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“F**k you Shaq, Lakers aren’t your team!”: How Shaquille O’Neal slapped Kobe Bryant during a feisty pick-up game in 1998

Samir Mehdi
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“F**k you Shaq, Lakers aren’t your team!”: How Shaquille O’Neal slapped Kobe Bryant during a feisty pick-up game in 1998

Shaquille O’Neal slapped Kobe Bryant during a pick-up game in 1998 after the two verbally and physically assaulted each other on the court. 

A feud like the one we all bore witness to during the early 2000s between Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal will perhaps never happen again in the NBA; at least, not to the extent to which the two Lakers legends took it to. Even before the millennium turned, Kobe and Shaq were at each other’s throats, looking to be the purple and gold’s number one option. 

Everything from locker room disputes to verbally challenging one another through interviews and the media, Kobe Bryant and Shaq did it all during their heyday. Despite this tumultuous relationship, as everybody knows, they won three straight championships alongside one another. 

Shaq did take to a podcast recently to lay the Kobe-Shaq beef rumors to rest as he shockingly claimed that they played up their feud to bring more attention towards themselves as he’s a self-proclaimed ‘businessman’.

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However, there is absolutely no denying that Bryant and O’Neal weren’t exactly the best of friends as there is too much evidence and too many instances that point towards them not liking one another. 

Shaq and Kobe Bryant had an intense back-and-forth in 1998. 

Before mainstream media could get a hold of the Kobe-Shaq beef narrative, the seeds were already planted as the two blew against one another during a pick-up game in 1998. Due to the lockout season, the Los Angeles Lakers hosted a pick-up between their players, with Kobe Bryant leading one team, and Shaq leading another. 

As expected, their competitive vigor got the best of them, leading to Kobe yelling things like, “F**k you, this isn’t your team,” while O’Neal yelled out, “One more comment like that and I’ll slap the s**t out of you,” and “I’ll have your a** traded.”

Also read: “Hello sir, can you please tell me how your book is?”: When David Robinson and Shaquille O’Neal featured in NBA’s Reading is Fundamental advertisements promoting reading and book culture

The game itself comprised of an extreme level of physicality, with the 6’6 guard trying his best to contain the eventual 3x Finals MVP. The game took a turn for the worse when it converted from a war of words to a an actually fist fight between the two. 

Teammates had to separate Kobe Bryant from Shaquille O’Neal as the latter actually kept his word and landed a slap on the former. Kobe tried to retaliate but was held back by teammates. Corie Blunt remarked that the ‘noise was loud,’ from the slap that ensued following the pick-up game. 

About the author

Samir Mehdi

Samir Mehdi

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Samir Mehdi is a senior strategist for the NBA division at The Sportsrush. Ever since he was 13 years old, he’s been obsessed with the game of basketball. From watching Kobe Bryant’s highlights on YouTube to now, analyzing and breaking down every single game on League Pass, Samir’s passion for the game is unwavering. He's a complete basketball junkie who not only breaks down current games but also keenly watches ones from the 60s’ and 70s’ while also reading comprehensive books on the history of the league. Samir’s life revolves around basketball and he hopes that shows in his work. Aside from work, he loves to spend time in the gym and with his friends at social gatherings.

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