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Throughout his career, Shaquille O'Neal got to play with some of the best talents the NBA has ever seen. On that list of superstar teammates is Kobe Bryant. While the two may have had their differences, their dominance on the court was undeniable.
During their brief stint together on the LA Lakers, Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant completed the rare three-peat. To this day, their Lakers teams are the most recent squad to win three-straight championships.
As a Hall of Famer himself, Shaq has the right to chime in on the all-time NBA rankings. These days, the debate is mainly between Michael Jordan and LeBron James. That said, the superstar big man made the case for his former running mate to be up there as well.
In regards to Kobe Bryant, Shaq made his case simple. He feels the Hall of Fame guard should be higher all-time simply because he is the closest thing to Michael Jordan we have ever seen.
“Y’all think Michael Jordan was perfection, right ? … Who was the closest thing next to Mike?”
Does Shaquille O'Neal make a good arguement for Kobe Bryant?
It might seem simple, but Shaquille O'Neal makes a valid point. If Michael Jordan is seen as the top dog in the all-time rankings, then Kobe Bryant shouldn't be far behind.
When it comes to MJ lookalikes on the court, Kobe is the only name that should be mentioned. In the process of perfecting his craft, he added an array of moves the Chicago Bulls legend made famous.
Along with having similar moves, Kobe also shared Michael Jordan's killer instinct. As far as hyper-competitive athletes go, these two are in a class of their own.
Shaq's argument is valid, but it's Kobe's long list of accolades that further backs up why he should be high on the all-time list. During his 20-year career, Kobe was an 18-time All-Star, five-time champion, two-time scoring champion, two-time finals MVP, one-time MVP and was named to 15 All-NBA teams.
At this point in the league's history, debating all-time ranks is never ending. There are simply far too many generational talents that have graced the NBA floor.
Kobe Bryant might not be in the same tier as Jordan and LeBron James, but he should be far off. He was a dominant force in the league for nearly two decades and we may never see another player like him.
