The 25 greatest second options in NBA history

MJ gets the spotlight when it comes to the 1990s Chicago Bulls, and rightfully so, but Pippen was a huge part of their success, too. As a forward, he could score but also play elite defense and distribute the ball. He got the chance to lead the team in 1994 when Jordan was playing baseball and he performed admirably, leading the Bulls to a 55-27 record and a couple rounds into the playoffs.

Shaq's first season with L.A. was Kobe's rookie year, in 1997. By his second season, Kobe wasn't yet a star, but was so popular that he was voted an All-Star starter, despite not even starting for the Lakers. A few years after that, though, Shaq and Kobe started winning championships together, with Shaq as the clear primary offensive option through to the 2000 season.

McHale was one of the most skilled low-post players of the '80s, but that was overshadowed by virtue of playing alongside Larry Bird. McHale mostly took the backseat, but the two were an especially dangerous duo in the 1987 season, when McHale averaged 26 points a game and Bird had 28 on their way to a Finals run. His career was good enough to get him into the Hall of Fame not long after retirement.

Wade was one of the best players of his era and also of all time. And yet, when LeBron James made his way to Miami, Wade happily rode shotgun. That team may not have won as many titles as they predicted in their introductory media event, but two titles is pretty good and Wade's personal sacrifice was a big part of that.

There are few better perimeter shooters and off-ball players in NBA history than Klay Thompson. That's what made him such a great complement to the Warriors' higher-usage star, Stephen Curry. Where Klay was more valuable than Steph was on defense, where he guarded the opponent's best player and did an excellent job in that role.

Averaging around 20 points a game for his first five seasons, Kyrie was a perfect supporting star for LeBron in Cleveland, an offensive powerhouse in his own right who played a complementary position at point guard. They went full two-headed monster in 2017 when both players scored over 25 a night. While Kyrie eventually left in pursuit of a leadership role, his and LeBron's time together was special.

LeBron sure has had a lot of awesome sidekicks. In 2020, Davis actually had a slightly higher PPG than James, but LeBron took more shots and had the ball in his hands more frequently. Either way, the two were an effective enough paring to win the "bubble" championship in 2020.

Drexler was an offensive engine in his heyday, averaging at least 25 points a game three times in his 20s. In his 30s, though, he accepted a secondary role alongside Hakeem Olajuwon in Houston. His first three seasons with the Rockets, the team was one of the NBA's best and they even won a title in 1995, the team's second of their mid-'90s back-to-back title runs.

Worthy was a seven-time All-Star in the '80s and '90s, and yet, he was never the best player on his team. Playing alongside Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, he wasn't ever the Lakers' biggest threat. He was sometimes the hero, though, like when he notched a 36-point triple-double in Game 7 of the 1988 Finals, picking up a Finals MVP trophy for his trouble.

Gasol ran the show in Memphis as a particularly skilled, dexterous, and high-IQ big man. When he made his way to the Lakers, he turned out to be the perfect complement to Kobe Bryant. The pair won back-to-back titles together in 2009 and 2010, and since Bryant's death in 2020, Gasol, the godfather of Kobe's daughter Natalia, has regularly been seen supporting the Bryant family.

Shaq became a bit of a journeyman in the third act of his career, with his first and longest post-L.A. stop coming in Miami. Over three seasons and change, he played second fiddle to Dwyane Wade and excelled in the role. While his numbers were naturally down from his prime, he was still just about a 20-and-10 guy for the Heat and even won a championship in 2006.

Russ' early career was spent as Kevin Durant's second option and during that time, they were one of the most threatening young duos in the league. He later filled that same role for former OKC teammate James Harden in Houston, for Bradley Beal in Washington, and was later a sidekick for a handful of other teams. Westbrook handled a variety of responsibility levels throughout his career and was mostly successful at it.

Steve Nash might be the point guard most fans associate with Dirk Nowitzki, but Jason Kidd spent a lot of time as Dirk's floor general in Dallas, too, in the latter portion of his career. He was in his mid- and late-30s when he joined the Mavs, but Kidd's cerebral game aged nicely, well enough to help Dallas win a championship in 2011.

It might feel strange to call Amar'e a second option when he handily led his Suns teams in scoring, but it was teammate Steve Nash who won two consecutive MVP trophies. Whatever the case, Amar'e, Nash, and the fast-paced Phoenix teams of the 2000s were devastating. They never quite got to the Finals, but there were a couple deep postseason runs as one of the league's scariest teams.

Allen was an elite scorer in Seattle, averaging a hair under 25 points a game in his four-plus seasons with the team. He made a major sacrifice, then, to move to Boston and back not just one, but two other stars in Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett. He thrived in his role, though, still averaging 17 points a game in his first four seasons in Boston (one of which, '08, yielded a championship).

Brown could be a first option on most teams in the NBA, and that's exactly what he has been in the 2026 season with Jayson Tatum injured. He's done so well enough, in fact, to be voted an All-Star starter this year. He can still get to that level when Tatum is playing, or be an incredible No. 2 when Tatum is having himself a night.

Speaking of All-Stars, Murray finally got his first nod in 2026, after seasons where he was regularly regarded as one of the biggest snubs. His teammate, Nikola Jokić, is arguably the best player in the world, but Murray is his perfect match. The two actually take roughly the same number of shots per game, and with both players being adept facilitators, the Denver offense is tough to stop.

Middleton hasn't found himself playing much relevant basketball since departing from the Bucks in 2025. During his prime in the early 2020s, though, he was a perfect complement to Giannis: Not too flashy and not too demanding of the ball, but consistently productive and well-rounded.

Dirk had a ton of fantastic teammates on the well-rounded Dallas teams of the 2000s, with Shawn Marion being one of the most versatile. He could score, rebound, defend every position on the court, and otherwise do just about anything his team needed him to do. The fact that his uncommonly bizarre-looking jumper wasn't the defining thing about him says a lot about his level of play.

Speaking of, here's another Dirk sidekick. Terry is one of those guys where it's surprising to learn he didn't earn at least one All-Star appearance in his career. He came up especially big during Dallas' 2011 championship run, scoring 27 points in the deciding game of the Finals.

Sampson's career never worked out how it seemed it might during his first two or three seasons thanks in part to injury issues. The big-man combo of him and Hakeem Olajuwon was as imposing a "twin towers" as the NBA has ever seen, though. The pair reached an apex in 1986, when they gave Boston a tough time in a six-game Finals series loss in 1986.

Siakam is the Pacers' leading scorer, but it's Tyrese Haliburton who is the team's biggest star and leader (he's also not that far behind in scoring). He was a major part of why the overachieving 2025 Pacers made it all the way to the Finals. Speaking of championships, Siakam was also a great sidekick to Kawhi Leonard when the Raptors won it all in 2019, especially upping his play in the postseason.

KAT was the face of the Timberwolves for a few years, but then Anthony Edwards came along and emerged as one of the NBA's most dynamic offensive forces. The pair had a great 2024 campaign, both scoring over 21 a game and reaching the conference finals. In New York, Towns has settled into being Jalen Brunson's No. 2 in another successful situation.

Penny was tragically cut down in his prime, or before even reaching it, by injuries. There was a spell where he and a young Shaq had a case as being the league's best duo, though. In 1995, Shaq led the NBA in scoring while Penny was also in the 20-PPG range with 7 assists to go along with it. They had a real chance at the championship that year but ultimately got swept in the Finals by the Rockets.

There are very few players that could make Stockton a second option, but Karl Malone is one of them. Stockton remains one of the best point guards to ever do it as the all-time leader in both career assists and career steals. For about two decades, he and Malone made Utah a feared place to visit and it's a tragedy that they never brought a championship home to the mountains.