Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal can be regarded as the NBA’s most dominant duo ever, who led the Los Angeles Lakers to three NBA Championships from 2000 to 2002. In 2001, a young Kobe was already a star and was looking for his second title that year with Shaq. However, during a match against the Chicago Bulls, Shaq got into an altercation with the Bulls player Brad Miller, leading to his suspension. Therefore, Kobe decided to put #34 on his game shoes in the game against the Memphis Grizzlies to show his support for his teammate.
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In the Lakers’ 106-104 overtime loss to the Bulls, Shaq and Miller got into a massive brawl. At one point in the game, Shaq had received a pass in the paint, when Charles Oakley and Miller landed two heavy blows on him. The angry big man threw a haymaker at Miller that could have got him severely injured. Following the game, O’Neal was fined $15,000 and a three-game suspension by the league. For the three suspended games, Shaq lost $714,286, which totaled his net loss to $729,286.
Shaquille O’Neal shares post of Kobe Bryant honoring him after his three-game suspension
After Shaq’s suspension, the load of offense fell on Bryant’s shoulders. In the next game, the Mamba expressed his solidarity with his teammate and honored Shaq. He put number 34 on his Adidas shoes that he wore in the game. #34 was Shaq’s jersey number at the time.
Moreover, in the game, Bryant scored 56 points just in three quarters while shooting 62% from the field. Emotional Shaq shared the post of the game from @kobe.clips on his Instagram. “The time Kobe Bryant wrote #34 on his [Adidas] shoes in honor of Shaq…” the post read.
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Shaq remembers the time when Kobe honoured him by writing 34 on his shoes pic.twitter.com/ViGWitPYnV
— What are NBA Celebs Upto? (@NBACelebsUpdate) September 5, 2023
There is no doubt that a sense of underachievement will always linger about Shaq-Kobe’s partnership on the West Coast. However, their three titles in eight years will always be counted among the golden days of the Lakers. Despite the tension that always existed between them, they managed to play together as teammates. If Shaq was the MVP in all those finals, Bryant was the rising star who will shape Lakers’ history in the future as well.
The day injured Kobe carried Shaq and the Lakers in the 2000 NBA Finals
Shaq and Kobe’s duo holds a legacy that is difficult to match. Bryant had been in the league since he was 17 years old. In the 2000 NBA Finals, Kobe showed why he deserved his legacy.
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In Game 2 of the 200 NBA Finals, Jalen Rose deliberately fell on Bryant’s feet, injuring him severely. After the game, his foot was swollen to the size of a volleyball. While many including Shaq believed that he was out for the series, the Mamba returned in Game 4. In the same game, the Big Aristotle was fouled out with defeat looming in the horizon. However, Bryant came to Shaq and assured him of the win. “I got you big fella. Don’t worry about it,” recalled Shaq of Bryant’s words. In the close 120-118 win over the Pacers, Bryant scored a crucial 28 points.
