Lakers’ Top 5 Moments in All-Star Weekend History

Number 2: Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal Win Co-MVP in 2009

In the 2009 All-Star game, Lakers fans got to see two of their favorite players play on the same team for one final time. Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal made the moment even sweeter by taking home co-MVP trophies.

Kobe had four assists to go with 27 points while The Big Cactus (Shaq was in Phoenix at the time) had eight dunks leading to 17 points. The two worked on multiple pick-and-rolls in the third quarter that definitely pulled at the heartstrings of every Lakers fan in America.

To make the moment even sweeter, Phil Jackson was the Western Conference’s coach. The three wouldn’t ever be on the same team again, as it was Shaq’s final All-Star game of his career, putting him at 15 appearances

The moment doesn’t mean much when you look at it at face value. Players and analysts have never put much stock into All-Star MVPs. However, it served as a significant moment for the two and for Lakers fans as a page-turning type of moment.

Kobe and Shaq had a notoriously rocky relationship in the early 2000’s and seeing them get along so well during the weekend officially squashed any sort of beef the two might have still had. It also served as the beginning of separating Kobe from the “can’t win without Shaq” storyline as Kobe would go on to win his 4th championship and 1st NBA Finals MVP that year against the Orlando Magic.

Drama and storylines aside, Lakers fans will always smile when seeing the picture above, given the two’s history.