The debate of the origin of the superteam concept continues and will probably never stop. Players and fans alike both disagree and have different thoughts on the origin of the superteam. It has gotten so common, that in today's league the standard in today’s league to win the title is for multiple stars to team up to create a contending team immediately.
Recently, J.J. Redick had Brooklyn Net’s forward Blake Griffin on his podcast, The Old Man and the Three, and the topic of superteams came up.
The former superstar Griffin believes that the superteam era officially started when the Boston Celtics acquired Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen to pair with Paul Pierce.
“I think it’s really funny. You know how everybody really s*** on LeBron. LeBron was kind of the first guy that everybody s*** on for joining — the Celtics did it.”
Redick immediately reiterates what he has been saying for years about the superteam, and puts the blame on LeBron James and the Miami Heat, when they formed the big three.
“The Celtics did it by front office, right? It wasn’t — the LeBron thing sort of set off this player empowerment era. By linking up with D-Wade (Dwyane Wade) and Chris Bosh, and we’re all going to go to the same place together, having these conversations behind closed doors with USA Basketball, whatever it may be. Whereas with the Celtics, it was Danny Ainge the mastermind, up in the front office, putting up the superteam."
The concept of having a superteam definitely did enter peoples’ minds once the Celtics Big Three were formed. However, Redick is not wrong when he mentions how the player empowerment mentality started when James, Wade, and Bosh agreed to come together and form a team. Having more than one star on a team is considered the default for a contending team presently. It's rare for only one star lead a team to a title in today's league.
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