The NBA’s Most Dominant Duos
Back when he was KB8If Shaq didn’t make it explicitly clear on his Twitter page, he said it during an interview with ESPN: He believes that he and Kobe Bryant were the most dominant duo in the history of the NBA.
Though that sparked something of a “What if” conversation on the Worldwide Leader as to the endless possibilites had Shaq and Kobe been able to get along, the real question to ask is whether Shaq is actually correct.
During their heyday, were Shaq and Kobe more dominant than John Stockton and Karl Malone during their prime? What about Dr. J and Moses Malone? Were they better than Hakeem Olajuwon and Clyde Drexler? Larry Bird and Kevin McHale? Magic and Kareem? Tim Duncan and David Robinson? Even the great Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen?
Do you think that the Diesel and Mamba top the list?
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November 19th, 2008 at 10:02 pm
rodnets says:
MJ and Pippen all the way
November 19th, 2008 at 10:03 pm
rodnets says:
dont forget eddie curry and jerome james
November 19th, 2008 at 10:07 pm
slygerogg says:
Magic and Kareem
Mj & Pippen
then Kobe Shaq
November 19th, 2008 at 10:10 pm
anomaly says:
yeah, there’s no way they were better than mj & pippen. If they could have ever developed the type of chemistry that
jordan & pippen had then the potential to be the best duo would definitely be there.
November 19th, 2008 at 10:12 pm
itsakademiks says:
they were just so dynamic i put mj and pippen at 1a and shaq and kobe at 1b. they could beat you so many different ways.
November 19th, 2008 at 10:29 pm
karizmatic says:
no I think you do this by rings won. So I’d go Jordan/Pippen, Magic/Kareem. I consider Bird and Mchale part of maybe the first official big three with Parish, so skip them and then it would be Kobe and Shaq, then you have to put Stockton and Malone although Drex and Hakeem have a ring I don’t really consider that a duo, nor do I consider Duncan and Robinson a duo, they weren’t together long enough.
November 19th, 2008 at 10:30 pm
marcus the great says:
oh they soooo coulda been
November 19th, 2008 at 11:03 pm
Skywalker says:
it is believed that to have a successful team you need a strong point guard and center.
the fact that the Jordan-Pippen Bulls won a double three-peat without a star point guard or center makes them the most dominant duo.
had they stayed together, Kobe and Shaq would have made it interesting.
November 19th, 2008 at 11:09 pm
arloguthrie says:
this is silly.
obviously, magic and kareem.
then mj and scottie.
then oscar robertson and lew alcindor.
then cousy and bill russell
November 19th, 2008 at 11:11 pm
Timmy D says:
MJ and Pippen end of story
November 19th, 2008 at 11:12 pm
astorplace says:
if its about the rings, you’re talking cousy and russell.
cool alcindor reference.
November 19th, 2008 at 11:15 pm
JCARR says:
There shouldn’t be an argument here its just MJ and Pippen. The only duo that doesnt need a center or power forward to be dominant.
November 19th, 2008 at 11:16 pm
Brown says:
Kobe and Shaq lost to the Pistons. That’s what taints it for me.
If Jordan hadn’t gone off and played baseball, the Bulls would have won 8 straight titles. That puts them ahead of every duo in history.
November 19th, 2008 at 11:20 pm
astorplace says:
you guys be trippin’.
get real.
cousy and russell.
November 19th, 2008 at 11:21 pm
astorplace says:
it’s like your brains can go back that far.
November 19th, 2008 at 11:40 pm
tim says:
Rasheed Wallace and Ben Wallace on defense during their title run was pretty sweet…granted its not on the most dominant list…but it still regards acknowledgement
November 19th, 2008 at 11:50 pm
weezy f says:
how does sacramento beat the hornets?
November 20th, 2008 at 12:12 am
knoc says:
pip and the G.O.A.T
November 20th, 2008 at 12:16 am
Gerard says:
You can’t say Kobe and Shaq, they had legitimate competition that beat them (and I know Shaq/Penny knocked out MJ/Pippen, but that one doesn’t count). Robinson/Duncan might not be an inside-outside combo, but they did take the Lakers down, so MJ/Pippen > Shaq/Kobe.
November 20th, 2008 at 12:56 am
thaisito says:
robinson duncan for me of course
but since someone mentioned they werent together long enough and david wasnt in his prime
i cant pick them over west and wilt or magic and kareem
i also cant pick jordan and pippen because this might be the only list ever in which pippen is by far the worst player god damn
gerard by that logic of who took down who u cant pick anyone because isiah and dumars took down mj and pippen 3 times and before that bird and mchale took down isiah and dumars so u cant pick them and before that dr j and moses took them down so u cant pick them. see the trend here??
November 20th, 2008 at 12:58 am
thaisito says:
but since is dominant not best
it has to be cousy and russell i mean comon the rings dont lie or ships like doug likes to call them
November 20th, 2008 at 1:04 am
Ian says:
ohh shit those last two posts were me i was using someone elses pc and didnt change the name
November 20th, 2008 at 1:22 am
laballer says:
see here’s how you judge this..if all of those duos played two on two with eachother in their primes who would win? in that case..dont you have to give it to kobe and shaq? they have everything possible between the two..they take it..
November 20th, 2008 at 1:28 am
Haqq says:
MAGIC & KAREEM hands-down.
November 20th, 2008 at 2:05 am
Shawn says:
NO YOU FOOLS
1. Peanut Butter and Jelly
2. MJ and Pip
3. Batman and Robin.
November 20th, 2008 at 2:16 am
Raj S says:
Why are Malone/Stockton and Duncan/Robinson in the conversation? Duncan and Robinson couldn’t win the championship more than twice, and they didn’t do it consecutively. Malone and Stockton have ZERO championships between them.
I don’t know if you could call Pippen and MJ a real duo. Pippen has a grand total of ZERO individual awards (except for a All Star Game MVP). MJ dominated that relationship to the point where it wasn’t a duo. That’s why the Bulls were known as MJ’s Bulls. The second person I think of when I think of the Bulls of the 90s is Phil Jackson. Sorry Pippen. You were great, but the shadow you played in was a lot larger than you ever could be.
I think Kareem and Magic take the crown. They both dominated the league from 1980-88, winnning it all 5 times. They had a symbiotic relationship to the point where they needed each other AND they actually succeeded. No other duo in the history of the league could say the same.
(Russell and Cousy didn’t dominate the league for all those years; the entire Celtics TEAM did.)
Shaq & Kobe come in a close second, because they won it all three straight times.
November 20th, 2008 at 2:16 am
Thristy says:
Jack & Coke’s a winner!
November 20th, 2008 at 3:21 am
K Dizzle says:
Magic and Kareem
Mike and Scottie
Shaq and Kobe
November 20th, 2008 at 3:39 am
Flying_Aussie_Dutchman says:
“dont forget eddie curry and jerome james”
hahahahhaha.. that made me seriously laugh
November 20th, 2008 at 3:48 am
jeremy says:
cwebb and hot rod strickland
November 20th, 2008 at 5:20 am
Fred says:
The Glove and the Reignman for a period in time…
November 20th, 2008 at 5:21 am
AB_40 says:
the logo and this chamberlain fella
not the most dominant but the most consistent were johns stockton and karl malone.
November 20th, 2008 at 5:29 am
rodnets says:
@29, that was “the dominant combo” at macdonalds
November 20th, 2008 at 5:33 am
Hehateme says:
@RAJ,
I may agree with your take on Duncan/Robinson,Malone/Stockton belong in this conversation. it is true that Stockton/Malone never produce a championship and Mr.Jordan and co is responsible for that. aside from that fact, you are looking at a pg who holds the NBA record for career assists and leaders plus a guy who scored about 37,000 pts. Boy, they also ran the pick and roll better than anybody on the planet. if you do play basketball then you have to respect them on those figures alone and regard them as arguably the best tandem in the NBA.
Likewise, you just disrespected Scottie Pippen. Pundits have been discounting his contribution to the Bulls Dynasty, because of Pippen is not media savvy and marketable like Jordan. truth be told, when u placed Jackson above Pippen thats just a straight up Diss. It takes a great player to execute the plans of a great coach, So Great coaches have great players. If PJ is so good and his system is so proven then why cant Odom play the Pippen role to Kobe’s Jordan??. Jordan needed Pippen as much as Pippen needed Jordan, go check out 1991 nba finals and pay special attention to who was harassing Magic Johnson all series long. with that in mind, i think Mj/Pip is the NBA’s Most dominant duo…
November 20th, 2008 at 5:34 am
chiaki says:
goat& air pip.. no doubt..
November 20th, 2008 at 5:36 am
chiaki says:
ricky davis and tim thomas.. all the way to the lottery!!!
November 20th, 2008 at 5:56 am
AY says:
there are no right answers to these questions because you always have to compare between different eras. I’d rather choose between bread & butter vs pb & j, at least i can just eat some and decide.
Winner: bread and butter.
November 20th, 2008 at 6:22 am
YOUNGFED says:
Damn once again no credit for bringing this info to yall attention DIME. I’ma sue. lol
November 20th, 2008 at 6:30 am
Luke says:
Oscar Robertson and Kareem, anyone?
November 20th, 2008 at 7:20 am
rodnets says:
E-Rob and J James would have eaten alive bread n butter and pb & j…and I think the rest of the duos too.
November 20th, 2008 at 7:20 am
F.L.A.S.H. says:
seeing that my comment is so far down it won’t be read anyways, here’s my 2 cents:
1. Kobe is considered by some fans even greater than MJ, now I would’nt go that far, but he’s surpassed magic in my book
2. There is no way (as great as he was) 200 pound Kareem woulda been able to guard Shaq, so magic and kareem are out~
3.stockton and malone were products of each other’s sucess, they would’nt have been considered top 10 greats if it weren’t for jerry sloan’s system and each other, stockton and malone were out.
4. the rest aren’t even worth discussing…..
November 20th, 2008 at 8:50 am
ENEW says:
Great debate!!!
As was said many times above gotta look rings and consistent body of work.
As great as Bird and McHale were as was mentioned they were part of the big three, so they were not that “classic” combo.
Now F.L.A.S.H. is saying that Kobe is better than Magic which I can not agree with. When it is all said and done that will be an interesting debate but Magic is a once in a lifetime type of player who played in arguably the greatest era of the game. Magic and Kareem won 5 titles in that era against the likes of Philly, Boston and Detroit.
I think you go:
Magic Kareem
Jordan Pippen
Kobe Shaq
November 20th, 2008 at 9:06 am
Gerard says:
But Duncan/DRob beat them while they were in their primes
November 20th, 2008 at 9:13 am
Slipsters says:
Elgin Baylor and Jerry West were pretty nasty in the 60s even though they always came up short against Boston.
November 20th, 2008 at 9:14 am
nao_diga says:
Magic and Kareem don’t qualify for the same reasons that Bird and McHale don’t. They were part of a team with at least one other guy who played at or near the same level as they did.
Erving and Malone were incredible, but they only did it for one season.
It comes down to Kobe and Shaq vs. MJ and Pippen. Since MJ and Pippen did it at the same level for more years, they get the nod, but only by a little.
November 20th, 2008 at 9:24 am
Ian says:
gerard
thanks for that comment duncan and the admiral all the wayy
flash
wow kobe better than magic and malone and stockton top ten??? really
November 20th, 2008 at 10:00 am
karizmatic says:
Yeah Flash you trippin, Kobe is better than Magic? I’m sorry I can’t see that.
November 20th, 2008 at 10:04 am
Amar says:
what? charles barkley + alcohol doesn’t make this list?
November 20th, 2008 at 10:12 am
isotope says:
YoungFed and Tyrone
November 20th, 2008 at 10:22 am
rkirby says:
why couldnt kobe be ahead of magic johnson? kobe’s game is more complete @ both ends of the floor; magic was a one-dimensional player…there is a reason why he has carried the jordan tag on him for the last couple years…one can safely say tht he is the second best shooting guard of all time…second to jordan isnt bad @ all…o his career isnt even over yet…
November 20th, 2008 at 10:33 am
isotope says:
what about original twin towers, Olajuwon and Sampson? they werent dominant cuz they didnt play long enough w/each other but man! if they had…
November 20th, 2008 at 11:05 am
astorplace says:
i am astounded that cousy and russell is not there. hah, i bet half you guys dont even know who cousy was. fools.
November 20th, 2008 at 11:56 am
dapro says:
MJ and Pip, hands down
November 20th, 2008 at 12:32 pm
VINNY says:
@rkirby- i have to strongly disagree magic was not i-dimensional-damm he almost averaged a triple double!
russell and sam jones-10 rings!!
Kareem and magic- 5 rings
mj and the headache guy-6 rings
November 20th, 2008 at 12:32 pm
adam23 says:
when its all said and done… billups and anthony are going talked about for years to come, wait, watch and see!!!!!
November 20th, 2008 at 12:32 pm
MSkittle says:
Dominance? Wilt and Elgin Baylor
November 20th, 2008 at 12:34 pm
Smackdown says:
MJ is unquestionably the best player of all time and that is why everyone is saying MJ and Pippen, but Kobe and Shaq are the greatest duo of all time. I say this for two reasons.
1. Pippen is overrated, that doesn’t mean he is not a great player and an unquestioned all-star. But the guy never showed to be anything more than a top NBA player whenever he had an opportunity to play without MJ. If he never player with MJ, Pippen would have been a superstar, but not a hall of famer. Shaq and probably soon Kobe have won a ring without the other and would have been hall of famers whether they played together or not.
2. An effective duo compensates for each others weaknesses. There is nothing Pippen did that MJ couldn’t have done, both could score, handle the ball, play defense. In many way their redundancies in skill set held Pippen’s game back as he took a back seat and played sidekick. While Shaq inside skills was the perfect complement to Kobe permiter skills. Kobe and Shaq could take turns dominatiing games or both dominate at the same time. The bulls had to always rely on Jordan to carry them
One final note the only true duo to challenge them (stockton and malone don’t count because they never won anything) is Magic and Kareem and the only reason why I give Shaq and Kobe the edge is that I still say the Showtime lakers were more of an ensemble with a deep team of strong players like Michael Cooper and Byron Scott, not to mention an all-star level player in James Worthy who is so often forgotten. While Kobe and Shaq truly won with just themselves and a bunch of role players.
November 20th, 2008 at 1:23 pm
Ian says:
rkirby
i think magic is better but i didnt call flash anything
it was just a surprise how he said it
but like vinny said how can magic be one dimensional one the most complete players ever??
and what surprised me more was that he thinks malone and john are top ten players (both are top 25 of course). well if its duos of course they are top 10 but not appart.
smackdown
u r right on why many people here are choosin mj and pip
arguably the greatest and people like him (personally i dont). that the same reason they got to the finals when we voted on best backcourt when they shoulda lost 2 rounds before. again jordan may be the best ever but not on the duos list and def not on the backcourt list. pippen is not overrated smack is just that everyone else on this list is better than him maybe not machale and clyde but thats maybeeee.
November 20th, 2008 at 3:37 pm
w says:
I give it to magic & Kareem they played those great celtic , 76er , piston teams !! the bulls never played any great teams!!!
November 20th, 2008 at 5:07 pm
Smackdown says:
w you don’t consider the Patrick Ewing Knicks a great team lol just kidding
November 20th, 2008 at 8:46 pm
Raj S says:
Hehateme:
Ok, Lamar Odom couldn’t do what Pippen did in Phil Jackson’s system. But Rick Fox did. Does that mean Rick Fox is better than LO? Nope. Sorry man, Pippen is nice, but he is not anywhere near MJs level. They aren’t a duo.
November 29th, 2008 at 9:30 am
Lauri says:
Marbury and Francis