Los Angeles Lakers: Top 10 duos in franchise history

10. Shaquille O’Neal and Eddie Jones (1996-97) – 17.6 combined win shares, 22.2 average PER

Many people forget that Shaq had an All-Star running mate with the Lakers before Kobe developed into the superstar player he eventually would become. When Shaq signed with the Lakers before the 1996 season, they instantly became a title favorite, because they had one of the best backcourts in the league already in place with Eddie Jones and Nick Van Exel in the fold.

In their first season together, Shaq and Eddie both averaged more than 17 points per game and led the Lakers to an impressive 53 win season. Surprisingly enough, Jones actually led the way with 9.6 win shares compared to Shaq’s 8.0 in 1996, even though Shaq was by far the more superior player.

The next season Jones’ scoring numbers dipped a bit because of the emergence of Kobe, but Jones and Shaq were still the leaders on a team that went to the Western Conference Finals where they were swept by the Utah Jazz.

Who knows how much success this pair could have had if Bryant did not turn into a phenom after a couple of seasons in the league and pretty much forced Jones out the door.

However, this tandem was reunited in Miami after Shaq was traded there, but unfortunately for Jones, it was one season after the Heat won the title.