Barack Obama picks his all-time NBA starting five and leaves out huge legendary player

Former United States president Barack Obama has named his dream NBA starting lineup, made up of currently active stars and icons from the game's past.

Introducing himself as "basketball fan Barack Obama", the one-time American head of state listed his ideal team in a video to promote the new Netflix series "Starting 5", which follows five NBA stars across the course of the 2023-24 season.

An Illinois senator for seven years prior to his presidency, Obama picked Chicago Bulls legend Michael Jordan as his first selection, naming the five-time NBA Most Valuable Player as his shooting guard.

He then chose Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James, discussing how the four-time NBA champion – who is renowned as one of the best passers in basketball – would be the team's key distributor.

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As his point guard, Obama went with Steph Curry, hailing the Golden State Warriors superstar as "the greatest shooter of all time."

Obama then made a slightly left-field pick. As his starting centre, he chose 1994 MVP Hakeem Olajuwon, the towering Nigerian star who won two NBA titles with the Houston Rockets in the mid-1990s.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, the Lakers icon who won a record six MVPs during his storied career and is the second-highest scorer in league history, would have been a more obvious pick for the big-man role.

Bill Russell, an 11-time champion with the Boston Celtics, or Wilt Chamberlain, the only player ever to score 100 points in a single game, might have been more conventional choices, too.

Or for a more modern pick, Obama could have gone with three-time Finals MVP Shaquille O'Neal.

But Obama said he went with Olajuwon because of his defensive prowess and a skillset that would be well suited to the present-day game.

For the final remaining spot on his fantasy team, the 63-year-old ex-president chose Phoenix Suns forward Kevin Durant, haling the player nicknamed the "Slim Reaper" for his effortless scoring ability.

"I'm feeling pretty good about that five beating just about anybody," Obama concluded.

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