“We Got Three Rings Out of It”: Shaquille O’Neal Once Claimed Phil Jackson and His Anger Pushed Kobe Bryant to be a Better Player

Although, Shaquille O’Neal joined the Miami Heat after his feud with Kobe Bryant, his main aspiration was to add more rings to his resume. While joining the Heat, Dwyane Wade was an emerging star in the Heat roster and the perfect candidate for Shaq for his next championship conquest.

Upon first arriving in Miami, one of the first tasks that Shaq undertook was to go out for lunch with Dwyane Wade. In his autobiography, Shaq Uncut, Big Diesel mentions confiding in D Wade about his early troubles and spat with Kobe Bryant while he was still a Laker. Speaking to D-Wade, Shaq added, “The reason I’m telling you this is because this can never happen to you and me.” 

In a way, Shaq had enough trust and faith in mentoring Wade to become the next face of the Miami Heat franchise. On that note, Shaq also told Wade he was perhaps a little too harsh on a young Kobe when they first teamed up at the Lakers.

Shaq claimed that his and Phil Jackson’s anger and rage perhaps pushed Kobe Bryant to reach his true potential. Greatly crediting his role in the Mamba’s development as a player, Shaq wrote,

“I think my anger pushed him a little bit more, and Phil’s anger pushed me a little bit more, and we got three rings out of it.” 

Though Shaq was apologetic about the broken bond between him and Kobe back then, he claimed he wouldn’t have done this differently if he could do it over.

Shaq went on to add another championship trophy to his name teaming up with Wade. On the other hand, Kobe won 2 more with the Lakers, making his trophy count 5.

After retiring, both Shaq and Kobe resolved their differences and mended their ties. When Shaq heard of Kobe’s untimely death in 2020, he was extremely emotional and grief-struck about losing a great teammate and a friend with whom he had created a legacy in the NBA.

Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal publicly squashed their beef on live television

Despite their differences, Shaq and Kobe were the ultimate duo dominating the NBA in the late 90s and early 2000s. Many know that Shaq and Kobe’s resentment towards each other had started growing quite early during their days in Los Angeles.

After winning the third championship, things started getting heated when both the players often spat with each other during training, forcing Shaq to look for another team for his further championship ambitions.

In 2018, for the first time in years, Kobe Bryant and Shaq sat down together for a one-on-one interview. The duo publicly squashed their feud on live television, with Kobe even terming it a ‘work beef.’ Earlier in 2013, Bryant had assured that he had mutual respect for his former teammate and called their feud a lesson for their lives.

During Kobe Bryant’s public memorial service on February 24, 2020, O’Neal was one of the major speakers to deliver a speech on his former teammate. Surely, Kobe and Shaq’s partnership was one of the best that helped the Lakers create a new dynasty based on these two great legends of the game.