Netflix’s hit NBA docuseries “Starting 5” is getting a second lease on life, with an all-new cast for its next season.
Per Shams Charania of ESPN, Year 2 of the show will follow Phoenix Suns All-NBA power forward Kevin Durant, Los Angeles Clippers star guard James Harden, Oklahoma City Thunder MVP candidate point guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, reigning Boston Celtics Finals MVP swingman Jaylen Brown, and All-NBA Indiana Pacers point guard Tyrese Haliburton.
Produced by Los Angeles Lakers All-NBA combo forward LeBron James and his business partner Maverick Carter through their production shingle Uninterrupted, “Starting 5” tracks five league superstars throughout the ups and downs of an NBA season.
The first season of the show tracked five different All-Stars during their 2023-24 run: James, All-NBA Miami Heat small forward Jimmy Butler, Brown’s All-NBA Boston Celtics teammate Jayson Tatum, All-NBA Minnesota Timberwolves shooting guard Anthony Edwards, and All-Star Sacramento Kings center Domantas Sabonis. Two of those stars — Tatum and Edwards — led their franchises to Conference Finals appearances. Tatum’s Celtics won it all, besting the Dallas Mavericks in a five-game Finals series
“Starting 5” is bringing in quite the crop of talent this season.
James Harden #1 of the LA Clippers dribbles between Kevin Durant #35 and Mason Plumlee #22 of the Phoenix Suns during the first half in the season home opening game at Intuit Dome on October… More Harry How/Getty Images
Gilgeous-Alexander, 26, is a two-time All-Star and two-time All-NBA First Teamer. He’s finished among the top five in MVP voting for the past two seasons, including as a runner-up to Denver Nuggets superstar center Nikola Jokic last year. The 6-foot-6 vet was the best player on the Western Conference’s top-seeded Thunder last season, guiding that club to a 57-25 finish and the second round of the playoffs.
This year, now armed with two-way vets Alex Caruso and Isaiah Hartenstein, Oklahoma City is poised to be one of the league’s inner-circle title contenders. Across three contests this season, he’s averaging 28.7 points on .449/.304/.895 shooting splits, 8.7 rebounds, 6.3 assists, 3.0 steals, and 2.0 blocks a night.
Sources: Cast for season two of Netflix’s NBA documentary series Starting 5: Kevin Durant, James Harden, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jaylen Brown, Tyrese Haliburton. 🍿🍿🍿 pic.twitter.com/FYlsRDLf0o
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) October 29, 2024
Following an ignominious four-game sweep in the first round to Edwards’ Timberwolves last spring, Durant’s Suns fired head coach Frank Vogel (replacing him with 2021 champ Mike Budenholzer) and brought in a traditional starting point guard, Tyus Jones, in free agency. The 36-year-old, a 14-time All-Star, 11-time All-NBA honoree, two-time champ, and the 2014 league MVP, is one of the greatest scorers in league history.
Even in his relative dotage, the 17-year vet is averaging 29.0 points on .533/.455/.813 shooting splits, 7.0 boards, 3.0 dimes, 1.8 blocks, and 1.0 swipes per contest — while playing a stunning 40 minutes per. He’s also fresh off winning his second Olympic gold medal this summer for Team USA.
Harden, who has begged off his past three teams, just signed a lucrative two-year, $70 million new deal to stay with the Clippers.
L.A. lost its most consistent player, nine-time All-Star forward Paul George, to the Philadelphia 76ers in free agency this summer. The Clippers’ best player, two-time Finals MVP wing Kawhi Leonard, is out indefinitely.
This has essentially unleashed Harden, who’s now free to employ his heliocentric Houston Rockets-era offense at this stage of the 2024-25 season. The 10-time All-Star, who earned the 2018 MVP at the expense of Leonard while with the Rockets, is averaging 25.0 points on a .362/.192/.903 slash line, 11.7 assists, 8.3 rebounds, and 0.7 steals for the 2-1 Clippers.
Brown, 28, is hoping to make his fourth All-Star team and notch his second All-NBA honoree this year while plying his trade for the East’s best squad. Boston is currently 4-0 and hoping to win its second straight title this summer. Through four games, the Cal product is averaging 26.0 points on .407/.393/.818 shooting splits, 7.8 boards, and 3.3 dishes.
The 24-year-old Haliburton, a two-time All-Star and one-time All-NBA honoree has been struggling through a major shooting slump on the 1-3 Pacers this year. He and Pascal Siakam led Indiana, an underdog in all three of its playoff matchups, to a surprise Eastern Conference Finals berth last year. The team was quickly swept by Brown’s Celtics.
Haliburton was the odd man out for the U.S. men’s Olympic basketball team this summer at the 2024 Paris games, often being benched for entire games on a star-studded squad
The 6-foot-5 Iowa State product is averaging 14.0 points on .339/.265/.636 shooting splits, 5.3 assists, and 4.8 rebounds.
Among the first two seasons’ ten stars, a quality swath of the best players in the league is represented. There are a few notable omissions, however: Jokic, five-time All-NBA First Team Mavericks superstar guard Luka Doncic, two-time MVP Golden State Warriors point guard Stephen Curry, and All-NBA New York Knicks point guard Jalen Brunson. In fairness to Curry, he recently produced his own Apple TV+ documentary, so he may be a bit tired of filmmaking.