The league has seen its fair share of all-time great duos. One of the most celebrated pairs is the Los Angeles Lakers‘ winning tandem of Shaquille O'Neal and the late Kobe Bryant. The Shaq-and-Kobe tandem dominated the early 2000s and won three straight titles for the Purple & Gold from 2000-2002. They were clearly the winningest pair in recent Lakers history.

Now that a new superstar duo in LeBron James and Anthony Davis is slowly taking over LA, Shaq quickly shut down the idea of the reigning NBA champs being the next “Shaq and Kobe” pair, per ESPN's Ohm Youngmisuk.

“There will never be the next [Shaq and Kobe],” O'Neal said. “We don't need them to catch up to us,” O'Neal said. “Kobe and myself were not trying to catch Magic [Johnson] and Kareem [Abdul-Jabbar] … Kobe and I, [our] legacy will never be duplicated. Or imitated.”

Article Continues Below
More Los Angeles Lakers News
Kobe Bryant Nike Air Force 1 "Triple White", Kobe Bryant, Nike Air Force 1
Kobe Bryant Nike Air Force 1 ‘Triple White’ release detailsDominik Zawartko ·
Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) controls the ball against the Denver Nuggets during the second half in game three of the first round for the 2024 NBA playoffs at Crypto.com Arena.
Lakers’ LeBron James reacts to Jamie Foxx’s big BET Awards nightJosh Davis ·
Apr 30, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) moves in for the dunk against the Minnesota Timberwolves during the second half in game five of first round for the 2025 NBA Playoffs at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images
LeBron James puts ‘no bag’ critics on blastZachary Draves ·
Byron Scott during the Jerry Colangelo Golf Classic on September 13, 2024.
Former Laker Byron Scott reveals Kobe Bryant’s ‘most gangster s**t’ everMiguel La Torre ·
Coco Gauff of the United States poses with the trophy after winning the women’s singles final against Aryna Sabalenka on day 14 at Roland Garros Stadium.
LeBron James erupts with huge reaction to Coco Gauff’s French Open winLorenzo J Reyna ·
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Kobe Bryant, Oklahoma City Thunder, Los Angeles Lakers
How Shai Gilgeous-Alexander draws ‘influence’ from Kobe BryantTomer Azarly ·

For the three-time Finals MVP, it's pretty simple —NBA duos can be great without necessarily being greater than any other duo who came before them. For Shaq, it's not about outdoing history but rather making and creating one's own. That was definitely what Shaq and Kobe did in their time with the Lakers.

“We don't want to get into the situation where they can be the next us because there will never be a next us,” O'Neal added. “Magic and Kareem can never be us. We could never be Magic and Kareem. And we can never be LeBron and AD.”

After winning their first ring as a duo a few months ago, James and Davis now have a chance to put their names in the pinnacle of legendary duos as they try to defend their 2020 crown. Though they can never repeat what Shaq and Kobe did two decades ago, they definitely have a decent shot of winning multiple titles for the Lakers and ultimately building their own legacy.