Despite his Feud With Kobe Bryant, Shaquille O’Neal Once Defended ‘Little Brother’ By Pointing Out Teammates’ Incompetence

At one point in time, Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant weren’t exactly on the greatest of terms. However, despite their well-known feud during their time with the Lakers, Shaq still felt a sense of protection and support for Kobe. And, when the Black Mamba faced criticism for his airballs against the Utah Jazz, Shaq stood up for him. Going so far as to highlight his other teammates’ incompetence, something he gets into in his book Shaq Talks Back.

The Big Aristotle always aspired to be Kobe’s mentor, even in moments when the young guard made mistakes. Shaq remained dedicated to supporting and guiding him, showcasing his unwavering commitment to their relationship.

Shaquille O’Neal strived to support Kobe Bryant despite their highly publicized feud

Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant are widely considered to be one of the greatest duos of all time. Unfortunately, they simply had to break up, owing to the fact that they couldn’t stand each other during Shaq’s last few years in LA.

That being said, they were quite close in their early days. In fact, they shared a brotherly relationship, with Shaq playing the role of the protective older brother. He really wanted to mentor Kobe and help him develop into a star player. So, despite their occasional differences, O’Neal would defend his “little brother”, especially when he made mistakes in crucial games.

Case in point, the infamous game against the Utah Jazz. In the dying embers of the game, the Black Mamba underperformed heavily, throwing up several airballs, leading to many questioning his ability. However, Shaq expertly defended Kobe in his book, pointing out that he, along with the rest of his teammates, was not ready to take the final shot. And that’s why the responsibility fell on Bryant’s shoulders in the first place.

“Nick Van Exel was looking around. He wanted to be a hero, but he didn’t know how to be one. Jeff Hornacek was killing Eddie Jones. I could look at Eddie’s face and tell he didn’t want the ball. And Del didn’t want me to have the thing because I shoot 40 percent from the free-throw line, and ain’t gonna make the free throw. So it’s basically up to this eighteen-year-old. A lot of players in the NBA spend their whole careers trying to avoid taking a shot like that. At eighteen years old, Kobe had the courage to take those shots. The Big Little Brother stepped up and did his best. No matter what happens, I was proud to be his teammate then, and I’m proud to be his teammate now.”

Nobody wanted the moment more than Kobe.

‘97 WCSF, he’s an 18 y/o rookie.

Kobe airballs 3 game-winning/tying shots (4 total in last 5 min)

Lakers get eliminated. Kobe got back to LA & went straight to get shots up until the AM.

Kobe ended his career w/ 36 GWs, most ever. 💜♾ pic.twitter.com/Qgs1uOjs0y

— Timeless Sports (@timelesssports_) January 30, 2020

It certainly was great of Shaq to show his support for Kobe. But, as mentioned earlier, their relationship took a turn for the worse a few years down the line. And, it may have had something to do with O’Neal’s desire to be a mentor.

Shaq wanted to mentor Kobe but this eventually led to their feud

Throughout their time in LA, Shaquille O’Neal viewed Kobe Bryant as his younger brother. This, along with Shaq’s desire to mentor Kobe, put a massive strain on their friendship. The Black Mamba was desperate to be the Alpha and the leader of the team. So, despite O’Neal extending an olive branch, trying to mentor the then-young man, Kobe never could get with the program. And eventually, this, along with countless other factors ended up rupturing their relationship enough for Shaq to leave LA.

Inevitably, Kobe got what he wanted. Shaq was forced to leave the team in 2004, as he was traded away to the Miami Heat. The rest, as we all know is history.