5 great teams that were ruined by the Kobe-Shaq Lakers

The Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal-led Lakers brought championships to Los Angeles but destroyed many great teams along the way.

When Kobe Bryant leaped into Shaquille O’Neal’s arms to celebrate the Lakers defeat of the Indiana Pacers in the 2000 NBA Finals, it was a return to glory for one of the NBA’s most successful franchises.

After enduring a decade of heartbreak and disappointment in the 1990s, Los Angeles was finally back on top of the NBA world. The duo would go back-to-back-back, becoming the first team to three-peat since the Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen-led Chicago Bulls.

Along the way though, Kobe and Shaq destroyed teams, broke up potential dynasties and maybe even played a direct role in a city losing its NBA team. The teams in this countdown are all great teams that had a chance to reach unforeseen heights but fell victim to the dynasty that was the Kobe and Shaq Lakers.