Paul Pierce Snubs Kevin Garnett for Calling James Harden and Joel Embiid the New “Shaq and Kobe”

Published 02/20/2022, 6:30 AM EST

James Harden is one of the NBA’s supreme talents. The former MVP had a dominant run with the Houston Rockets and with the Brooklyn Nets where he played alongside stars such as Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, Chris Paul, and Russell Westbrook.

However, despite having these stars by his side, he is yet to put his hands on the Larry O’Brien Trophy. In fact, his best chance to win a championship came during his days as a member of the OKC Thunder.

However, that OKC lineup would fall to the Miami Heat in the finals in 5 games. Regardless of that, Harden’s quest for a championship continues. This time around, he finds himself as a member of the Philadelphia 76ers alongside Joel Embiid.

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Although the two haven’t played together yet, they do resemble the old Los Angeles Lakers’ duo of Shaq and Kobe. But there is one person who disagrees with this point of view. This is none other than NBA legend, Paul Pierce.

Paul Pierce’s Take on James Harden and Joel Embiid

During a recent episode of ‘KG Certified’, host Kevin Garnett made a bold claim that Embiid and Harden are the new “Shaq and Kobe.” This is when Paul Pierce disagreed and explained his point of view.

“I don’t know about that. I never see it,” said Pierce.

“You know James been teamed up with who – Dwight Howard already, Westbrook, Kevin Durant, and I mean, it’s been the same results,” he explained.

Furthermore, Pierce explained that he still felt that the Milwaukee Bucks, Chicago Bulls, Miami Heat, and the Boston Celtics have the upper hand over Philly despite the Harden trade.

Comparing Harden and Embiid to Shaq and Kobe

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The Los Angeles Lakers enjoyed multiple years of success under their one-two punch of Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant. The duo formed the core of the Lakers and won 3 titles in a row. Regardless of the number of titles, Philly, too, wish to attain similar glory under the new on-court leadership of Harden and Embiid.

Additionally, Harden is a better playmaker than Kobe was, and Embiid is a better shooter from distance than Shaq was. So the scoring possibility of the Harden-Embiid seems much higher than that of Shaq and Kobe due to better three-point shooting.

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As the second half of the season approaches, the 76ers will aim to win as many games as possible and build a long-standing core with Embiid and Harden.

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Written by:

Sameer is an NBA writer at EssentiallySports. Having graduated from Manipal Institute of Technology, he has always had a keen interest in basketball and the numbers behind the game. With a goal to become a Sports Performance Analyst for a professional sports team, Sameer brings insights backed by data.

Paul Pierce Snubs Kevin Garnett for Calling James Harden and Joel Embiid the New “Shaq and Kobe”

Paul Pierce’s Take on James Harden and Joel Embiid

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Comparing Harden and Embiid to Shaq and Kobe