THE TAKE
But in retrospect, they should’ve been for the most obvious reason cited: when 2 top 5 players in the world are on the same team, that team almost always wins the championship.
BOLDNESS
8/100
GRADE
22/100
PLAYERS / TEAMS
None tagged
GRADING CRITERIA
True if historical data across major sports shows that teams with two simultaneously top-5 ranked players win championships at a rate significantly higher than chance (e.g., >60% of seasons in which such a pairing exists result in a championship for that team).
vagueunfalsifiablerecency bias
OUTCOME
CONFIRMED FALSEThe historical record from 2020 to 2025 actively refutes Kellerman's 'almost always' (>75%) claim. Of the six champions in this window — Lakers (2020), Bucks (2021), Warriors (2022), Nuggets (2023), Celtics (2024), Thunder (2025) — most were built around a single transcendent star rather than two top-5 players. Meanwhile, teams widely considered to have two or more top-5 talents (Brooklyn Nets with Durant, Kyrie, and Harden; Clippers with Kawhi and Paul George; Suns with Durant and Booker; 76ers with Embiid and George) all failed to win championships and often suffered early exits. The OKC Thunder, the most recent champion, won with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander as their lone top-tier star, not a two-superstar model.