durant

Russell Westbrook, James Harden, Kevin Durant were supped to be the dominant NBA trio for the 2010s. The trio, all top-5 draft picks for the Oklahoma City Thunder, played together for three seasons with the team going 152-78 in that period. Their success culminated with a berth in the 2012 NBA Finals, where they were defeated by the Miami Heat’s Big Three. However, the bright future ended quickly, as Harden was traded after that series, ending the trio’s time together.
Wes Unseld, Elvin Hayes, and Phil Chenier

While the trio of Wes Unseld, Elvin Hayes, and Phil Chenier might not be as universally well-known as other trios in NBA history, but they’re still looked at with great esteem in the Washington area. The trio led the Washington NBA team – then known as the Bullets – to 3 NBA Finals appearances in the 1970s, and a title in 1978, when they defeated the Seattle Supersonics in a thrilling 70-game championship series.
Chauncey Billups, Ben Wallace, and Rasheed Wallace

The trio of Chauncey Billups, Ben Wallace, and Rasheed Wallace made up the core of the Detroit Pistons mini-dynasty of the early-to-mid 2000s. The team’s pinnacle was clearly the 2004 NBA Finals, when they defeated the last-gasp Shaq/Kobe Lakers to capture the NBA Championship. However, their success was more wide-ranging. The team made another Finals in 2005, part of a streak of 6 consecutive trips to the Eastern Conference Finals.
Steve Nash, Amare’ Stoudemire, and Shawn Marion

The trio of Steve Nash, Amare’ Stoudemire, and Shawn Marion revolutionized the NBA during their time together on the Phoenix Suns in the mid-2000s. The trio put coach Mike D’Antoni’s offensive scheme on full display, dominating the NBA and paving the way for the high-flying offense common today. The trio’s Suns won at least 54 games each of their seasons together and made it to the Conference Finals twice. However, management broke up the trio too soon, trading Marion for an aging Shaq in a deal that, in retrospect, torpedoed their title chances.
Moses Malone, Julius Erving, and Andrew Toney

Moses Malone, Julius “Dr. J” Erving, Andrew Toney were a dominant trio for the Philadelphia 76ers of the early 1980s, with their piece de resistance being the 1982/83 season. The team dominated the NBA that year, going 65-17 in the regular season, with Malone winning MVP and Erving taking the All-Star Game MVP. They were even better in the playoffs, losing only 1 game en route to the NBA Championship, punctuated by a sweep of the defending champion Lakers – revenger for Philly, who had lost to the Lakers in 1982. Malone was the Finals MVP.
Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and James Worthy

There was no better “show” in the 1980s NBA than the Los Angeles Lakers. The team was called Showtime after all, and they lived up to the billing. Magic, Kareem, and Worthy electrified the NBA throughout the decade, playing together on 3 of the Lakers’ four title teams of the decade in 1985, 1987, and 1988 (Worthy was a bit too young for the 1980 NBA Championship) and also played together in the 1983 and 1984 NBA Finals.
Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, and Dennis Rodman

A strong argument can be made that the 3-season stretch where Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, and Dennis Rodman played together a Chicago Bulls is the greatest run in NBA history (sorry 60s Celtics). The team won 3-straight championships, dispatching the Sonics in 1996 and the Jazz in both 1997 and 1998, and overall dominated the NBA to an absurd degree. Plus, the trio – especially Rodman – were dominant figures in pop culture at the time.