Shaquille O’Neal Says His and Kobe Bryant’s Legacy Will ‘Never Be Duplicated’

Richard Shotwell/Associated Press

LeBron James and Anthony Davis took home the 2019-20 NBA title in their first year playing together with the Los Angeles Lakers, but Shaquille O’Neal doesn’t think the duo should compare themselves to him and Kobe Bryant.

“There will never be the next [Shaq and Kobe],” O’Neal said, per Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN.

Kobe and Shaq helped the Lakers win three straight titles from 2000-02, but replicating that success shouldn’t be the goal for James and Davis.

“We don’t need them to catch up to us,” O’Neal said. “Kobe and myself were not trying to catch Magic [Johnson] and Kareem [Abdul-Jabbar]. … Kobe and I, [our] legacy will never be duplicated. Or imitated.”

“We don’t want to get into the situation where they can be the next us because there will never be a next us,” he added. “Magic and Kareem can never be us. We could never be Magic and Kareem. And we can never be LeBron and AD.”

Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar won five NBA titles together from 1980-88 to set a standard as one of the best duos in NBA history, although the Lakers had success before them with Jerry West and Wilt Chamberlain, among others.

Shaq and Kobe then set a high bar with their play, combining for 33 All-Star selections during their NBA careers.

LeBron and Davis have continued the tradition in Los Angeles, each earning first-team All-NBA honors with outstanding seasons. James led the NBA with 10.2 assists per game and finished second in MVP voting behind Giannis Antetokounmpo, while Davis was a Defensive Player of the Year candidate and led the team with 26.1 points per game.

An unusual playoff run inside the Florida bubble took away the team’s home-court advantage, but the Lakers continued to thrive while going 16-5 in the playoffs. 

With most of the team returning, they enter this season as the favorite to win the 2020-21 title, per Fanduel.

Shaq argued that even multiple titles wouldn’t be enough to compare to past stars within the franchise, although he is definitely rooting for them to succeed.

“My thing is just stay hungry. Why win one when you can win two, three or four,” he said.