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Big threes in sports throughout history
Chris Bosh, Dwyane Wade and LeBron James won two titles together with the Miami Heat. Gustavo Caballero/Getty Images

Big threes in sports throughout history

Sports teams and successful eras are often remembered by the small groups of great players who led the way. When there's a trio of such players on the same team, it often leads to great success and, in some instances, sports immortality. The following features 25 of the best "big threes" in sports history.

 
1 of 25

LeBron James, Kyrie Irving, Kevin Love

LeBron James, Kyrie Irving, Kevin Love
Jason Miller / Getty Images

The Cavaliers' big three was completed when James came home to Cleveland for the 2014-15 season. Joining former No. 1 overall draft choice Irving and trade acquisition Love, Cleveland's trio managed to end the championship drought in Cleveland by winning the NBA Finals vs. Golden State in 2016.

 
2 of 25

LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh

LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh
Kevin C. Cox / Getty Images

Tearing out the hearts of Cleveland fans, James signed with the Heat in 2010, as did Bosh, who had spent his entire career before that with Toronto. Joining Wade, the trio was together for only four seasons but managed to go to four straight NBA Finals, winning two of them.

 
3 of 25

Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili, Tony Parker

Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili, Tony Parker
Andy Lyons / Getty Images

The Spurs were able to keep their big three together in an era in sports when such loyalty was almost unheard of. Duncan played for the Spurs from 1997-2016, Ginobili began his career in 2002 and Parker started his NBA career in 2001. The trio won four NBA titles together, and each one of these players has spent his entire career in San Antonio to date.

 
4 of 25

Derek Jeter, Alex Rodriguez, Mark Teixeira

Derek Jeter, Alex Rodriguez, Mark Teixeira
Jim Rogash / Getty Images

Rodriguez was acquired via trade from Texas in 2004, while Teixeira signed with the team in 2009. The trio was expected to continue the Yankees' dynasty, creating a fierce offense, but was only able to win one World Series together. Of course, the group was helped by CC Sabathia, Mariano Rivera, Robinson Cano and Hideki Matsui.

 
5 of 25

Paul Pierce, Ray Allen, Kevin Garnett

Paul Pierce, Ray Allen, Kevin Garnett
Brian Babineau / National Basketball Association

Celtics GM Danny Ainge creatively acquired Garnett and Allen in 2007, creating quite a trio with Pierce. Boston promptly won the 2008 NBA Finals, turning around a team that won only 24 games in the previous season.

 
6 of 25

Tom Brady, Randy Moss, Wes Welker

Tom Brady, Randy Moss, Wes Welker
Icon Sports Wire

New England added Moss and Welker as weapons for Brady in the 2007 season. The trio turned in a record-breaking season in 2007, as Brady threw for 4,807 yards and a then-record 50 touchdowns. Moss caught 23 of those touchdowns, while Welker had a league-high 112 receptions. The Patriots went a perfect 16-0 during the regular season, plus two more wins in the playoffs, before losing to the Giants in the Super Bowl.

 
7 of 25

Peyton Manning, Edgerrin James, Marvin Harrison

Peyton Manning, Edgerrin James, Marvin Harrison
Focus on Sport / Getty Images

Manning and Harrison had already created a great rapport in Indianapolis when James was drafted in 1999 to replace Marshall Faulk. The group won seven division titles in 11 seasons, making two Super Bowl appearances and winning Super Bowl XLI.

 
8 of 25

Kurt Warner, Marshall Faulk, Isaac Bruce

Kurt Warner, Marshall Faulk, Isaac Bruce
Jed Jacobsohn / Getty Images

Known initially as the "Warner Bros." and then more widely "The Greatest Show on Turf," the Rams' offense took the NFL by storm in 1999 to win Super Bowl XXXIV. Joined by wide receiver Torry Holt, the Rams also led the team to the Super Bowl two years later, where they were upset by Tom Brady and the New England Patriots.

 
9 of 25

Tim Hudson, Mark Mulder, Barry Zito

Tim Hudson, Mark Mulder, Barry Zito
Don Smith / Getty Images

Immortalized by the book "Moneyball," Hudson, Mulder and Zito never managed to win a World Series in Oakland. However, the group did make the playoffs in four straight seasons with one Cy Young Award and two second-place Cy Young finishes between it.

 
10 of 25

Troy Aikman, Emmitt Smith, Michael Irvin

Troy Aikman, Emmitt Smith, Michael Irvin
Paul Buck / AFP

Dallas created a dynasty in the 1990s with Aikman, Smith and Irvin, a trio of Hall of Famers. The group won three Super Bowls in four seasons from 1992-1995.

 
11 of 25

Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine, John Smoltz

Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine, John Smoltz
The Sporting News

There haven't been many teams with better consistency than the Braves in the 1990s, led by their three pitching aces. Atlanta won 11 consecutive NL East titles from 1995-2005, three NL pennants and one World Series. Maddux won four Cy Young Awards in his career, with one coming during that time frame. Glavine also won one of his two Cy Youngs in that span, while Smoltz won his lone Cy Young Award in 1996.

 
12 of 25

Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, Dennis Rodman

Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, Dennis Rodman
Andrew D. Bernstein / National Basketball Association

A defensive wizard, Rodman joined an established Bulls dynasty in 1995. He played four seasons with Jordan and Pippen, winning three NBA championships, and the Bulls became the first NBA team to win 72 games.

 
13 of 25

Christian Laettner, Bobby Hurley, Grant Hill

Christian Laettner, Bobby Hurley, Grant Hill
Focus on Sport

Possibly the greatest college basketball trio ever, Laettner, Hurley and Hill had two seasons of overlap at Duke in 1990-91 and 1991-92. The Blue Devils won the NCAA Tournament in both seasons the group was together, also making the final in 1990 and 1994.

 
14 of 25

Jim Kelly, Thurman Thomas, Andre Reed

Jim Kelly, Thurman Thomas, Andre Reed
Michael Ademucci / Getty Images

The Bills are infamous for going to four consecutive Super Bowls from 1990-93 and losing all of them. Their offense was led by Kelly, Thomas and Reed, now each a Pro Football Hall of Famer.

 
15 of 25

Isiah Thomas, Joe Dumars, Bill Laimbeer

Isiah Thomas, Joe Dumars, Bill Laimbeer
Andrew D. Bernstein / National Basketball Association

Thomas, Dumars and Laimbeer led the Pistons in what was known as the Bad Boys Era, winning three straight Eastern Conference titles and two championships in 1989-90. Thomas and Dumars are now in the Hall of Fame.

 
16 of 25

Joe Montana, Jerry Rice, Roger Craig

Joe Montana, Jerry Rice, Roger Craig
Gin Ellis / Getty Images

The 49ers won three Super Bowls with Montana, Rice and Craig in 1984, 1988 and 1989. Montana and Rice are in the Hall of Fame, while Craig made four Pro Bowls over his eight seasons with San Francisco.

 
17 of 25

Wayne Gretzky, Mark Messier, Jari Kurri

Wayne Gretzky, Mark Messier, Jari Kurri
Bruce Bennett

The Oilers had a golden age in the NHL, winning five Stanley Cups from 1984-1990, with the trio present for four of them. Gretzky, the best player the sport has ever seen, led the league in points each season from 1979-80 through 1986-87. Messier went to five All-Star Games over that time, while Kurri had a string of eight straight All-Star appearances before following Gretzky to the L.A. Kings.

 
18 of 25

Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, James Worthy

Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, James Worthy
Andrew D. Bernstein / National Basketball Association

The Lakers were the dominant team of the 1980s, winning five NBA titles, including three with the Magic, Abdul-Jabbar and Worthy trio after Worthy was drafted in 1982. All three of the players are in the Hall of Fame, while Magic and Abdul-Jabbar are on the short list of the greatest NBA players ever.

 
19 of 25

Larry Bird, Kevin McHale, Robert Parish

Larry Bird, Kevin McHale, Robert Parish
Dick Raphael / National Basketball Association

Just behind the Lakers' five championships in the 1980s were Boston's three championships with Bird, McHale and Parish. Magic Johnson and Bird had a great rivalry that started in college, with the two big threes going at one another regularly. The Celtics' three are all Hall of Famers as well.

 
20 of 25

Pete Rose, Joe Morgan, Johnny Bench

Pete Rose, Joe Morgan, Johnny Bench
Focus on Sport

The Big Red Machine of the 1970s won four NL pennants and two World Series. Rose won the 1973 NL MVP and eventually became MLB's all-time hits leader. Morgan won five straight Gold Gloves and was a repeat NL MVP in 1975-76. Meanwhile, Bench won the NL MVP in 1970 and 1972.

 
21 of 25

Bill Russell, Bob Cousy, Sam Jones

Bill Russell, Bob Cousy, Sam Jones
NBA Photos / National Basketball Association

Russell, Cousy and Jones led one of the most dominant eras in pro sports history, helping the Celtics to 11 championships from 1957-69. Russell was present for all of them, while Cousy won six and Jones won 10.

 
22 of 25

Gordie Howe, Ted Lindsay, Sid Abel

Gordie Howe, Ted Lindsay, Sid Abel
B Bennett / Bruce Bennett

Howe had an incredible NHL career from 1946-80, playing 25 seasons with the Red Wings during that period. He won four Stanley Cups alongside Lindsay, while Abel won three.

 
23 of 25

Mickey Mantle, Yogi Berra, Roger Maris

Mickey Mantle, Yogi Berra, Roger Maris
Olen Collection / Diamond Images

The Yankees had a historic lineup from 1960-66 with Mantle, Berra and Maris, winning two World Series during that period. Maris won two AL MVP Awards, breaking Babe Ruth's single-season home run record in 1961. Berra won the MVP in 1962 and finished second in the voting three times during that period. Mantle won the MVP in 1962 and finished second place three times in that time frame.

 
24 of 25

Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Earle Combs

Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Earle Combs
Transcendental Graphics / Getty Images

The Yankees' lineup in the 1920s and 1930s was known as Murderers' Row, with the 1927 team in particular often recognized as the greatest team in MLB history. Ruth won four World Series and is often recognized as the greatest player in baseball history. Gehrig won two MVP Awards during his career, while Combs hit .325 for his career, including .356 in New York's incredible 1927 season.

 
25 of 25

Joe Tinker, Johnny Evers, Frank Chance

Joe Tinker, Johnny Evers, Frank Chance
Chicago History Museum / Archive Photos

Nearly 100 years before Kris Bryant, Anthony Rizzo, Jon Lester and Co., there was Tinker, Evers and Chance leading the Cubs. The trio won the World Series in 1907 and 1908.

Seth Trachtman is a fantasy sports expert and diehard Kansas City Chiefs fan. He doesn't often Tweet, but when he does, you can find him on Twitter @sethroto.

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