By Kevin Asseo BBC Sport Online's US reporter

For these past three years, a favourite topic of debate among NBA observers has been - just how good, historically speaking, are these Los Angeles Lakers?

Now, with their third consecutive NBA championship in the bag, the debate is over.

Lakers win NBA title

This Lakers side has undoubtedly earned its place alongside Michael Jordan's Bulls and the Lakers and Celtics of the 1980s as one of the greatest teams of the modern era.

The question now becomes this - for how long will the Lakers remain this good?

The answer should scare the rest of the teams hoping to knock the Lakers off their position on top of the NBA, because there is no end in sight to the Lakers' dynasty.

The one thing that instantly sets the Lakers apart from the rest of the league is the 7-foot-1, 23-stone man in the middle, Shaquille O'Neal.

O'Neal has committed his future to LA

And O'Neal is not going anywhere.

He is still just 30 years old, with a lucrative contract that runs to 2006.

That means at least four more years of the unstoppable big man wreaking havoc on Lakers' opponents.

The only hint O'Neal has given that he may not stick around for the entire length of his contract came earlier this season, when he stated he would never play for another head coach other than Phil Jackson.

"If he leaves, I'm leaving right after," O'Neal said. "I've played for a lot of coaches, but he is the only one that took me to the next level and is keeping me at the next level."

Lakers' supporters need not worry. Jackson's contract lasts until 2004, and though he has said he does not want to coach into his sixties (he is 56), chances are he could be persuaded to remain on the Lakers' bench until 2006.

Most importantly, perhaps, is that O'Neal has never suffered a major injury in his career, as have befallen so many other great big men in basketball.

The other vital piece of the Lakers' championship puzzle, Kobe Bryant, could be a Laker longer than O'Neal.

Bryant, just 23, has three more years remaining on his current contract and the Lakers have reportedly already laid an enormous contract extension on the table for him.

For a time during the 2000-2001 season, as Kobe and Shaq went through a very public feud, it appeared the two stars may not be able to coexist much longer.

Supporting roles

But things have been different this season. Kobe and Shaq have never seemed happier together, as they gone out of their way to sing each other's praises in the press.

As for the rest of the Lakers' roster, does it really matter? The Lakers have shown they can win with any variety of role players.

Horace Grant, Glen Rice, Ron Harper, Tyronn Lue, and A.C. Green are just some of the players who have played significant supporting roles in recent years and then left Los Angeles, and the Lakers have not missed a beat.

For all those hoping to see some variety in the NBA winner's circle in the next few years, do not hold your breath.

These Lakers are going to be around for a while.