25 Most Dynamic Duos in NBA History

#18 Shaquille O'Neal and Anfernee "Penny" Hardaway (Orlando Magic)

Shaquille O'Neal and Penny Hardaway (Image courtesy: nba.com)

This duo was set to be the second coming of Magic and Kareem. In 1992, the Magic drafted Shaquille O'Neal with the number one pick. The following year they drafted Chris Webber but traded him immediately for Penny Hardaway.

The duo set the league on fire. O'Neal who was an All-Star in his rookie season just kept getting better, and with Hardaway's size and athleticism, it seemed like this was going to be one of the greatest dynasties ever seen in Basketball.

In their first season together, they reached the playoffs for the first time in franchise history but were swept in the first round.

The next season though was their peak together. Both O'Neal and Hardaway were named All-Stars and Shaq was named second in the MVP voting. In the Conference Semi-Finals, they played the Chicago Bulls who had just got Michael Jordan back from retirement. The Magic beat the Bulls and handed Jordan the last playoff series loss of his career. They reached the NBA finals but were swept by a more experienced Rockets team.

Unfortunately, this was the closest the duo would get. They were swept by a determined Chicago team the following season and due to contract issues, O'Neal left the Magic that summer. O'Neal has stated on numerous occasions about his regrets of leaving the Magic before winning a title with Penny.