1. Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal (1999-2000) – 29.2 win shares, 26.2 average PER
This dynamic duo epitomizes the phrase dynamic duo for me and this pairing made growing up a Laker fan a great thing to be in the early 2000s.
That is what makes this list so interchangeable at the top. Being a fan of this era of Lakers basketball, there is an instinctive need to put Kobe and Shaq at the top of the list, but older Laker fans might put Magic and Kareem at the top, or even West and Wilt, depending on what era they associate with most.
However, this duo deserves the top spot as much as any on the list and could make an argument for the best tandem the entire NBA has ever seen. Kobe and Shaq were arguably the best two players in the NBA during their three-peat from 2000-2003 and it was almost unfair for defenses to have to guard both of them at the same time.
This combo would have won more championships had it not been for their volatile relationship that eventually ended in a bitter divorce between the two stars. Kobe wanted to prove that he could win without the large shadow of Shaq looming over him to take all the credit, and Shaq wanted to prove he could win with any scorer alongside him.
In the end, they both proved what they needed to, but this pairing will always have Lakers fans wondering what if they had just stayed together? How many championships could they have won?
Their first championship season together was chosen for this list because it was arguably their most dominant regular season together as a duo because they combined for a Laker record 29.2 win shares that season. They also were only two wins away from the Lakers franchise record in a single regular season with 67.
This season might not have been the most dominant postseason run like the next year when they went 15-1, but it was their first one and it helped solidify the legendary status of this duo at the top of this list in Lakers’ lore.