There have been never-ending takes regarding the best player in NBA history. Some of them have Michael Jordan, some of them have LeBron James, while others may argue Bill Russell, Wilt Chamberlain, or Kobe Bryant should be in the mix as well.
The same goes for NBA duos. Obviously, if you’re a fan of the 90s, you’ll go with Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen but there have been many one-two punches in NBA history that could also enter the conversation.
However, former Lakers forward Metta World Peace thinks that’s an easy call, as he recently went on to Twitter to deem Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant as the best NBA duo of all time:
“Best @NBA duo ever. Hands down. Go @Lakers,” Metta tweeted with a pic of The Big Diesel and the Black Mamba.
Best @NBA duo ever. Hands down. Go @Lakers pic.twitter.com/nDXYAEWFka
— Coach Metta (@MettaWorld37) May 22, 2020
Shaq and Kobe have a strong argument for this distinction, for sure. They didn’t win as many Championships as Magic and Kareem or Michael and Scottie, but the potential was definitely there. If it wasn’t for their egos and characters, they could’ve keep on their dominance through the second half of the 2000s.
Led by Phil Jackson, they were the last team to three-peat and we’ve seen how difficult that is. LeBron and Wade didn’t do it, Curry and Durant didn’t do it, hell, not even Kobe and Pau could do it.
You don’t find a duo like that very often and we haven’t seen another one like it in the league in quite some time. More than their impact on the court and how talented and dominant they were, they were also proven winners with a killer mindset. They would always deliver in the clutch, no one was going to back down from a challenge. They just don’t make them like that anymore.
