Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant were one of the best duos of all time. They famously three-peated with the Los Angeles Lakers, and both are widely considered to be among the top 10 players that have ever played the game. Their partnership worked so well, that many have wondered how many championships they could have won if O’Neal was never traded to the Miami Heat.
Shaquille O’Neal has addressed that question himself. When Matt Barnes asked how many championships Bryant and O’Neal could have won, Shaquille O’Neal said “seven” without any hesitation. (5:55)
Seven. Cause the reason why I got traded, it wasn’t me and Kobe beef, it was they wanted me to take less money… I got money, I had money. I just should have been like “Alright, I’ve raised you enough. It’s your team now. I know what I’m gonna do, I’m still gonna do my 28 and 10″… The ego still got me what I wanted, I still went to Miami, Pat took care of me, and I still won one. But I would have liked to stay there (Los Angeles) for the rest of my career.
It is insane to think about just how dominant Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant could have been: we may have seen another three-peat had the two stayed together. While they have been beaten in the playoffs, when the duo was playing at their full potential they were unstoppable. It seems that Shaquille O’Neal thinks that he could have won even more than he had if he stayed partnered with Kobe Bryant.
