Image via Complex Original
NBA All-Star weekend culminates tomorrow night with the big game down in New Orleans, and with that, our NBA car coverage continues. We've already discussed some of the most outrageous NBA car moments and pointed out some of the ridiculous car customizations that these loaded athletes have come up with. Tonight, we celebrate the players that have displayed the biggest passions for cars, purchasing vehicle after vehicle to add to their garages. Here is our NBA All-Star team, based solely on what cars they have.
RELATED: 25 Ridiculous NBA Car Moments
Starter: Zach Randolph
Team: Memphis Grizzlies
Notable Cars: 1975, 1973, 1972, 1972 Convertible Chevrolet Impala Customs
Z-Bo's car taste isn't just all-American. It's all-Chevy, all-'70s, and all-Impala, too. Randolph wasn't even born until 1981, but as far as his cars go, he loves the early '70s cars above all. RIDES magazine did a photo shoot in his garage, allowing us these great photos of his custom colorful donks. Check out the images of those cars, shot by Andrew Link Photography HERE.
Starter: Tim Duncan
Team: San Antonio Spurs
Notable Cars: 1968 Chevrolet Camaro, Nissan GT-R, 1955 Chevrolet Bel Air
Tim Duncan isn't somebody you'd initially think of, when it came to something as flashy as cars. That's because he's like the anti-flash, quietly dominating the NBA in his long, successful career. However, he's recently opened up about his love of cars and the Black Jack Speed Shop that he opened. His dream car is a 1949 Mercury Coupe lead sled (points for you, if you knew what that was before clicking the link) and he hopes to one day build a car entirely on his own. He's also been seen racing cars down in San Antonio. We didn't think it was possible, but we have gained even more respect for the big fundamental. Check out the photos of his cars and his shop at RIDES Magazine, once again shot by Andrew Link Photography.
Starter: LeBron James
Team: Miami Heat
Notable Cars: Ferrari F430 Spyder, Jeep Wrangler, Porsche 911, Mercedes-Benz S63 AMG, Chevrolet Camaro SS, Dodge Challenger SRT, Hummer H2
Cars have been a part of LeBron James' NBA story since day one, thanks to that Hummer H2 his mama gave him (last photo). Since then, he's made more millions than he knows what to do with and has spent some of that cash on some dope new rides. He and his best friend and fellow starter Dwyane Wade have even been spotted buying matching cars, so you can hate Miami even more.
Starter: Carlos Boozer
Team: Chicago Bulls
Notable Cars: Jeep Wrangler, Rolls-Royce Ghost, Cadillac Escalade, Porsche Panamera, Range Rover, Maserati GranTurismo, Mercedes-Benz G-Class
Guess what Carlos Boozer has been doing on his enormous, not-so-deserved contract? Buying cars! And more cars! And changing up those cars! And wearing bucket hats! His numbers in the league are solid, but not good enough to be recognized at the elite level. That's not the case in the whip game.
Starter: Andrew Bynum
Team: Indianapolis Pacers
Notable Cars: Ferrari F430, Nissan GT-R, Ferrari 599 GTB, Dodge Challenger, TechART Porsche, BMW M6
As much as it pains us to acknowledge anything good about such a shitty dude, we have no choice but to admit that his taste in cars is on point. We honestly don't know if he's picking up Noviteco Rosso Ferraris, TechART Porsches, and Black Bison GT-Rs simply because they look awesome and are fast or if he's legitimately into racing and motorsports. We'd like to think it's the latter, but this is a dude who blatantly disrespects his coaches, so we can't give him the benefit of the doubt.
Reserve: Rudy Gay
Team: Sacramento Kings
Notable Cars: Dodge Challenger SRT8, Jeep Wrangler, Cadillac Escalade
Along with Harden, Gay is one of many athletes who go to Pro Motorsports for all their car customization needs. The shop has matted his Challenger (a popular ride among NBA players) and lifted his Wrangler. We're sure he'll be getting another new car to stunt around Cali.
Reserve: Dwight Howard
Team: Houston Rockets
Notable Cars: Bentley Mulsanne, Porsche Panamera, Dartz Kombat T98
Any athlete that has purchased a Dartz Kombat is worthy of a mention. If you don't remember, Dartz is the company that is offering whale penis leather as an option in some of the SUVs they are selling. Dwight's also got an extremely sharp Panamera with a slick body kit on it, and he purchased a Mulsanne as part of his move to L.A. That, obviously, didn't last long, and we haven't heard any news of a new whip down in Houston. Take a seat on the bench, sir.
Reserve: James Harden
Team: Houston Rockets
Notable Cars: Rolls-Royce Ghost, Range Rover, Custom Chevrolet Camaro Convertible, Mercedes-Benz S550
It's questionable to call four cars a collection just yet, but Harden's only been in the league since '09, and he's already made another big purchase since he grabbed that starter money. He's already got a sweet American sports car, a luxury sedan, the Range, and now the Ghost.
Reserve: Kobe Bryant
Team: Los Angeles Lakers
Notable Cars: Range Rover, Ferrari F430, Ferrari 458 Italia, Bentley Continental GT, Bentley Azure Mulliner convertible, 1963 Chevrolet Impala, Cadillac Escalade, Maserati GranTurismo?
It should come as no surprise that Kobe loves his Ferraris, seeing as though he lived in Italy and can fluently speak the language. His most recent everyday driver is the 458 Italia, a car that supposedly cost him about $329,000. It's also rumored that he's been driving around a golden Maserati GranTurismo, but it hasn't been confirmed.
Reserve: Dwyane Wade
Team: Miami Heat
Notable Cars: TWO McLaren MP4-12Cs, Ferrari F12berlinetta, Porsche 911, Cadillac Escalade EXT, Hummer H2 SUT, Aston Martin, Audi R8
Lately, the word "Collector" has come to take on a different meaning for Dwyane Wade. Instead of him going out and buying the cars, he's been collecting gifts, namely his two McLaren MP4-12Cs, that were given to him. And that new Aston and Audi are not bad either. However, because he didn't buy some of those cars, we're giving him a reserve spot.
Coach: Shaquille O'Neal
Team: Retired/Announcer
Notable Cars: 2001 Chevrolet G1500, Lamborghini Gallardo, smart Car, Mercedes-Benz S-Class, Cadillac DTS, Jeep Wrangler, Ford Expedition, Lincoln Continental, Lincoln Navigator, Hummer H2s, Cadillac Escalade
In a video that's already a few years old, West Coast Customs talked about how they had built more than 30 cars for Shaquille O'Neal. His custom obsession includes plenty of Shaq badging, sound systems, rims, and accommodation for his massive size. The cars he drives range all over the place, too, from supercars to SUVs to luxury sedans to smart cars. He's always looking for a new ride. The man who dominated the league for so long now sits behind a desk commenting on the game, but he surely has plenty left of his car collection and is the right man to be the Grandaddy of the team.