“Shaq was still a very good player, but D-Wade was the driving force” - Nick Wright believes Shaquille O'Neal will be remembered more for his first 3 championships, says Kobe Bryant was a huge part of 4 rings
Nick Wright recently said the Shaquille O'Neal was a better player while he played for the Lakers. The analyst said that Dwyane Wade was the first-option at the Miami Heat, where O'Neal played during the twilight years of his career.
O'Neal and Kobe Bryant were two of the most entertaining players in the NBA. They won three championships together and turned the Los Angeles Lakers into one of the best teams of the 2000s.
Unfortunately, the rift between them caused the roster to fall apart as O'Neal was traded to the Miami Heat. In his second year in Miami, the big man won another championship, his fourth overall.
Nick Wright spoke about this on his "What's Wright?" podcast. He pointed out how Shaquille O'Neal wasn't the best player on the team when he won it all with the Heat.
"People know that Shaq won four rings and the last of which, he was still a very good player, but D-Wade was the driving force," Wright said.
Wright talked about this while bringing up Kevin Durant and his legacy. Durant has won two championships so far, but both of them were with the Golden State Warriors, who were a superteam.
Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant had great teams during their prime years, but they also won without being surrounded by the top talent in the league.
Dwyane Wade was impressive in 2006, but outside of him and O'Neal, the Miami Heat had no other superstar. Bryant also had some great teammates in 2009, but they weren't even among the top 10 players in the league.
Kevin Durant has won two titles, but both times he was on a super team, which is why Nick Wright does not hold him in the same regard as Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant.
"Yes, he was the Finals MVP, he was the best player on the Warriors in those series, but it was with the Warriors, who won a title before he got there, had the 73 wins before he got there and then, the real kind of knife to the back, won a title after he left," Wright said.
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Durant will soon turn 34 and will most likely play in the league for a few more years. He has four years left on his contract with the Nets.
Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant dominated the league in their prime
Shaquille O'Neal won his first championship with the Lakers in 2000. He averaged 30.7 points and 15.4 rebounds in the playoffs, and was even better in the NBA Finals against the Indiana Pacers.
Kobe Bryant, on the other hand, was only 21 and averaged 15.6 points per game in the Finals. Bryant's scoring average increased to 24.6 points in the 2001 NBA Finals and to 26.8 points a year later, as he helped the Lakers achieve a three-peat.
Nick Wright hailed Bryant for the impact he had on the Lakers' success.
"They know Kobe won five rings, four of which he was a huge part of, the first one not quite so much," Wright said. "But they also know that the last two were his rings."
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