L.A. Lakers: Will Kobe Bryant or Shaquille O'Neal Have the Greater Legacy?
The careers of Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal will forever be compared as a result of their eight seasons together in Los Angeles from 1996-2004. During that period, the dynamic duo led the Los Angeles Lakers to four NBA Finals appearances and three straight NBA titles from 2000-2002.
Shaq was named the NBA Finals MVP during all three championship seasons and was without a doubt the most dominant player in the world at that time. During the 58-game playoff stretch from 2000-2002, Shaq averaged 29.9 points and 14.5 rebounds. By comparison, Kobe averaged 25.3 points, 5.7 rebounds and 4.9 assists.
What we have to keep in mind is those three seasons were Kobe's first "full" NBA seasons. He only started seven games in his first two seasons combined and played just 50 games in his third due to the lockout shortened season.
Many people tend to forget that Kobe was only 21 years old when he won his first title; Shaq was 27 years old and already had seven NBA seasons under his belt. Everyone wants to compare the two during their time together in L.A., but in reality, the key to this debate is the paths their careers have taken in the nine seasons since the three-peat.
Now let's take a look at who will leave the game with the better legacy when it's all said and done.
NBA Finals MVP Awards
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In my opinion, NBA Finals MVP awards are more significant than regular season MVP awards for one simple reason: You want to be the best player at the end of the second season, not at the end of the first.
Who would you rather be this year, Derrick Rose or Dirk/LeBron/Dwyane Wade? What about the last two years, Kobe Bryant or LeBron James? The choice is clear.
Shaq is the owner of three NBA Finals MVP awards, tied for the second-most in NBA history behind Michael Jordan, who won six MVP's over an eight-year span.
Meanwhile, Kobe won back-to-back NBA Finals MVP's in 2009 and 2010, and will still have an opportunity to add to his collection, as the Lakers look to return to the NBA Finals next year.
But for now, it's advantage Shaq on this one.
Regular-Season MVP Awards
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To show you what a farce regular-season MVP awards really are, Kobe and Shaq—the two greatest players in the world over the past 13 seasons—have combined for a grand total of two regular-season MVP awards.
That's right, Shaq and Kobe have combined for the same number of MVP awards that Steve Nash has by himself.
Shaq won the MVP award in 2000, the same year he won his first NBA championship. He led the league in both scoring (29.7 points per game) and field goal percentage (.574) that season, to go along with 13.6 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 3 blocks. During this period, Shaq also led the league in field goal percentage eight out of nine seasons.
Kobe won the MVP award in 2008, the same year he led the Lakers back to the NBA Finals for the first time since Shaq left. He averaged 28.3 points, 6.3 rebounds and 5.4 assists during a regular season that saw the Lakers change the landscape of the NBA with a blockbuster trade for Pau Gasol. He played in all 82 games that season despite tearing a ligament in his right pinkie finger in February. The Lakers also finished with the best record in the West that year with a 57-25 record.
Despite averaging a ridiculous 35.4 points in 2006 and 31.6 points in 2007, Kobe finished no higher than third in the MVP voting during the two seasons in which he led the NBA in scoring.
This argument unfortunately ends in a push...
All-Time Points
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Shaq finished his career as the fifth-leading scorer in NBA history with 28,596 points and an average of 23.7 points per game. And it just so happens, one Kobe Bryant ranks sixth in NBA history with 27,868 points and an average of 25.3 points per game.
Kobe is on pace to surpass Shaq for fifth on the all-time list in approximately the 30th game of the 2011-2012 season. Despite playing 104 less games than Shaq up to this point, we can point to the extra 1,091 free throws Kobe has made over the course of his career; and the fact that Shaq has only appeared in 54 games on average over his last six seasons.
At the same time, if we take out Kobe's first two seasons in the NBA at the ages of 18 and 19 where he wasn't a regular starter (seven starts out of 150 total games played), Kobe's PPG average jumps all the way up to 27.4, which would rank fourth all time behind only MJ, Wilt and LeBron.
Advantage Kobe on this one.
Rings
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After the Lakers lost to the Celtics in the 2008 NBA Finals, Kobe's detractors continued to point to the fact that he had yet to win a title without Shaq.
That all changed in 2009 and 2010, as Kobe led the Lakers to back-to-back titles to take a 5-4 lead over Shaq, who won his fourth ring in 2006 with Dwyane Wade and the Miami Heat.
This one is simple—advantage to Kobe, with an opportunity to increase his lead over the next few years.
Remaining Career Achievements
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Let's make this easy...
Shaq: 15-time All-Star, two-time scoring champ, eight All-NBA First Teams, zero All-Defensive First Teams, three All-Star Game MVP's, one Olympic gold medal.
Kobe: 13-time All-Star, two-time scoring champ, nine All-NBA First Teams, nine All-Defensive First Teams, four All-Star Game MVP's, one Olympic gold medal.
Another advantage to Kobe overall, and we can certainly expect him to widen the gap across the board.
Final Verdict
Shaq leaves the game as the fourth or fifth-best center in NBA history depending on who you ask. Kobe is without a doubt the second-best shooting guard in NBA history, quite possibly the second-best overall guard, period. He is already among the 10 greatest players in NBA history (somewhere in the four through eight range), and Shaq probably sits right around 10th or 11th all time.
All things considered, Kobe already has the better legacy and will only continue to improve upon it over the next five-plus seasons. If he wins two more titles, two more NBA Finals MVP's and finishes in the top three in all-time scoring, many will consider him to be the greatest or second-greatest player in NBA history.
