Sports

Brenda Song Shows Off Her NBA Knowledge, Shares Her Dream Starting Five

The 'Starting 5' actress named Shaq, Tim Duncan and the late Kobe Bryant as members of her dream team.

Brenda Song is seen outside GMA Studios on April 28, 2026 in New York City.
Image via Raymond Hall/GC Images

Brenda Song locked in her picks for starting five when Complex’s Jillian Superstar quizzed the actress about her dream team.

Song, who stars in Netflix sports comedy Starting 5, said she’s “very biased” before listing off Shaquille O’Neal, the late Kobe Bryant, Tim Duncan and more.

“My center would obviously be Shaq,” Song continued. “My power forward would be Tim Duncan. Of course, my shooting—it’s so hard because MJ is the GOAT, but I’ll have Kobe on my team any day.”

For a point guard, Song said it’s a toss-up between Gary Payton II and Stephen Curry.

“I kind of go back and forth because you can’t just have a million scorers on the team,” the former Disney actress continued. “And this is the crazy one. To have my other forward, my small forward, most people would say LeBron [James], I don’t need another scorer, I want Dennis Rodman in there.”

Song called the Chicago Bulls alum one of her “favorite players” because he was “such a rebounder” in his prime.

“So it would be Steph, Kobe, Tim Duncan, Rodman and Shaq,” she concluded.

Song is an avid NBA fan and went viral last year when her and her longtime partner, actor Macaulay Culkin, attended a playoffs game between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Minnesota Timberwolves.

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