Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant dominated the NBA nearly at will during their tenure together. They made it to the NBA Finals four times, winning three rings and putting together some of the most memorable performances of all time.
Needless to say, they set the bar for modern basketball duos, just like Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen did before them; so it’s only natural for people to compare them with today’s players.
That’s why some Sixers fanshave gone as far as to say that Joel Embiid and James Harden isthe new version of Shaq and Kobe. Unsurprisingly, the Big Diesel isn’t exactly a fan of that comparison.
NBA News: Shaq Says People Need To Stop Comparing Harden-Embiid To Shaq-Kobe
“We won three out of four… No. No. Hell, no,” Shaq sentenced, per Essentially Sports.“Not after one year. Me and Kobe had eight years of damage together. No, not even close. Stop it. Listen, NO, H NO, and F NO.”
Embiid Also Thinks They’re A Different Duo
When asked about it, Joel Embiid had quite a similar answer. For starters, not only are they just getting started but also, it’s not like they’re similar players to Kobe and Shaq by any means:
“I’m Joel Embiid. I don’t play the way Shaq did, you know, dominant in other ways. I’m not physically dominant like he was,” Embiid explained. “You know, he was a freakin monster when he played… obviously Hall of Famer and one of the best ever. But I’m Joel Embiid… I dominate in other ways on the basketball floor as far as doing everything. James does the same thing as far as being a scorer and a playmaker.”
The Sixers have a chance to do something special here. But it’s not like Harden is getting any younger, and it’s not like they’ll dominate the league for 8 years. At the end of the day, there’s no need to compare.
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