Shaquille O’Neal was among the big names present at the American Airlines Center in Dallas on Sunday for the BIG3 playoffs. While there, Courtside Buzz asked O’Neal to name his all-time BIG3 team, and he went with himself and two of his former teammates.
“Me, Kobe [Bryant], and Penny [Hardaway],” O’Neal said. “Undefeated. Never gonna lose a game.”
A team of O’Neal, Kobe Bryant, and Penny Hardaway would be almost unbeatable. NBA teams that had just two of those three gave opponents nightmares.
O’Neal and Hardaway were teammates on the Orlando Magic from 1993 to 1996. They led the Magic to the NBA Finals in 1995, but were swept there by the Houston Rockets. The duo could well have made it back there again in 1996, but Michael Jordan and the 72-10 Chicago Bulls stood in their way.
The Bulls swept the Magic in the 1996 Eastern Conference Finals, and that would prove to be the last time that O’Neal and Hardaway played together. The big man joined the Los Angeles Lakers in free agency, where he would team up with Bryant.
O’Neal and Bryant were teammates from 1996 to 2004 and formed one of the greatest duos in NBA history. They led the Lakers to a three-peat from 2000 to 2002, a feat that has not been achieved since.
While O’Neal and Bryant were a force together on the court, they didn’t get along well off it. They clashed behind the scenes, and that would play a role in O’Neal asking for a trade in 2004. The Lakers sent him to the Miami Heat, and one wonders how many more titles this duo would have won together if they hadn’t split then.
O’Neal would go on to win another championship with the Heat in 2006, and finished his career with four titles, three Finals MVPs, one MVP, and two scoring titles. He also made 15 All-Star, 14 All-NBA, and three All-Defensive teams.
As for Bryant, he won back-to-back titles in 2009 and 2010 with the Lakers post the split. He retired with five titles, two Finals MVPs, one MVP, and two scoring titles to his name. Bryant made 18 All-Star, 15 All-NBA, and 12 All-NBA teams as well.
Hardaway was supposed to have ended his career with an incredibly impressive resume like O’Neal and Bryant, but it wasn’t to be. A series of injuries meant we never got to see the very best of the guard. Hardaway never won a major accolade, but did make four All-Star and three All-NBA teams.
Shaquille O’Neal Won’t Be Playing In The BIG3
Rapper Ice Cube co-founded The BIG3 back in 2017, and many former NBA players have participated in the 3×3 league. O’Neal isn’t one of them, though, and was informed during this interview that Cube’s son wants him to join.
“Never,” O’Neal said. “Too old.”
Cube himself had also invited O’Neal in 2024, but he isn’t coming. He also admitted he won’t be able to dominate in the league right now, and this is coming from someone who never lacks confidence in himself.
The fact is, though, that O’Neal turned 53 earlier this year and is just too old. He also underwent hip replacement surgery in 2023, and it would be very unwise to participate in a competitive setup. Talking about basketball is all O’Neal should be doing now.
