Calling Kobe Bryant And Himself The Most Dominant Duo Ever, Shaquille O’Neal Surprisingly Equates Damian Lillard And Giannis Antetokounmpo To Them 16 Months Later

Advait Jajodia | 29/09/2023
Calling Kobe Bryant And Himself The Most Dominant Duo Ever, Shaquille O'Neal Surprisingly Equates Damian Lillard And Giannis Antetokounmpo To Them 16 Months Later

During the dying days of the off-season, the Milwaukee Bucks pulled off a pretty impressive trade. In a blockbuster deal involving three teams, the Bucks managed to acquire Damian Lillard. The All-Star duo of Lillard and Giannis Antetokounmpo has now boosted the franchise’s odds of winning the title. Several pundits are already touting this pairing as the best one-two punch in the league. Shaquille O’Neal was among the many who hyped the Bucks’ latest addition, even comparing Dame and Antetokounmpo to himself and Kobe Bryant.

The Shaquille O’Neal-Kobe Bryant duo is one of the most formidable pairings in NBA history. Representing the Los Angeles Lakers, the two legends completely dominated the league for eight campaigns. During their stint as teammates, the Lakers made four trips to the Finals, emerging victorious on three of the occasions.

Years after their Finals runs, in 2022, and 16 months before hyping up the Dame-Giannis duo, Shaq didn’t hesitate before crowning Kobe and himself as the “most dominant one-two punch ever”.

Shaquille O’Neal hypes the Bucks’ All-Star duo

The Milwaukee Bucks are receiving praise from the basketball world for pulling off the trade that landed Damian Lillard to team up with Giannis Antetokounmpo. The Lillard-Antetokounmpo force is already reckoned to be one of the best duos across the association.

Shaquille O’Neal hyped the newest deadly duo by comparing them to himself and Kobe Bryant. Sharing a reel with some of the Lakers’ duos highlights on his Instagram Story, the copy on the clip read “Dame and Giannis this szn”.

 

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If the pairing does manage to replicate something close to Shaq and Kobe’s success, the Wisconsin side could see a few more title banners in the near future. However, comparing them to the Purple & Gold’s iconic pairing is admittedly a bar set too high for Dame and Giannis.

Damian Lillard and Giannis Antetokounmpo flirted with the idea of playing together years ago

The Damian Lillard and Giannis Antetokounmpo pairing seems like a match made in heaven. Over the past few years, the two constantly flirted with the idea of teaming up with each other. A few months ago, Damian Lillard picked Giannis as the player he’d want to win a title with.

To add to this, a shocking incident occurred during the 2023 All-Star Weekend. With his first pick for selecting the reserves prior to the All-Star Game, the Greek Freak selected Lillard over his then-teammate – Jrue Holiday.

From what it seems like, the two legends manifested this linking up for a long time. Now it’s time to prove themselves once the campaign starts.

Post Edited By: Tonoy Sengupta
Damian Lillard Giannis Antetokounmpo Kobe Bryant Shaquille O'Neal

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Advait Jajodia

Advait Jajodia, an NBA and Tennis journalist for The SportsRush, has had a passion for both sports for over a decade. His admiration for Kobe Bryant, Stephen Curry, and Rafael Nadal pushed him to gain a profound understanding of the sports. With a background as a multi-sport athlete, Advait uses his experience on the hardwood and the court to offer insightful analysis. Over four years of dedicated sports journalism has equipped the 22-year-old with a unique perspective, reflected in his prolific portfolio of 4,700+ articles.

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