Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal were two of the most unstoppable forces that the league has ever seen. During the late 1990s and early 2000s, both won three championships together with the Lakers. During their three-peat, Lakers faced the Spurs twice in 2001 and 2002 in Western Conference Finals and semi-finals. 15 years later to that series, in 2017, Bryant revealed a very unique story about O’Neal, which assured him that they were going to win the series.
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Angry Shaq on the court was always worth watching. NBA fans still remember the ruthless poster dunk he put on David Robinson. Robinson was one of the best big men in the league during that time, along with O’Neal. The Lakers star perhaps didn’t want to share the podium with any big men, so he wanted to make a statement. He secretly cooked up a fake beef against Robinson in his head to motivate and fuel himself. Every time Shaq and David were on the floor, the former always had it in his mind to prove something, which gave him the edge.
Kobe Bryant recalls the time when Shaquille O’Neal’s anger against David Robinson assured him of the series win
There is always something unique about every great person that has existed in history, they have motivation like no other. When it comes to basketball, Shaquille O’Neal is definitely one of them. Kobe recalled the time when Shaq used his anger against David Robinson to fuel himself against the Spurs. Recalling the incident, Kobe said,
“I remember the playoffs series against San Antonio, we are going into the arena. He (Shaq) leans over to me and he goes, ‘bring it to me early tonight.’”
When Kobe asked what was on his mind, Shaq said that David Robinson wasn’t very nice to him in his childhood. Listening to this, Kobe agreed with his teammate, convinced that the series was theirs. “I said say no more. This series is in the bag man,” added Bryant. When you have caliber players like Shaq on your side, you sometimes want them angry. Especially when it is Shaq, just take the seat and enjoy the dominance.
Shaquille O’Neal apologizes to David Robinson for spreading a false rumor
Good players have motivation, but the great ones find motivation. In a recent group Zoom call, O’Neal was joined by David Robinson and other former NBA stars. The former Los Angeles Lakers player took the opportunity to apologize to Robinson for spreading a false rumor in the media. Shaq has apparently spread the rumor that The Admiral had not signed his autograph when he was 13. Apologizing to former Spurs star Big Diesel, he said,
“David, I want to say I apologize for making up that rumor…I made up a scenario. ‘Oh, yeah, when I was 13 you didn’t sign my autograph. I’m mad now.‘”
He also explained the reason for the rumor. O’Neal felt that the two-time NBA champion had taken all the shine since joining the Spurs. Moreover, Shaq also admitted that the former MVP used to annihilate him on the court, so he had to make up the rumor. Well, Shaq did actually make sure that motivation served him well. The former Spurs star also revealed that O’Neal had told David that it was a rumor he had spread when they were playing together in the 1996 Olympics.
