Mouth wide open, both hands tilted and up in the air, Shaquille O’Neal ran towards the bench in celebration. This iconic moment makes for one of the best memories in NBA history. In 2000, the Los Angeles Lakers announced their reentry into the championship era. This was a special time because of the circumstances in which Shaq and the Mamba won their first title. Johnson’s magic had left long ago, but the brute force of Diesel and the unapologetic play of Kobe Bryant kept the Showtime legacy going.

The Lakers’ three-peat from 2000 to 2002 gave many iconic impressions. However, their Game 7 WCF performance against the Portland Trail Blazers stood out.

Kobe Bryant lobs one up to Shaquille O’Neal

It was the Game Seven of the NBA Western Conference Finals between the Trail Blazers and the Lakers. This was a Portland team made up of a strong frontline combination of Scottie Pippen, Steve Smith, Jermaine O’Neal, Arvdys Sabonis, and Rasheed Wallace.  Against this unit, The Lakers were down by 15 but then Kobe nailed a bank shot to cut it to 13 with around 10 minutes left. Then the Lakers played some tremendous defense and started to find offensive rhythm after not even being able to hit 60 in the first three quarters. 

The most celebrated moment from the game came when Kobe lobbed it up to Shaq, who grabbed a hard pass and jammed it in. In this game, the Lakers had a six-point lead, and eventually; the series win. The Lakers then defeated Indiana Pacers in six games to win the 2000 title. From there, the Lakers notched two more championships in one of the most iconic runs. Kobe and Shaq went on to become Hall-of-Famers, and have etched their name in NBA lore. 

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Fans reminisce about the duo

The bond may have severed after the winning run, but in retrospect, they had already done a lot of damage. On that note, the Trail Blazers’ comeback remains etched in many hearts.

One fan pointed out the importance of the quarter against the Trail Blazers

A fan became nostalgic

One of the commenters couldn’t digest the 15-point gap in the first place

There were other reactions as well

The amazing duo sizzled the NBA world for a long time, even though they parted ways on a sour note and remained rivals for the rest of their career. However, no one can take away the accomplishments these two achieved together. As we remember the Lakers’ comeback against the Trail Blazers in 2000, here is a tribute to the Lakers’ pair that brought glory to the league. 

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