5 NBA Players Who Should Be Featured In Starting 5 Season 2

Netflix’s new docuseries Starting 5 could expand with a second season covering the upcoming 2024-2025 NBA season. Starting 5 offers an extensive deep dive into the 2023-24 NBA season through the exclusive lenses of five elite players. Directed by Peter J. Scalettar (Supreme Team) and produced by Barack and Michelle Obama (Leave the World Behind), Starting 5 takes a behind-the-scenes look at the off-the-court lives of five of the NBA’s biggest stars. Starting 5 follows Domantas Sabonis of the Sacramento Kings, Jimmy Butler of the Miami Heat, Anthony Edwards of the Minnesota Timberwolves, Jayson Tatum of the Boston Celtics, and LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers.

Starting 5 also includes never-before-seen footage of these five NBA talents during the regular season and playoffs, including previously unreleased audio and in-game commentary between players, coaches, and other NBA personnel. The series thoughtfully pieces together some of the common themes between these five NBA superstars, such as their personal battles with injury, legacy, and fame, as well as their roles as fathers, partners, and public figures. Starting 5 has a great soundtrack and releases just one day after the start of the 2024-2025 NBA Preseason, chronicling the entire 2023-2024 season up to the Boston Celtics’ NBA Finals victory in June 2024.

Starting 5 doesn’t take much focus off its core group of star talent, hence the title. It also doesn’t touch much on anything too scandalous or controversial, as it truly feels like a promotional series to celebrate not only some of the best basketball players in the world but also the NBA itself. Similar to Netflix’s football-focused series Quarterback and Receiver, Starting 5 mainly focuses on the positives and exclusive perks in the lifestyles of some of the NBA’s biggest stars. It’s nearly voyeuristic being a fly on the wall inside the homes of these select NBA stars, showcasing a relatively normal and human side of these larger-than-life sports figures.

5 Kevin Durant

Forward, Phoenix Suns

Kevin Durant is one of the biggest NBA superstars and has been one of the most individually talented players in the league since 2007. Like LeBron James, Durant has been one of the most dominant performers in the NBA for the better part of the 21st century and is already considered a future NBA Hall of Famer who is currently in the final leg of his impressive basketball career. Durant, now 36, is a 2-time NBA Champion and NBA Finals MVP in 2017 and 2018 with the Golden State Warriors and was part of one of the best NBA teams in league history.

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Durant played for the Oklahoma City Thunder for the first nine seasons before joining Golden State, the Brooklyn Nets, and the Phoenix Suns, his current team. He was the 2nd overall pick in the 2007 NBA Draft and was named the Rookie of the Year in 2008 before winning MVP of the league in 2014. He is a 14-time NBA All-Star and led the NBA in scoring in 2010, 2011, 2012, and 2014. His Phoenix Suns are currently ranked 7th in the NBA preseason power rankings ahead of the 2024-2025 season and fell below expectations last season after falling to Anthony Edwards and the Minnesota Timberwolves in the first round of the playoffs.

4 Steph Curry

Guard, Golden State Warriors

Steph Curry has certainly gotten used to the spotlight throughout his illustrious NBA career, which is easily one of the greatest of all time. Although Curry’s Apple TV documentary film Underrated just came out in 2023, fans can’t get enough of Curry as he enters his sixteenth NBA season, which makes him an obvious choice for Starting 5 season 2. Curry is a 4-time NBA Champion and has played all 16 of his seasons with the Golden State Warriors. He won his first NBA Finals MVP in 2022 after the Warriors defeated the Boston Celtics in the NBA Finals.

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Just like James and Durant, Curry is a rare breed of NBA veteran who is still at the top of his game and well within his prime, which seemingly has no end. The Golden State Warriors notably missed the playoffs last season and are not projected to make a serious playoff run in 2024-2025. The organization traded one of the pillars of the team, Klay Thompson, which allowed some intriguing and talented new players to enter the fold, such as Kyle Anderson, Buddy Hield, and De’Anthony Melton. The new-look Warriors should look to improve on their disappointing 2023-2024 season and capturing Cury through this transition period in Starting 5 season 2 would be highly entertaining.

3 Jaylen Brown

Guard/Forward, Boston Celtics

Starting 5, and basketball fans worldwide, were fortunate to capture Jayson Tatum behind the scenes on his way to capturing his first NBA Championship in 2024. With the Celtics the heavy favorites in the Eastern Conference, making their appearance in the 2025 NBA Finals highly probable, the Netflix production team would be wise to run it back with another Celtics superstar and legend in the making, Jaylen Brown, who notably won NBA Finals MVP over Tatum. Brown previously had the biggest contract in the NBA (5-year, $304 million) until Tatum’s July 2024 contract extension slightly surpassed him (5-year, $315 million).

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Brown has a wide range of interests outside basketball, which has led many to consider him somewhat of an enigma. Firstly, he is highly intelligent as a graduate of the University of California at Berkeley and enjoys intellectual activities such as playing chess and community activism. Brown became the youngest person to deliver a lecture at Harvard University and the youngest person to be elected as a Vice President of the NBA Players Association. His myriad interests, massive NBA contract, and high potential of winning back-to-back titles with the Celtics make him the perfect candidate to star in Starting 5 season 2.

Brown also recently appeared in an episode of Hot Ones, which is quite out of character for the elite 3-time NBA All-Star and an encouraging sign that he will be more welcoming of the media attention following the Celtics’ 2024 NBA Finals win. While Tatum is more or less considered the face of the team, he emphasized in Starting 5 that he is too team-oriented to focus on his own stardom, which is great news for Celtics fans. Brown also falls into that category despite he and Tatum being the two-highest paid players in the NBA and two of the biggest faces of not only the Celtics but of the future of the league.

2 Victor Wembanyama

Center, San Antonio Spurs

Starting 5 certainly presented Anthony Edwards as one of the biggest new faces of the NBA and rightfully so. His tenacity and elite athleticism have quickly separated him from his peers and have made him one of the most exciting players to watch in the league. In a similar category is Victor Wembanyama, the 2024 NBA Rookie of the Year who is already showing signs of becoming a generational talent and an absolute game-changer in professional basketball. At 7 feet 4 inches, Wembanyama is one of the tallest players in the NBA but he has an unprecedented level of skill and agility that makes him truly special.

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If Starting 5 season 2 is looking for an Anthony Edwards-type replacement, then it has to be Wembanyama. Although the Spurs aren’t expected to make much of an impact in the 2024-2025 season, Wembanyama is a one-of-a-kind player whose rookie season is one of the most impressive in NBA history after being drafted with the first overall pick in 2023. Wemby or “the Alien” led the entire NBA in total blocks last season by a long shot (254, second place was 190) and became the first rookie and youngest NBA player (20) ever to make the NBA’s All-Defensive First Team. He and Edwards have two of the highest ceilings of the NBA’s rising stars, making him a no-brainer pick for Starting 5 season 2.

1 Giannis Antetokounmpo

Forward, Milwaukee Bucks

Giannis Antetokounmpo has spent his entire NBA career with the Milwaukee Bucks as he enters his 12th NBA season. The future Hall of Famer won an NBA Championship and NBA Finals MVP in 2021 and was MVP of the league in 2019 and 2020. Although Giannis is still in his prime, he and the Bucks have a major challenge ahead of them, fighting against the Boston Celtics and the new-and-improved New York Knicks for supremacy in the Eastern Conference. The Bucks came up short in the 2023 NBA Playoffs after shockingly losing 4 games to 1 against Jimmy Butler and the Miami Heat.

Giannis and teammate Damian Lillard, who would be another great candidate for Starting 2 season 2 as one of the best clutch players and rappers in the NBA, will be looking to get things going quickly in the 2024-2025 season. They are projected 8th in the preseason power rankings, placing them in a similar situation as the Phoenix Suns, who have the talented roster to make a serious push at the Finals. Giannis has always been amicable and one of the least controversial superstars in the NBA. If Starting 5 returns for a second season with a brand new roster, Giannis would be another easy choice. Starting 5 could also feature a WNBA edition that would likely feature rising stars Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese, and Cameron Brink.