The Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant-led Los Angeles Lakers were the last to complete a three-peat. The fact that it’s been over 20 years since the epic triple-crown proves how difficult it is to win in the NBA. There are so many factors in play. All players have to be in sync and injury-free for three straight years.
Critics claim Shaq carried the entire team, including Kobe, to those three chips. O’Neal’s athleticism and pure strength were the center of the triangle offense. No one could stop the “Big Diesel” on single coverage during those title runs. However, an admission from the Lakers center reveals Bryant’s key role in the dynasty, especially their 2002 win.
Shaq’s confession
In the middle of the 2002 Western Conference Finals against the Sacramento Kings, O’Neal made a bold confession about his mindset in their first two wins compared to the quest for the third. In those 2000 and 2001 playoff campaigns, the LSU alum was hell-bent on scoring and doing everything else. In 2002, the “Big Aristotle” gave the reins to the “Black Mamba.”
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“Right now, I’m just pacing myself,” O’Neal said, per the Los Angeles Times. “I’m just doing what’s needed. The first year, it was all about me scoring 40 points a game for us to win. Last year, a little bit of everybody was doing it. This year, it’s Kobe doing it, and I just got Kobe’s back.”
“So, I’m just trying to play good defense on the pick-and-roll and get back on defense. I’m just doing whatever’s asked of me.”
The numbers back up Shaq’s claims. Whereas he averaged 30 points per contest in the 2000 and 2001 playoffs, his output slightly dipped to 28.5 points. Meanwhile, though Kobe averaged 26.6 points per contest, a slight dip from his 29.4 output in 2001, the Lower Merion High School standout filled the stat sheet when it mattered most.
Critics say his best performance was in the 2002 Western Conference Finals. Down 3-2 against the Sacramento Kings, the Mamba put up epic stat lines in Game 6 (31 points, 11 rebounds, five assists) and Game 7 (30 points, 10 rebounds, seven assists). Those victories sealed the Lakers’ 2002 NBA Championship, since they went up against the much weaker New Jersey Nets in the 2002 NBA Finals.
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Seamless chemistry
Giving all the credit to Kobe or Shaq is a trivial exercise. It has become an unhealthy habit among NBA fans to spot who truly carried a team to the championship. The fact is, basketball is a team sport. The two basketball titans were completely in sync during those championship runs. Shaq reveals how he and No. 8 would link up in the wee hours of the morning to talk about the game.
“I said, ‘Kobe, you ready?’ He said, ‘Hell yeah, I’m ready. You ready to hit them free throws?’ I’m like, ‘Yeah, I’m gonna be ready.’ It was a lot of just joking, having fun. That’s all. Just checking in with each other,” O’Neal said.
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Bean confirmed this, noting they had to be connected 24/7, not just for their benefit, but for the team’s welfare. As the leaders of the squad, everything flowed from them.
“That is true. Shaq used to be up all the time,” Bryant said. “We used to do that all the time. We used to hit each other up at random hours because we understood that we were the engine that was driving the team. So we had to make sure that we were connected at that level to push everybody else.”
Perhaps these anecdotes from the past will finally settle all those debates. Shaq didn’t guide the Lakers to all those titles by himself. He needed Kobe’s help. Together, they were the engine that powered the team to one of the greatest dynasties ever.