The term dynamic duo gets used often in the NBA. A pair of ballers that not only complement each other, but make opposing squads tremble with fear. Shaquille O’Neal was a part of several of these dynamic pairings. Now, one of his old teammates is trying to determine which one was superior.
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Retired NBA star Brian Shaw got to ball alongside the Diesel in Orlando and in Los Angeles. That means he got to see O’Neal create a dominant tag team with Penny Hardaway and Kobe Bryant. Shaw was a recent guest on Byron Scott’s Fastbreak, where Scott asked him which of the duos he thought was more successful.
“I have to say Shaq and Kobe because what we accomplished, what they accomplished, and the level they got to in terms of players,” answered Shaw, who won three rings as a member of the Purple and Gold with Shaq and the Mamba. However, he was certain to give Penny his flowers.
“That’s no slight to Penny Hardaway at all and young Shaq, because Penny was a bad boy. He was on his way,” he said. He then brought up how the four-time All-Star battled injuries that kept him from breaking through into that next level of superstardom. “It’s a shame. He was rushed. He tore something in the back of his ACL when we were in Orlando, and they kind of rushed him back, and it never got right again.”
“There was no weakness in his game. He was super young and was only going to get better. It’s a shame that injuries kind of derailed him,” Shaw added.
He’s right, too. Hardaway was at one point the most exciting player to watch in the league. In the 95-96 season, he played all 82 games and averaged 21 points, 7.1 assists, and 4.3 rebounds per game. Not to mention that he shot over 50% from the field. Along with Shaq, he was instrumental in the Magic making the NBA Finals in 1995, and despite their loss, the team looked to get better if he hadn’t gotten hurt.
But it wasn’t just because of Penny that Shaw thought the Shaq and Kobe pairing was superior. He mentioned how the two men’s rivalry pushed each other to be better.
“Him and Shaq at times clashed because Kobe wasn’t willing to relent, but that also made it fun in a way. They drove each other. If they said Kobe and the Lakers against D-Wade and the Heat, Shaq would be pissed off,” stated Shaw.
The number of stories that have surfaced over the years about how much the Diesel and Mamba butted heads is endless. But all that head-butting led to a love and respect that surpassed the game of basketball. Both men wanted to win and were willing to stand on their soapboxes to get it.
To be honest, it’s hard not to just immediately give it to Shaq/Kobe over Shaq/Penny. Rings aside, Kobe is a Mount Rushmore NBA athlete. Penny, although iconic, will instead remain one of the league’s biggest What-Ifs.
