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Game 3 of the 2021 NBA Finals between the Phoenix Suns and the Milwaukee Bucks is just hours from tipoff. But let’s say that planet Earth needs five basketball players right now to come with Richard Branson of Virgin Galactic and represent the human race in space, should we get at least one from either the Suns or Bucks? The easy answer would be yes. After all, Giannis Antetokounmpo does look like he can contend with aliens all the time. That was already a given ever since he jumped all over Tim Hardaway Jr. in a game at Madison Square Garden.
So who’s coming with Giannis and Branson? Here are four other players this writer believes should be on the All-Space starting five.
LeBron James
This is probably the most obvious pick. Sure, Giannis Antetokounmpo is the Greek Freak but LeBron has been freaking the basketball world for decades. At 36, LeBron James can still do it all. His blend of size and basketball IQ is something that's straight out of a mad scientist's laboratory, so it's only right for him to showcase his basketball skills in space, where many people have come to believe LeBron is really from.
Kevin Durant
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Notwithstanding the fact that Kevin Durant was not even able to lead a loaded Team USA past an Earth-based squad, the former NBA MVP should still have a seat on Richard Branson's Virgin Galactic rocket ship. With a wingspan that can reach out to Venus and Mars at the same time and the ability to score from anywhere on the floor, why wouldn't we want to see KD try to prove that he's just as unguardable in a zero-gravity environment as he is here on the ground?
Stephen Curry
No one has quite solved Stephen Curry completely yet in the NBA. Even the cosmos would probably have the answer first to the meaning of life before it can come up with a solution against the two-time MVP, who's also generally considered as the best shooter this planet has ever seen. If Albert Einstein were alive today, he'd probably use Stephen Curry as a model to show how mass could bend light. The Golden State Warriors' sharpshooter has pretty much that kind of effect on the basketball court, as he can warp defenses with or without a ball. Get Curry on the Virgin Galactic ship.
Zion Williamson
Speaking of mass, we also have New Orleans Pelicans star Zion Williamson on our list. We have all seen his insane high school highlight reel that made him look like a superhero playing among mere mortals. NASA scientists certainly will also love Zion in space, as they can have a live subject to further aid their study on the behavior of mass outside of Earth. One Zion dunk is probably all it takes to scare aliens away from invading our home. Make some space for the former Duke Blue Devils manchild on Virgin Galactic's ride.
Space is still a great mystery to us despite all the advances we have made in exploring it. But if there's one thing we know for sure about it, it's that Hollywood can make a great basketball movie with it as the backdrop.
