Shaquille O’Neal won’t entertain comparisons about his dominance with the late Kobe Bryant with the Sixers’ new duo of Joel Embiid and James Harden.
On the latest episode of his “Big Podcast With Shaq,” the Lakers legend was asked if he’s “willing to crown Embiid and Harden the next Shaq and Kobe.”
“No,” O’Neal said without hesitation, adding “Not at all,” when Anthony “Spice” Adams asked if the Philly pair has potential to reach his and Bryant’s level.
O’Neal’s other co-host, Nischelle Turner, chimed in to note that O’Neal and Bryant “grew up together” as Lakers teammates, while Harden is a veteran.
“We won three out of four,” O’Neal said about the Lakers championships he won with Bryant. The Hall of Famers won three consecutive NBA championships with LA from 2000 through 2002 and led the Lakers to the Finals again in 2004.
It’s too soon for him to even think about Embiid and Harden doing anything similar.
“No, no, hell no,” he said. “Not after one year. Me and Kobe had eight years of damage together. No, not even close. Stop it. Listen: NO, H NO and F NO.”
Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal ran off three straight NBA titles together. Charles Wenzelberg
James Harden and Joel Embiid are one of the NBA’s top pairs — but don’t compare them to Shaq and Kobe just yet. Getty ImagesHarden and Embiid, meanwhile, have been cooking as Philadelphia’s new dominant duo in the Eastern Conference — with the exception of Thursday’s 129-100 blowout at the hand of the Nets. It was the first loss for Philadelphia in six games since acquiring Harden from Brooklyn.
The matchup was one that Sixers fans had circled on their calendar after Philadelphia traded point guard Ben Simmons to Brooklyn in a February blockbuster.
Harden had just 11 points for the 76ers to go with six rebounds and five assists. Embiid finished 27 points and 12 rebounds.
Harden is averaging 22.5 points as a Sixer after returning from a hamstring injury.
The Sixers play the Magic in Orlando on Sunday.
