Sports

NBA’s next powerful trio resides in Miami

The Lakers gave us Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Magic Johnson and James Worthy.

The Bulls gave us Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen and Dennis Rodman.

And free agency gave the Miami Heat LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh. James chose the Heat last night over the Knicks, Bulls, Clippers and hometown Cleveland Cavaliers giving the NBA another talent troika for the ages.

Once the sizzling hot bars on South Beach stopped serving The Chosen One, Heat president Pat Riley should call Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski and thank him for bringing together those three on the U.S. Olympic Team, aka the Redeem Team.

PHOTOS: LEBRON JAMES

MORE LEBRON COVERAGE

That provided the three stars a chance to play together. Wade, who has won an NBA title, has shown he can subjugate his game. Bosh is more than content to defend, rebound and get his 10-12 points per game.

James can be The Chosen One or Just One of the Gang.

“The biggest factor was to win now,” James said last night on ESPN when he announced his decision. “Win now and win in the future. Winning is a huge thing for me.”

James and the Heat just became prohibitive favorites to win the Eastern Conference and challenge the Lakers or any foe that comes out of the West. As long as the three are healthy, they will be a force.

Riley said he would be aggressive in this free agent market and he was ruthless and efficient in positioning the Heat to make free agency history. On draft day he traded away Daequan Cook and the 18th pick, freeing up more cap space.

Then he got Bosh, the kind of star who allows mega stars such as Wade and James to burn with supernova brightness. Wade, who came back from shoulder and knee surgery in 2007, has proven to be the kind of tough winner that James admires.

And the Riley factor can’t be ignored. He is a proven winner. Knicks coach Mike D’Antoni has shown to be a knowledgeable and effective coach but his resume’ pales in comparison to Riley.

D’Antoni and Knicks team president Donnie Walsh cleared the cap space and recently acquired Amar’e Stoudemire but when James said, “This fall I’m going to take my talents to South Beach,” you could hear a dream drop.

With Bosh, Wade and James, it hardly matters who fills out the Heat roster. They are trying to unload forward Michael Beasley, which would allow all three to sign max contracts. That’s just bookkeeping.

“All three of us are going to take less money because we want to play alongside each other,” James said.

All eyes will be on the next great trio the NBA has seen.

lenn.robbins@nypost.com