Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal formed one of the best duos of all time in their 8 years together but there was a moment that kicked it off.
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Rasheed Wallace was one of the most versatile big men in the NBA. The 6-foot-11 Washington Bullets draftee came into the league in 1995 as the 4th overall pick and played in the league for 16 years for six different franchises.
The 4x All-Star was ahead of the time for a power forward cum center to be a prominent threat in the paint as well as from the 3-point line. His defensive game was no joke either. The man had the strength to battle the best low-post scorers on the blocks, the quickness to move in space and the length to protect the rim.
It was just his lack of hunger to be the best that stopped him from being a competitor to Tim Duncan or a Kevin Garnett. He was much more skilled than both of those legends.
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But even still, he did enough to be remembered as one of those Detroit Pistons who stopped Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal from winning their fourth title. But there was another instance where he had the chance to might even stop the three-peat from ever happening.
The incredibly iconic lob pass from Kobe Bryant to Shaquille O’Neal through the eyes of Rasheed Wallace
In his recent appearance on former NBA players, Matt Barnes and Stephen Jackson’s All The Smoke podcast, the former Portland Trail Blazers star talked about the famous Kobe lob pass to Shaq in Game 7 of the Western Conference Finals that led to a dunk and set Lakers up for some historical things to come in the next few years.
“It was to the point where I thought I could get him on a jab. … I really didn’t jump and it kept going over my hand and then big fella, boom,” Wallace remembered.
He continued, “rest was history, you know. That to me, I think that was their deciding game on that dynasty that those guys had at that time he was a part of.”
After winning that game against Scottie Pippen and Wallace led Blazers, Kobe and Shaq led the Lakers to their first of three consecutive Championships, winning it in six games against Reggie Miller’s Pacers.
Rasheed would have his revenge four years later when was with the Pistons and played a leading role in upsetting the Lakers trying to win their 4th title in 5 years. Following that, the Lakers’ greatest duo broke up for good.
Also read: Shaquille O’Neal admitted he would’ve loved to form a Super Team with Michael Jordan in Chicago
So, Wallace can say he saw the start and end of that dynasty and its legacy very closely.
