Former Los Angeles Lakers center Shaquille O’Neal could not believe NBA on TNT analyst Charles Barkley compared him and Kobe Bryant to the Philadelphia 76ers’ Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid on Thursday.
The big man stayed quiet and hilariously sipped his drink as Barkley continued his rant.
Shaq just sipping his drink when Barkley said Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons are “Shaq and Kobe like.” 😂
— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) February 26, 2021
The duo of O’Neal and Bryant won three championships together.
Furthermore, O’Neal and Bryant are two of the best individual players in the history of the NBA. They both won titles without each other later on in their careers.
As for Embiid and Simmons, they have yet to prove they can reach the NBA Finals. The pair hasn’t even appeared in the conference finals in the time they’ve been together.
Of course, they’re still very young and still growing. As a matter of fact, the Sixers look dominant this season. The team has the best record in the Eastern Conference.
Embiid, 26, is putting up a career-high 29.6 points on top of 11.2 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game this year. He’s playing at an MVP-caliber level.
Simmons is collecting 15.7 points, 8.1 rebounds and 7.9 assists per contest this season. The guard was selected as an All-Star.
Still, they have a ton to prove until they can be put in the same breath as Bryant and O’Neal.
