Speaking ‘Above the Rim’ podcast, former NBA big Dwight Howard gave his take on the greatest duo in basketball history. For Dwight, the answer is Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal, and he says they are the tandem that brought attention to the big/guard duo.
“I’m going with Kobe [Bryant] and Shaq,” said Howard. “Magic and Kareem was a good duo but I like Kobe and Shaq because they brought a lot of flare to the big and guard duo. They made it popular, the one-two punch. When I first started seeing the duo for real it was the 76ers vs. the Lakers in the Finals… I was in 11th grade.”
“I’m going with Kobe [Bryant] and Shaq… They brought a lot of flare to the big and guard duo. They made it popular.”
Dwight Howard on the best duo of all time 👀
(via "Above The Rim with DH 12" / YT)pic.twitter.com/lUWoNqkGmJ
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) June 22, 2024
The series that Howard mentions here is the 2001 NBA Finals between the Lakers and 76ers. Allen Iverson snapped the Lakers’ win streak in Game 1 but the Purple and Gold would go on to win the next four games. That title, which was the second straight for the Lakers, really cemented their status as a dynasty and it put Kobe and Shaq on par with the all-time greats. Howard witnessed that run and it was a moment that stuck with him forever, but the debate still rages on which tandem is the best in basketball history.
Over 75+ years, the NBA has seen countless elite duos over the years. From Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen to Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, the league has been dominated by star pairings plenty of times before. And while there will never be a consensus on the greatest of them all, Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal have to rank near the top given all that they accomplished together.
Their run began in 1996 after Shaq was traded to the Lakers and joined by Kobe Bryant, who was drafted that same summer. After a few years of growing and learning together, the superstars would eventually settle into their roles and lead the Lakers on a historically dominant run in the West.
From 2000-20002, the Lakers won three straight championships and marked their place in history as true legends of the game. During their championship seasons, they averaged a combined 53.2 points, 18.0 rebounds, and 8.6 assists per game. They won 76% of their regular season games and went a whopping 15-1 in the playoffs in 2001.
At their peak, Kobe and Shaq were unstoppable and they remain part of the last team to ever win three-straight titles. As a Laker, Bryant averaged 25.0 points per game and was an 18x All-Star. Shaq averaged 23.7 points for his career and is a 3x Finals MVP for his play in the three-peat. So, whether you love or hate the Lakers, I think it’s impossible to say that Kobe and Shaq aren’t in the conversation as the best duo of All-Time.
Years later, Dwight Howard would try his own team-up with Kobe but it ended in disaster after just one season. Like Howard, Shaquille O’Neal did eventually have a falling out with Kobe and he left the Lakers in 2004 to join the Miami Heat. Today, Shaq looks back fondly on his time with Kobe and I don’t think anyone is taking for granted the greatness they showed together at the height of their careers.
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