While the NBA has been around for more than 75 years, the last quarter-century has featured, arguably, some of the best basketball players to ever suit up, including household names like LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, Stephen Curry and Shaquille O'Neal (to name a few). With that in mind, Rotowire compiled the league's 'All Quarter Century' team, with five superstars making the cut, while a host of current-and-future hall of famers were relegated to the bench on this hypothetical roster.
Stephen Curry (2009-Present)
The man who helped usher in the NBA's three-point-centric offensive renaissance is the first one off the board, with Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry making the cut, thanks to making a record 4,058 threes and ranking 33rd all time on the league's win share leaderboard, with 143.05 to his name so far. Through 1,026 games (all with Golden State), Curry's averaged 24.7 points per game on 47.1% shooting, connecting on 42.3% of his shots from behind the arc, while pacing Golden State to four NBA titles and winning two NBA MVPs along the way.
Kobe Bryant (2000-2016)
The late superstar for the Los Angeles Lakers also spent his entire career with one team, as Bryant played 1,346 games with the Los Angeles Lakers from 1996-97 to 2015-16. In that 20-year stretch, Bryant won an MVP and was an 18-time All-Star, posting 172.7 career win shares to rank 21st all time in league history. While Bryant was picked 13th overall out of high school by the Charlotte Hornets back in 1996, the Hall of Fame guard played his entire career in Tinseltown, becoming one of the most feared scorers in league history and making 15 All-NBA teams in an esteemed, 20-year career.
LeBron James (2003-Present)
Bryant's heir apparent in L.A. came to the Lakers after stints with the Cleveland Cavaliers, with whom he won an NBA title in 2016, while also winning titles with the Miami Heat in 2012 and 2013. The NBA's No. 2 guy in terms of career win shares (with 271.38) added a fourth title in 2020 with the Lakers, adding to his already legendary career and cementing his status as one of the best to play in the league. The 21-time All-Star is up there with legends of the game like Michael Jordan and Bryant as the best to ever do it, warranting him a spot on the NBA's 'All-Quarter-Century' team for his play with the Cavaliers, Heat and Lakers.
Tim Duncan (2000-2016)
Duncan, like Curry and Bryant, did his damage in the league with one team, spending the entirety of his 1,392-game NBA career with the San Antonio Spurs. In that time, the Hall of Fame forward racked up 15 All-NBA team accolades and won five NBA titles, ranking eighth on the NBA's all-time win share leaderboard (206.38) and quietly becoming the face of one of the league's underrated dynasty level teams. The ever-quiet Duncan won two MVPs during his 19-year career, along with two NBA Finals MVPs and the 1997-98 NBA Rookie of the Year award, earning him a spot on our list.
Shaquille O'Neal (2000-2011)
The man simply known as "Shaq" did it all in his 1,207-game NBA career, winning four NBA titles with the Lakers and Miami Heat, along with making 15 All-Star teams and an MVP award during the 1999-2000 season. O'Neal finished his career with the 13th most win shares in league history, at 181.72, but was the face of the Lakers' dynasty alongside Bryant in Tinseltown. During the course of his 19-season run in the league, O'Neal averaged 23.7 points, 10.9 rebounds and 2.3 blocks per game, serving as a one-man wrecking crew in the paint for head coach Phil Jackson in L.A. and later, Pat Riley in Miami. For his efforts on both ends of the floor, O'Neal earns the fifth and final 'All-Quarter-Century' team spot, joining his former Lakers teammate on the list.
Elite Bench Picks: Depth of NBA Greatness from 2000–2025
Among the NBA players that found themselves on the outside looking in at the league's 'All-Quarter-Century' team were players like Chris Paul, Dwyane Wade, Kevin Durant, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Kevin Durant and Nikola Jokic, speaking to the high bar of entry for the collective.
Of the players that didn't make the team, Paul ranks highest on the NBA's all-time win share leaderboard, ranking fifth all time at 215.13, while former Dallas Mavericks legend Dirk Nowitzki ranks ninth (206.34 career win shares) and Kevin Garnett ranks 10th (191.42 career win shares).
Throw in forward Kevin Durant (18th all-time, with 175.42 career win shares), James Harden (19th all time, with 174.70 career win shares), Dwight Howard (35th all time, with 141.73 career win shares) and Nikola Jokic (44th all time, with 128.03 career win shares) were the others to crack the league's top-50, win share wise, while Antetokounmpo and Dwayne Wade were just outside that cut, ranking 51st (120.78 career win shares) and 53rd (120.71 career win shares) all time.
Of the second team members, Kawhi Leonard of the Los Angeles Clippers has the lowest career win share total, ranking 93rd in league history with 102.74 win shares to date, though he has won two NBA titles during his 733-game career.
Just Missed the Cut: Stars Who Could've Made the List
Other NBA stars that missed out on making our NBA 'All-Quarter-Century' team include guards Russell Westbrook (70th all-time with 112.50 career win shares) and Allen Iverson (104th all-time with 98.98 career win shares), while Ray Allen (31st all-time with 145.08 career win shares), Jason Kidd (36th all-time with 138.56 career win shares) and two-time NBA MVP Steve Nash (42nd all-time with 129.73 career win shares) were the other guards on the wrong side of the 'All-Quarter-Century' divide.
In the frontcourt, NBA legends like Paul Pierce (27th all-time with 150.04 career win shares), Anthony Davis (55th all-time with 118.78 career win shares), Vince Carter (46th all-time with 125.27 career win shares) and Carmelo Anthony (81st all-time with 108.52 career win shares) rounded out the players who just missed inclusion on our NBA 'All-Quarter-Century' team, illustrating how hard it was to winnow the field down to five players in 2025.
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