Miami Heat: Compiling an all-time starting 5

Center: Shaquille O’Neal

This may be one of the more controversial picks for old school fans as Alonzo Mourning had a long tenure with the Heat and is an iconic franchise player, but without Shaq coming to Miami the Heat never win their first championship, which may have kyboshed the Big Three Era before it began.

Shaq brought the heat to Miami straight from the get-go as he promised a championship when he arrived during the 2004-05 season and delivered it the following season in 2006. The Lakers were clearly becoming Kobe’s team by the end of Shaq’s tenure in Los Angeles, but Shaq had one of his best seasons ever his first year in Miami narrowly missing out on his second MVP award.

Shaq is one of the greatest NBA players of all-time, standing at a towering 7-foot-1, bigger and stronger than almost everyone in the league. LeBron’s combination of speed and power may be astounding, but Shaq was arguably the most powerful player in NBA history with ferocious dunks that shook the rim and hyped up the crowd.

With Shaq’s defense, unstoppable presence down low and ferocious dunks, he completes an unstoppable starting five. Aside from the Los Angeles Lakers and Boston Celtics, the Miami Heat might have the best starting lineup in NBA history.