We all love making custom March Madness brackets. We also love imagining our favorite NBA players going mano a mano against each other. It seems obvious to put these two things together.
We made a 64-player NBA 1-on-1 March Madness bracket. Who wins?
Guards vs. Bigs vs. Wings vs. Unicorns. We tried to find the best 1-on-1 player in the NBA.


So, we did. Presenting SB Nation’s NBA One-on-One Tournament!
The (brief) ground rules:
- We split the bracket up into four regions: guards, wings, big men, and unicorns. There’s plenty of overlap in those last three categories, so I took some creative liberties to balance those regions.
- Each game is to 11, playing by ones and twos. Make it, take it. Not the fairest system, but screw it. Let’s get weird.
- This season’s performance is more heavily weighed than other factors, because otherwise, we’d have the same bracket every year. Still, let’s assume relative health for every player. DeMarcus Cousins does not need to play on his torn Achilles.
- If your favorite player is underseeded or left out entirely, it’s probably because I hate them. Imagine them in the First Four if you must. (For real: it’s because some regions were more stacked than others, and also because I wanted to script some weird first-round matchups for fun).
Without further ado, the matchups.
GUARDS REGION
1. Steph Curry vs 16. Lonzo Ball
Steph gives Lonzo a 10-foot cushion and Lonzo can’t make him pay.
8. John Wall vs. 9. C.J. McCollum
C.J. is woefully underseeded for an event like this. Bad job by the committee.
5. Chris Paul vs. 12. Jamal Murray
Tied at nine, CP3 spins around Murray, then jumps straight back into him to score a layup and draw a foul. CP3 successfully petitions for Murray’s infraction — his 10th touch foul of the contest — to be a one-point penalty, giving him the victory.
4. Damian Lillard vs. 13 Jrue Holiday
Lillard spots Holiday a four-point lead, then drains six moonballs in a row to win.
6. Kyle Lowy vs. 11. Lou Williams
Kyle Lowry is an incredible NBA player, but it is a crime that Lou Williams is seeded this low in this tournament. This is like having to face 2006 George Mason or 2011 VCU.
3. Russell Westbrook vs. 14. Goran Dragic
The most physical 11-5 victory you can imagine.
7. Kemba Walker vs. 10. Donovan Mitchell
The League Pass special! Can’t wait to watch these two take turns shattering each other’s ankles with stepbacks.
2. Kyrie Irving vs. 15. Isaiah Thomas
BIG MEN REGION
1. Anthony Davis vs. 16. Zach Randolph
Let’s just say the selection committee took some ... creative liberties in deciding which players went in the Big Man section and which were Unicorns. Stuff everyone with Unicorn-like tendencies into that side of the competition, and that becomes the ultimate bracket of death.
So congratulations, Anthony Davis! You get entry into the far tamer Big Man bracket on account of your incredible season.
8. Marc Gasol vs. 9. Pau Gasol
The selection committee has a sense of humor, part 2.
5. Blake Griffin vs. 12. Brook Lopez
It speaks to the lack of depth on this side of the bracket that Griffin earned a No. 5 seed in his diminished state. It also speaks to his diminished state that he’s over here instead of in the Unicorns bracket.
4. DeMarcus Cousins vs. 13. Dwight Howard
I’m taking Boogie, even on a torn Achilles.
6. Kevin Love vs. 11. Hassan Whiteside
We need to find a way to get Whiteside to the Sweet 16 so he can face a certain someone.
3. LaMarcus Aldridge vs. 14. DeAndre Jordan
Sorry, LaMarcus! Great season, but we gotta set up this matchup.
7. Rudy Gobert vs. 10. Andre Drummond
Good luck getting to 11, either one of y’all.
2. Joel Embiid vs. 15. Jusuf Nurkic
We need that Embiid-Whiteside matchup. Let’s just fast forward.
WINGS REGION
1. James Harden vs. 16. Dwyane Wade
It felt wrong making Kevin Durant a No. 2 seed, but we gotta give the future 2018 MVP some love. Honestly, Harden is my favorite to win the whole damn thing. Poor D-Wade. He’s too old for this embarrassment.
8. Bradley Beal vs. 9. Devin Booker
The battle of two players each teams’ fans insist we underrate.
5. Kawhi Leonard vs. 12. Tobias Harris
Seeding Kawhi was difficult. When fully healthy, he belongs much higher than this, but we’re giving extra weight to this season and Kawhi hasn’t been healthy. (This is why Gordon Hayward isn’t in the bracket, for those asking). At full strength, Kawhi is a strong No. 3 seed, but he didn’t exactly look like himself in the nine games he played this year. We’ll compensate by giving him a soft first-round matchup and a potential date with James Harden.
4. Jimmy Butler vs. 13. Andrew Wiggins
The selection committee has a sense of humor, part 3.
6. Victor Oladipo vs. 11. Brandon Ingram
That’s right, Pacers fans, Victor Oladipo got a higher seed than Paul George.
3. DeMar DeRozan vs. 14. Gary Harris
Says something about the wing talent that exists in this league that DeRozan is a distant No. 3 seed considering the season he’s having.
7. Paul George vs. 10. Klay Thompson
2. Kevin Durant vs. 15. Carmelo Anthony
How does Melo keep making it into these things? He’s the Syracuse of the one-on-one bracket.
(Please clap).
UNICORNS BRACKET
1. LeBron James vs. 16. Dirk Nowitzki
I debated putting KD here instead and Bron behind Harden in the Wings bracket, but as great as KD is, LeBron is still the ultimate Unicorn of Unicorns. A matchup against the original Unicorn is fitting.
8. Jayson Tatum vs. 9 Draymond Green
No, I’m not sure why Tatum is here. Turns out there really aren’t that many NBA Unicorns after all!
5. Kristaps Porzingis vs. 12. Al Horford
Bright side for Al: all the rebounds will be long rebounds. Downside for Al: screen-setting and playmaking don’t count for much in a one-on-one tournament.
4. Ben Simmons vs. 13. Jabari Parker
Further evidence that it wasn’t easy filling out the bottom of this bracket.
6. Nikola Jokic vs. 11. Myles Turner
The kind of matchup that NBA diehards will beg you to watch. Inevitably, you’ll feel disappointed.
3. Karl-Anthony Towns vs. 14. Lauri Markkanen
KAT is a darkhorse in this tournament. Sleep on him at your own peril.
7. Luka Doncic vs. 10. Aaron Gordon
I know the selection committee is cheating, but Doncic is playing against professionals already, so I’ll allow it. Meanwhile, Gordon is the slumbering Unicorn for the fifth straight year.
2. Giannis Antetokounmpo vs. 15. Joe Ingles
The Greek Freak vs. a dude who gets jeered for looking like a math teacher. The selection committee really does have a sense of humor.
Who am I taking?
I got a Final Four of Harden, Embiid, LeBron, and Damian Lillard in an upset. Harden vs. Embiid in the final, with Harden winning.
Who you got?
Let us know!
















