The tandem of James Harden and Joel Embiid seems to be pretty lethal so far, but Shaquille O’Neal doesn’t want to hear any comparisons between those two and his famous duo.
Shaq talked on his “The Big Podcast with Shaq” about the Harden trade to Philadelphia. Shaq was asked whether Harden/Embiid could compare to him and Kobe, who teamed together on the Los Angeles Lakers from 1996-2004, winning three championships. Shaq took offense to the suggestion.
“No,” O’Neal said when asked if the Harden/Embiid duo could compare to him and Kobe. “No. Hell no. Not after one year. Me and Kobe had eight years of damage together. No, not even close. Stop it. Listen, no, hell no and f— no.”
That’s a pretty convincing response.
The 76ers are 5-0 in games when Harden plays. Harden is an excellent scorer and dangerous 3-point shooter, with his scoring ability similar to Kobe Bryant’s. Embiid is a dominant big man, which is what Shaq was, though Shaq could unbelievably overpower his opponents.
Harden and Embiid are showing signs that they can be a great pairing. But until they rack up a few championships, the comparisons to Shaq and Kobe won’t hold water. Keep in mind though that this isn’t a slight towards the 76ers, since Shaq has shown his support of Embiid. It’s just that you can’t compare a tandem that has played five games together against one that had 8 years.
Photo: Mar 10, 2017; Atlanta, GA, USA; NBA former player Shaquille O’Neal watches a game between the Atlanta Hawks and Toronto Raptors in the third quarter at Philips Arena. The Hawks won 105-99. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports
