Lakers News

Shaquille O’Neal unsure if he, LeBron James, Stephen Curry and Kobe Bryant would beat Michael Jordan superteam

Published by
Peter Dewey

Los Angeles Lakers legend Shaquille O’Neal shared an interesting matchup between two superteams on his Instagram.

O’Neal wasn’t positive that his team – which features Stephen Curry, Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Karl Malone and himself – would be able to win this matchup.

The other team features a bunch of NBA legends as well, including Derrick Rose, Michael Jordan, Julius Erving, Charles Barkley and Hakeem Olajuwon.

Rose may be the worst player on this entire list, and that’s only because he suffered knee injuries that limited his prime. The veteran guard is still playing, signing a deal with the Memphis Grizzlies this offseason.

Even though Rose may not have as many accolades as Curry, he still is a former league MVP and was one of the most dynamic players in the NBA at his peak.

The rest of the rosters are filled with Hall of Famers or future Hall of Famers, which would make this matchup quite interesting.

O’Neal believes that it would go seven games, and he may be right with arguably the two greatest players of all time (James and Jordan) on opposite sides.

Obviously, O’Neal, Bryant and Malone all played together with the Lakers in the 2003-04 season, although Malone was at the end of his career.

Bryant and O’Neal won three titles during their time together with the Lakers, and they are arguably one of the greatest duos in NBA history.

It’s surprising not to see O’Neal have full confidence in his squad to win it all, but it shows just how much respect he has for the players on the other team. Erving, Jordan and Olajuwon all led their teams to championships during their careers, and Barkley was a dominant player for several seasons playing for the Philadelphia 76ers, Houston Rockets and Phoenix Suns.

Lakers fans certainly would love to see the Bryant-James-O’Neal trio dominate, and the addition of a shooter like Curry would make the team lethal in a seven-game series.

While we truly will never know the outcome of these hypothetical teams facing off, it’s great to see former players weigh in on who they think would win.

Peter Dewey

Peter is a graduate of Quinnipiac University where he covered the MAAC and college basketball for three years. He has worked for NBC Sports, the Connecticut Sun and the Meriden Record-Journal covering basketball and other major sports. Follow him on Twitter @peterdewey2.

Published by
Peter Dewey

Recent Posts

Jordan and Shaq’s ex-teammate discredits LeBron’s ‘bubble’ ring after he’s called Lakers legend

The Los Angeles Lakers have sky-high expectations compared to the lion's share of other NBA…

December 21, 2024

‘LeBron makes the trades’: Carmelo Anthony speaks out on chances of Lakers dealing LeBron James

Amid chatter about the future of 20-time All-Star LeBron James with the Los Angeles Lakers,…

December 20, 2024

DeMarcus Cousins says he and Anthony Davis would’ve helped Pelicans become contenders if not for ‘dumba-s’ Dell Demps

Former All-Star big man DeMarcus Cousins called out former New Orleans Pelicans general manager Dell…

December 19, 2024

Darvin Ham fires massive shot at Lakers: ‘Anywhere else I’m probably looking at an extension’

Darvin Ham has had more NBA Cup success than any coach in the league since…

December 18, 2024

Bobby Portis on the difference between the Bucks and the Lakers: ‘We’re not Hollywood’

The Milwaukee Bucks captured the 2024 NBA Cup title with a 97-81 victory over the…

December 18, 2024

Report: Lakers are not interested in shopping LeBron, Anthony Davis unless they ask out

Perhaps no two players have contributed more to the Los Angeles Lakers since the start…

December 18, 2024