Every era of the NBA produces its own version of the all-time best debate. Sometimes stars also make their own all-time best picks, as Devin Booker did recently. And as expected, his answer is already making the rounds, mostly because of who he included and who he didn’t.<\/p>\n
Kevin Durant’s resume needs little introduction at this point. The 16-time All-Star and two-time NBA champion sits fifth on the league’s all-time scoring list, having passed Michael Jordan’s 32,293 points in March 2026.<\/p>\n
He’s a six-time All-NBA First Teamer with two Finals MVPs and a career scoring average of 27.1 points that puts him in the conversation for any all-time lineup, let alone one built by a former teammate.<\/p>\n
That’s exactly the spot Booker put him in. Asked to name his all-time starting five, the Phoenix Suns<\/a> guard chose <\/a>Stephen Curry, Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Durant and Shaquille O’Neal.<\/p>\n Devin Booker lists his All-Time NBA Starting 5:<\/p>\n Steph Curry (h\/t @CGBBURNER<\/a>)<\/p>\n pic.twitter.com\/XtO2586KGh<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) August 3, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n KD and Booker have spent parts of four seasons together in Phoenix, and Booker has long credited Durant’s scoring package as one of the toughest covers in the league.<\/p>\n The surprise came in what was missing. Jordan, the player most fans label as the GOAT by default, didn’t make Booker’s cut. Neither did Magic<\/a> Johnson, Tim Duncan or Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.<\/p>\n Instead, Booker paired Curry\u2019s insane shooting gravity with three elite, unguardable shot-creators in Kobe, LeBron, and KD, before anchoring the whole thing with Shaq\u2019s raw dominance in the paint.<\/p>\n Booker and Durant’s on-court partnership in Phoenix produced two playoff runs but no deep postseason breakthrough before Durant was sent to the Houston Rockets<\/a> in a historic seven-team blockbuster last summer.<\/p>\n It ended Durant’s run in the desert and sent him back to the state of Texas, but based on Booker’s list, it didn’t cost him a spot among the players his old backcourt mate considers the best to ever do it.<\/p>\n More NBA news:<\/p>\n
Kobe Bryant
LeBron James
Kevin Durant
Shaquille O\u2019Neal<\/p>\n