“GOAT Duo That Never Was”: Shaquille O’Neal Shares All-Star Clip with Michael Jordan, Triggers ‘What If’

In Kobe Bryant, Shaquille O’Neal had a running mate who not only had the skill to find him in the paint on any given possession but could also take over and win games when required. Together the two formed one of the most formidable duos in NBA history. Knowing what it feels like to play with someone like Kobe, the four-time NBA couldn’t help but ponder what it’d have been like playing alongside the icon the Mamba modeled his game after.

Shaq shared a clip from the 1996 All-Star game, where he had teamed up with Michael Jordan on the Eastern Conference roster. The video was titled ‘GOAT Duo That Never Was.‘ In the clip, the six-time NBA champion can be seen bringing the ball up and yelling at the center to set a pick.

After dragging two defenders with him, the veteran guard passed the ball to Shaq, who shockingly missed a wide-open dunk. However, Jordan showed off his otherworldly athleticism and jumped out of bounds to catch the ball that had ballooned out of Shaq’s hands before passing it to the big man again, who did not miss it a second time.

The big fella rocked the backboard with a rattling dunk.

The East won the game 129-118. O’Neal scored 25 points, while Jordan finished with 20. His pass to the then-Magic star was his only assist of the game. The retired center shared the highlight reel on his X account and was impressed with how impossible it looked to guard the duo.

O’Neal and Jordan together would have been a nightmare for their opponents. The most dominant player in league history teaming up with the NBA’s most prolific scorer would have ended competition in the NBA. Between 1991 and 2006, one of the two featured in 12 of the 16 NBA Finals contested in that span, winning 10.

Bryant and O’Neal were practically unstoppable during their stint together, securing the first three-peat of the 21st century for the Lakers. Replace the guard with Jordan, and it’d have been even more devastating.

Fans believe Shaq and MJ together would be unfair

Fans in the comments section of the clip agreed unanimously that the two most dominant players to ever lace their boots playing alongside each other would be a tad too difficult to stop. One fan wrote their team would forever be unbeaten,

“If you guys were ever on the same team, you would have never lost.” 

Another fan claimed that they wouldn’t only have been the most unstoppable duo in the 1990s but in any era,

“No team is beating Prime Jordan & Shaq; I don’t care who they assemble!”

One fan opined that Jordan would double his championship ring total if he had Shaq alongside him,

“Shaq and Jordan together? Lol. 12 rings would be the bare minimum.”

It’s hard to fathom what they would look like as a duo. But it’s easy to conclude that it would be devastating.