Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant formed an iconic duo, winning three championships and making four Finals appearances together. Their partnership is considered one of the most dominant in NBA history, with O’Neal dominating in the paint and Bryant excelling as a versatile scorer.
In a recent episode of the Big Podcast with Shaq, O’Neal revealed his choice for an unstoppable duo with a current player. Without hesitation, Shaq picked Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards, citing Edwards’ phenomenal season and leadership in taking the Wolves to the top spot in the West.
Anthony Edwards. Cause he's a dog. And when I get tired of posting you up and bust you, I do have some guard skills. I'll step out, I'll bring Victor Wembanyama out, with his long self, and then I just dump it down to Anthony Edwards. All the time. Shaquille O’Neal said
Pairing up with Anthony Edwards would create an intriguing duo. Unlike Kobe Bryant, who was known for his mid-range shooting, Edwards is a consistent three-point shooter and skilled finisher. At just 22 years old, Edwards can hit difficult fadeaway shots and is reliable in clutch situations. Defensively, he plays tough defense and can protect the rim effectively.
With Edwards’ shooting and scoring abilities complementing Shaquille O’Neal’s dominance in the paint, they would form a formidable and intimidating duo on both ends of the floor.
Shaquille O’Neal believes every generation admired Ant-Man
Edwards has somewhat of an aggressive playstyle, which can be seen as a more improved version of playstyles from the 90s. Michael Jordan was a dominant and aggressive guard, John Stockton was more of a calm and skillful player, and Gary Payton was one of the toughest players to play against, all these players had to go through the physicality that was common back in the day. According to Shaq, Edwards checks all the boxes to fit in the 90s basketball.
The way he plays. He plays the right way, he plays hard and he plays with that tenacity. Shaquille O’Neal added
Putting up solid numbers in just his fourth NBA season, while leading his team, Edwards has established himself as one of the best players in the league at just 22. One of the aspects of his game that does match with the best players from Shaq’s era is his athleticism. Edwards has some serious vertical, as can be seen from his recent posters.
Ant-Man and the Wolves faced the Nuggets in the first round last year. At 21, Edwards averaged over 30 points per game versus the best team in the league in the first round. His performance in his last postseason appearance was one to watch. Given his improvement, it will be interesting to see Edwards play in the postseason next week.
More must-reads: