Shaq, Kobe
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Lakers legends Kobe Bryant and 'Shaq' Shaquille O'Neal celebrate their 2000 NBA title victory
Los Angeles Lakers legends Shaquille O’Neal, AKA Shaq, and Kobe Bryant have been ranked No. 7 and No. 4, respectively, in The Athletic’s new list of top-25 players of the 21st century.
The list — selected by a panel of 43 writers, podcasters and editors — ranked current Lakers forward LeBron James at No. 1, followed by Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry at No. 2 and San Antonio Spurs icon Tim Duncan at No. 3.
While Bryant came in at No. 4, three-time Denver Nuggets MVP Nikola Jokic and two-time NBA champion Kevin Durant rounded off the top six, followed by Shaq, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Dirk Nowitzki and Dwyane Wade.
Needless to say, the list immediately sparked outrage among Lakers fans who watched Shaq and Kobe run roughshod over the league at the start of the 21st century.
Controversial List Causes Uproar
One knowledgeable fan felt it was outrageous to rank Jokic and Curry, two players with a combined zero All-Defensive selections, over Bryant and O’Neal.
“Let me be very, very clear: anyone choosing Steph and Jokic over Kobe and Shaq for a best of 7 series is getting smoked,” wrote Spike L.
While Bryant ranks second all-time in All-Defensive selections (12) and third in All-NBA nods (15), O’Neal made three All-Defensive Second Teams besides 14 All-NBA Teams in his illustrious career. Granted, a few of those were in the 1990s, but both players enjoyed their greatest coups after the turn of the century.
Another fan felt the two Lakers legends were being penalized for their seasons in the 1990s, despite capturing a combined nine NBA titles in the 21st century.
“I assume Shaq and Kobe are penalized as their seasons in the 90’s don’t count?” asked Jim- C in the comments section of The Athletic’s list.
T-Mac, Dame Time Snubbed
The Athletic acknowledged that it was a difficult task finalizing the top-25 list, given how much the game has changed just in the past five years, let alone 25.
They also acknowledged the notable snubs of two-time NBA scoring champion Tracy McGrady, 2023 NBA MVP Joel Embiid and Damian Lillard.
“Our list reflects the metamorphosis of the game; we still have bigs who dominated close to the basket, the way it was done back in the day,” read the article. “But there are also numerous guards and wings that reconfigured the geometry of the game, forever, with their range and volume.”
The full list can be found below:
1. LeBron James
2. Stephen Curry
3. Tim Duncan
4. Kobe Bryant
5. Nikola Jokic
6. Kevin Durant
7. Shaquille O’Neal
8. Giannis Antetokounmpo
9. Dirk Nowitzki
10. Dwyane Wade
11. Kevin Garnett
12. Kawhi Leonard
13. Chris Paul
14. James Harden
15. Steve Nash
16. Russell Westbrook
17. Allen Iverson
18. Dwight Howard
19. Luka Doncic
20. Paul Pierce
21. Anthony Davis
22. Jason Kidd
23. Jayson Tatum
24. Carmelo Anthony
25. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander