NBA fans love wondering about hypotheticals. “What if Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant never teamed up?” is one of the many questions that allow fans to engage in lively debate and discussion. After all, since these are hypothetical situations, all trains of thought are widely accepted.
Despite these being merely hypothetical, it still asks a somewhat valid question. Almost all of us acknowledge that Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal are considered to be top 10 all-time NBA Greats. Each has his own legacy and argument for establishing superiority. Thus, analyzing what could have happened if they never played together could be truly interesting.
How many titles did Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant win together?
In the modern NBA, there have only been two teams that have managed to three-peat. Fans will know from the definition alone that a three-peat means winning three times in a row. This is a feat that Michael Jordan’s Chicago Bulls and Kobe and Shaq’s Lakers have been able to achieve.
In order to predict how they would have faired if they were never teammates we will have to make certain assumptions. As we all remember, Shaq was traded from the Orlando Magic to the Los Angeles Lakers. It was becoming growingly clear that he would be unable to lead the franchise to a title. Despite carrying the team all the way to the NBA Finals.
Fans agree that Shaq was in his prime and the main focal point for the Los Angeles Lakers in their three title runs. If we assume he was never traded there, we will have to imagine another destination, say the Miami Heat. Despite them not having D-Wade in the initial years, we believe Shaq would have been able to win at least one title there.
Adding that to the title he wins when D-Wade gets on the team, O’Neal would have two titles in a world where he didn’t play with Kobe Bryant.
On the other hand, it would have been impossible for a young Kobe to carry the Lakers to multiple NBA titles without Shaq. However, we all know about Bryant’s work ethic and mentality. He won 2 championships much later without Shaq in the picture. We believe he would have won these titles anyway.