Shaquille O’Neal is most prominently known for his time with the Los Angeles Lakers. During his stint with the Lakers, he was hands down the most dominant player in the league. On top of that, O’Neal also won three consecutive rings with the Lakers as the best player in the league.
Following his time with the Purple and Gold, he joined the Miami Heat and formed another dynamic duo with Dwyane Wade. That partnership was once again fruitful as he ended up winning the fourth ring of his phenomenal NBA career.
But before these duos, O’Neal was blessed with the presence of another great player in Penny Hardaway when he was part of the Orlando Magic. After being drafted by the Magic, Shaq bloomed into a superstar in little to no time.
He and Penny even led the Magic to the 1995 NBA Finals. Unfortunately, the Magic were utterly outplayed in the Finals, but most expected Shaq and Hardaway to make a stunning comeback.
Fans waited for it, but it never happened, and Shaq ended up leaving the team. To this day, fans wonder why that duo couldn’t win an NBA Championship. Well, former NBA star Horace Grant once explained the reason behind it, and he made it abundantly clear that the biggest reason for that duo’s failure was clashing egos.
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“Egos. Egos, egos, egos and it’s just a darn shame that all the talent that Shaq and Penny had, Shaq and Kobe (had) that they couldn’t be just one and win championships. And that what it should have been all about, not who gets the perfect parking space or get the commercial, this and that.”
Grant believes if it weren’t for huge egos, Penny and Shaq could have won rings while playing together.
Apart from that, he also believes that the same could be said for Kobe and Shaq. The only difference is the fact that Shaq and Kobe found a way to make it work for a while and win three NBA championships before breaking up.
