Sometimes young stars had talent so massive that more experienced squads couldn’t do anything to stop them from getting their hands on the Larry O’Brien trophy. Young cores like in 2001 when Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant steamrolled 50-plus teams like the Duncan‘s Spurs and Webber‘s Kings, or Stephen Curry starting the Warriors’ dynasty in 2015 with the help of Klay Thompson and Draymond Green.
Check out the ranking with the youngest championship cores down below.
(To select each team’s core, we went with the three players with the biggest statistical output during their championship runs in the playoffs).
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Top three playoff performers: Connie Simmons (23.2 years old upon winning the title), Paul Hoffman (23.2), Kleggie Hermsen (25.2)
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Top three playoff performers: Tim Duncan (27.1), Tony Parker (21.1), Stephen Jackson (25.2)
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Top three playoff performers: Bill Walton (24.6), Maurice Lucas (25.3), Lionel Hollins (23.6)
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Top three playoff performers: Gus Williams (25.7), Dennis Johnson (24.7), Jack Sikma (23.6)
Malcolm Emmons-USA TODAY Sports
Top three playoff performers: Bill Russell (23.3), Tommy Heinsohn (22.8), Bob Cousy (28.8)
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Top three playoff performers: George Mikan (26.0), Jim Pollard (27.9), Vern Mikkelsen (21.6)
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Top three playoff performers: Dolph Schayes (27.1), Red Kerr (22.9), Paul Seymour (27.4)
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Top three playoff performers: Larry Bird (24.5), Robert Parish (27.8), Cedric Maxwell (25.6)
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Top three playoff performers: Stephen Curry (27.2), Draymond Green (25.3), Klay Thompson (25.3)
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Top three playoff performers: Shaquille O’Neal (29.3), Kobe Bryant (22.8), Derek Fisher (26.8)
Top three playoff performers: Paul Arizin (28.2), Neil Johnston (27.3), Tom Gola (23.4)
Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
Top three playoff performers: Nikola Jokic (28.3), Jamal Murray (26.3), Michael Porter (24.9)
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Top three playoff performers: Rick Barry (31.2), Jamaal Wilkes (22.1), Clifford Ray (26.4)
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Top three playoff performers: Joe Fulks (25.6), Angelo Musi (28.9), George Senesky (25.2)
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Top three playoff performers: Michael Jordan (28.3), Scottie Pippen (25.7), Horace Grant (25.9)
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Top three playoff performers: Tim Duncan (29.1), Manu Ginobili (27.9), Tony Parker (23.1)
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Top three playoff performers: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (24.2), Bob Dandridge (23.6), Oscar Robertson (32.5)
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Top three playoff performers: Bill Russell (25.3), Bob Cousy (30.8), Tommy Heinsohn (24.8)
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Top three playoff performers: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (33.2), Magic Johnson (20.8), Jamaal Wilkes (27.1)
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Top three playoff performers: George Mikan (28.0), Vern Mikkelsen (23.6), Jim Pollard (29.9)
