8. Kobe Bryant and Lamar Odom (2005-06) – 24.7 combined win shares, 22.5 average PER
Perhaps the underrated pairing on this list comes in at No. 8 and that is the pairing of Kobe and Lamar Odom. This combo struggled to win playoff games early in their relationship, and they did not even enter the title conversation until the Lakers added another All-Star in Pau Gasol.
At the peak of their powers as a duo before Gasol’s arrival, they almost lead the Lakers to one of the biggest playoff upsets in NBA history against the No. 2 seeded juggernaut the seven seconds or less Phoenix Suns. Yet they ultimately came up short and lost the series in seven games, after leading the series 3-1.
That is why this combo is so low on this list. With so many great pairings in Lakers history and no ring before Gasol’s arrival pushes them down to the lower end of the list. However, Lamar and Kobe were almost a perfect match on and off the court.
Pretty much being the yin to each other’s yang in the seven seasons they played together in Los Angeles that included 6 postseason appearances and two championships. Kobe was known for his fiery and in your face approach and Odom is the exact opposite; laid back and quiet without much of an edge.
Those traits are what allowed Odom to endure playing with Bryant for so long and how the Mamba got the most of Odom’s unique physical talents that were unmatched by anyone else in the league. Odom even went as far as to say that Kobe,
"“was like the father figure I never had.”"
He told Sway in the morning this just this past June, so it seems like Odom and Bryant are still close till this day.