Former US President Barack Obama once shared his all-time starting five, Kobe Bryant was cut, ‘they’d beat anybody’

Spoiler alert: It doesn’t feature LA Lakers legend Kobe Bryant.

PG: Stephen Curry

Golden State Warriors superstar Stephen Curry has changed the way that the game of basketball is played in the modern era with his phenomenal three-point shooting.

It’s no surprise that the former US president wants him to take on point guard responsibilities in the hypothetical starting five.

“I want a little bit of shooting and a little bit of flair so I’m going to put my friend, Steph Curry, into the mix because we’re in the three-point era and he is the greatest shooter of all time, bar none,” he stated.

Career Stats: 24.7 PPG, 4.7 RPG, 6.4 APG.

Major Accolades: 4x NBA Champ, 1x NBA Finals MVP, 2x NBA MVP, 11x NBA All-Star, 11x All-NBA

SG: Michael Jordan

Moving forward, Obama picked none other than Chicago Bulls legend Michael Jordan as the shooting guard on his team.

It was a no-brainer for him, especially considering the Chicago connection. A backcourt duo of Curry and MJ would undoubtedly be lethal.

“I’m from Chicago. MJ, Michael Jordan, at shooting guard,” Obama gave a concise answer.

Career Stats: 30.1 PPG, 6.2 RPG, 5.3 APG

Major Accolades: 6x NBA Champ, 6x NBA Finals MVP, 5x NBA MVP, 1x NBA DPOY, 14x NBA All-Star, 11x All-NBA

SF: LeBron James

As expected, no starting five is complete without the presence of LeBron James. After all, there’s hardly any player in the history of NBA who is as effective as the King in every position on the court.

In fact, a key reason why Obama picked LBJ was to play him the point forward and delegate playmaking duties to him.

“I’d put LeBron at point forward,” Obama added. “A bunch of times he’d be bringing up the ball and he’d be distributing. He’d basically be doing some of the stuff that he did recently in the Olympics, and that is a pretty good approximation of what Magic Johnson could do.”

Career Stats: 27.0 PPG, 7.5 RPG, 7.4 APG

Major Accolades: 4x NBA Champ, 4x NBA Finals MVP, 4x NBA MVP, 21x NBA All-Star, 21x All-NBA

PF: Kevin Durant

Kevin Durant may use his extra time to engage in social media debates, but the Houston Rockets star has never lost focus from making life difficult for opponents on the court.

KD relies on his impressive scoring skills to do so while being extremely efficient. And that’s the reason why Obama wants Durant on his starting five.

“I think, especially given today’s game, I’ve got to go with Kevin Durant. KD. Who may be the most efficient, effective scorer in the history of basketball.”

Career Stats: 27.2 PPG, 7.0 RPG, 4.4 APG

Major Accolades: 2x NBA Champ, 2x NBA Finals MVP, 1x NBA MVP, 15x NBA All-Star, 11x All-NBA

C: Hakeem Olajuwon

Last, but certainly not the least, an unstoppable starting five needs an elite center. According to Obama, that honor belongs to Rockets legend Hakeem Olajuwon.

The ex-POTUS believes Hakeem can be the anchor on the defensive end of the team while dominating in the paint.

“At center, I’m going to put Hakeem ‘The Dream’ Olajuwon, whose game I think translates to today’s game.

“He was such an amazing athlete, an anchor on defense. He’s going to give you everything you need out of the center position,” Obama said with confidence.

Career Stats: 21.8 PPG, 11.1 RPG, 2.5 APG

Major Accolades: 2x NBA Champ, 2x NBA Finals MVP, 1x NBA MVP, 2x NBA DPOY, 12x NBA All-Star, 12x All-NBA