Shaquille O'Neal and the Los Angeles Lakers are the most recent team to three-peat in the NBA. Los Angeles won three straight championships from 2000 to 2002, when O'Neal was widely recognized as the best player in the world.
In 2001, the Lakers went 15-1 in the playoffs. They defeated Allen Iverson and the Philadelphia 76ers in the NBA Finals, a series that is often remembered for an incredible individual performance from Iverson in Game 1 before domination from Los Angeles.
Iverson posted on Instagram Thursday and called O'Neal the greatest big man ever. He also said Shaq is the only reason why he does not have a championship ring.
"U don't need one you one of the greatest and a hall of fame first ballot no questions asked."
Shaq's response to Allen Iverson's IG post on not winning an NBA championship because of him and the Lakers đź’Ż
(via @alleniverson/ IG) pic.twitter.com/piLLnGCb6r
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) August 3, 2023
O'Neal responded with a very friendly praise for AI.
“u don't need one you one of the greatest and a hall of famer first ballot no questions asked,” he said.
Iverson was the NBA's Most Valuable Player in 2001. In his lone NBA Finals appearance, he averaged 35.6 points on 40.7 percent shooting, 5.6 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 1.8 steals.
Iverson had the game of his life in Philadelphia's Game 1 win in Los Angeles. He had 48 points in an overtime win for the 76ers, which included a famous step over Lakers guard and current Los Angeles Clippers coach Tyronn Lue after he made a step-back shot in overtime.
Allen Iverson was enshrined in the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2016. He was a trend-setter for his time, wearing a head band and arm sleeves that several players copied. He also had a killer crossover and is regarded as one of the best ball handlers of all time.
Iverson and O'Neal have a mutual respect that is great for NBA history.
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