19 Years After $101,000,000 Split, Shaquille O’Neal’s “No I in Team” Speech at Kobe Bryant’s Memorial Resurfaces on Reddit

Shaquille O’Neal might have had a love-hate relationship with Kobe Bryant during their Lakers days. However, denying how the duo pushed each other to perform better individually would be an injustice. Shaq and Kobe were the players with the highest competitive spirits in the game and wanted to outshine each other individually. During Kobe Bryant’s tribute ceremony in 2020, fans heard one of the most beautiful speeches from Shaq, explaining Kobe’s drive for glory. This clip has once again resurfaced in Reddit, reminding everyone of the incredible pairing of these two NBA legends.

Shaq and Kobe had a spat over asserting the dominant position in the roster by the 2003-04 season. This led to Shaq seeking a trade from the Lakers, eventually moving to Miami on a $101,000,000 deal. Although it has been 19 years since this trade, Shaq still cherishes all the fond memories from his time at the Lakers and with Kobe Bryant.

Shaquille O’Neal describing Kobe Bryant’s drive for individual performance has resurfaced once again on Reddit

In 2020, the NBA community unanimously mourned the sad demise of Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gigi. It was a massive blow for every basketball fan to lose one of its greatest legends. The Los Angeles Lakers had organized a tribute ceremony for their legendary Laker at the Staples Center. With several dignitaries of the NBA present, Shaq reminded the crowd of one incredible moment involving Kobe Bryant. Recently, the clip of this incident was re-shared on Twitter by the Hoops Bot. 

With his speech, Shaq tried to provide comic relief to the sad and upset crowd. Recounting one of his memories with the Mamba, Shaq described a moment when Kobe wouldn’t pass the ball. He confronted the Mamba and said, “Kobe, there’s no ‘I’ in the team.” Kobe’s reply was something one would definitely expect out of him. He said,

“I know. But there’s an ‘M-E’ in that mo**erf**k***”

Shaq honors Kobe in the most Shaq way possible by bringing up the “just get the rebound” moment pic.twitter.com/JvnWbGAOgm

— hoops bot (@hoops_bot) July 5, 2023

Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant had resolved their situations by the time they retired. The duo would often appear in talk shows together and even host interviews with each other.

Kobe’s demise was one of the biggest shocks for Shaq. It made him realize the little time everyone has got with their loved ones. He took this instance as a moment of self-reflection and encouraged everyone to check on their near and dear constantly.

Shaq once pleaded Kobe Bryant to remove his Michael Jordan jersey

Kobe Bryant regarded Michael Jordan as his idol and wanted to be like him. During the 2002 NBA Finals, the Lakers were 3-0 up against the Nets. The Mamba took the chance to honor his basketball idol in the most iconic manner with a three-peat of his own. Confident that he could clutch the series in Game 4, Kobe showed up with a Michael Jordan jersey in the arena.

However, Shaq was not pleased with Kobe’s actions and for wearing a Bulls jersey. He politely advised his ‘little brother’ to remove the jersey and create his identity. The Big Aristotle wanted the Mamba to be the ‘first Kobe’ rather than the ‘next MJ.’

Eventually, the Lakers did win the game 107-113, earning their first three-peat title.