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“Michael Jordan and Shaquille O’Neal would have too much firepower together”: Toni Kukoc explains how the Bulls and Lakers legend teaming up would simply not be fair

Samir Mehdi
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“Michael Jordan and Shaquille O’Neal are two of the most ruthless, cold-blooded killers I ever saw”: Skip Bayless believes the GOAT-Shaq pairing would be the most dominant one winning 10 championships

Toni Kukoc says that if Michael Jordan and Shaquille O’Neal had ever teamed up together, it would simply not be fair for the rest of the league. 

Michael Jordan is widely regarded as being the greatest player in the history of the NBA. While Shaquille O’Neal doesn’t share the same honor, he’s no slouch as he’s perhaps the most dominant player the league has seen since Wilt Chamberlain in the 1960s. 

Both Michael Jordan and Shaquille O’Neal share 10 championships in total, with one another and 9 Finals MVPs. The two were also the last superstars to 3-peat in our league, with Jordan doing it twice in the 90s and Shaq having done it once in the early 2000s alongside a young Kobe Bryant on the Los Angeles Lakers.

Also read: “Shaquille O’Neal wouldn’t even get playing time in today’s NBA”: When Charles Barkley insulted the Lakers legend to his face on NBAonTNT

Given just how proficient they were on the offensive end of the floor, especially in their primes, there is no question that they would be the greatest duo of all time if they had ever teamed. At least, that’s what Toni Kukoc believes to be true. 

Toni Kukoc reveals how Michael Jordan and Shaquille O’Neal would be together on the same team. 

The closest both Michael Jordan and Shaquille O’Neal got to being teammates was on the NBA Eastern Conference All-Star team for a couple years. Here, NBA fans were given mere glimpses of what could’ve been if the two had ever teamed up. According to Kukoc, it wouldn’t even be fair for the rest of the league. 

“It would be the best lineup ever assembled. It wouldn’t even matter who brings the ball up. There’s so much firepower there that I don’t think that there would be any team that would compete with them. It wouldn’t be fair,” said the 2021 Hall of Famer.

Also read: “Charles Barkley coined the phrase ‘Michael Jordan took it personally’”: When the Suns legend said the iconic line 4 years before it became viral

Michael Jordan won 6 championships without ever having a center make the All-Star team. Shaquille O’Neal won 3 straight with an inexperienced Kobe Bryant in his early 20s. If Shaq and Mike ever found themselves to be on the same team in the 1990s, as Toni Kukoc said, it simply wouldn’t be fair. 

About the author

Samir Mehdi

Samir Mehdi

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Samir Mehdi is a senior strategist for the NBA division at The Sportsrush. Ever since he was 13 years old, he’s been obsessed with the game of basketball. From watching Kobe Bryant’s highlights on YouTube to now, analyzing and breaking down every single game on League Pass, Samir’s passion for the game is unwavering. He's a complete basketball junkie who not only breaks down current games but also keenly watches ones from the 60s’ and 70s’ while also reading comprehensive books on the history of the league. Samir’s life revolves around basketball and he hopes that shows in his work. Aside from work, he loves to spend time in the gym and with his friends at social gatherings.

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