Shaquille O’Neal has made a big claim regarding his partnership with Kobe Bryant in the 2002 NBA Finals, stating that his duo with the Black Mamba was better than Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen in the 1993 championship series.
“Which duo are you taking? You already know my answer,” Shaq wrote in the caption of a picture showing his stats combined with Kobe Bryant in 2002 and the numbers that Jordan and Pippen put up in 1993.
O’Neal and Bryant combined for 63.1 PPG, 18.1 RPG, 9.1 APG, 2.0 APG and 3.0 BPG in 2002, sweeping the New Jersey Nets in the Finals to conquer their third consecutive NBA championship and becoming the last team to date to three-peat.
As for Jordan and Pippen, they recorded 62.2 PPG, 17.7 RPG, 14.0 APG, 3.7 SPG and 1.7 BPG in 1993 when they beat the Phoenix Suns to secure the first of their two three-peats.
Fans had a lot to say about this, sharing their opinions on who would win if the duos clashed against each other and others picked which one had the best run.
“Are you saying which duo had a better run or which duo would win in a 2v2? Because mj & pip had a better run. But you & kobe would win in a 2v2.”
“im taking the man that swept you in 96.”
“Sorry Shaq gotta go with MJ.”
“You weren’t even supposed to be in the finals in 2002.”
“Look how young !!!! Diesel/mamba of course.”
“MJ and Pippen.”
“Kobe and Shaq , no one can contest Shaq.”
“Shaq and Kobe are the best duo of all time. Nobody is even close.”
O’Neal always likes his chances against any rival, as he’s never been afraid of putting himself up against other legends. He has talked about the comparisons between Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant, naming the latter the closest thing to Jordan in the NBA.
Still, Shaq hasn’t been afraid of testing him against Jordan, and he’s very confident in hypothetical scenarios where he clashes with MJ. A couple of months ago he claimed he would sweep Jordan’s team in a three-on-three duel that had him with Kobe Bryant and LeBron James.
Shaquille O’Neal And Kobe Bryant Are One Of The Greatest Duos In NBA History
Shaq and Kobe created one of the most memorable duos in NBA history, going to four NBA Finals and winning three consecutive championships in the process (from 2000 through 2002). They formed one of the best duos in the NBA, but they only rank third in our ranking of best NBA duos of all time.
Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen take the first spot on that list, while Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar rank second. There’s no doubt that what Shaq and Kobe brought to the Lakers and the NBA was incredible, but compared to what Jordan and Pippen did, it’s not the same.
Even though their relationship isn’t the best right now, the Chicago Bulls legendary duo had incredible moments on the court, and we’ll have to wait many years before seeing something remotely similar to that.
