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Lakers Kobe Bryant, left, celebrates his 48 points with Shaquille O’Neal after defeating the Kings in Game 4 of the Western Conference Semifinals at the Arco Arena in Sacramento. (Photo by Wally Skalij/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
Getty
Lakers Kobe Bryant, left, celebrates his 48 points with Shaquille O’Neal after defeating the Kings in Game 4 of the Western Conference Semifinals at the Arco Arena in Sacramento. (Photo by Wally Skalij/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
There are few duos in the history of basketball that can match up to that of Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal. And Shaq has long been saying that he thinks their tandem was the greatest of all time. But his partner in crime, Kobe, doesn’t think that’s the case as he rates a legendary Chicago Bulls duo above them.
Kobe and Shaq dominated the early part of the 2000s. They won three titles in a row and they made four NBA Finals in five years. And despite the feud between the two superstars, they always found a way to win, and they won in some style.
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Shaquille O’Neal was a beast inside the paint and there was arguably no defensive scheme that could stop him. And Kobe Bryant was seen as the second coming of Jordan and he was a killer on the court. So it’s undoubtedly very hard to come up with a duo that can match their achievements.
Kobe Bryant rates Scottie Pippen and Michael Jordan above him and Shaquille O’Neal
There is only one other duo that enjoyed the same level of success and dominance as Kobe and Shaq. And that is the Bulls legends Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen. Both these superstars were part of the Bulls dynasty in the 90s, which won six titles in the form of two three-peats. And they are arguably considered the greatest duo of all time by many.
And that includes Kobe Bryant himself. When he heard that Shaq had called their tandem the greatest, Kobe disagreed. He said,” I think Jordan and Pippen were a little bit you know, they won significantly more than we did but those two pieces also fit better.”
“I think Shaq and I were the more explosive tandem,” he added.
He also said that despite their fit not being perfect, they ended up winning three titles. For the Chicago Bulls, Jordan was a dominant scorer and Pippen was a willing passer. And he was the engine that ran the Bulls dynasty.
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While Shaq may think that his tandem with Kobe was the greatest ever, Kobe thinks that Jordan and Pippen just worked better as a unit.
Who do you think was the better duo in NBA history? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
Written by
Edited by
Veer Badani