Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal have shared the world between them; they spent several years as brothers and a few years as enemies, according to the media. They’ve always been at loggerheads about various things, but one thing they always agreed upon was the necessity of family support.
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Shaq, vociferous in his love for his mother, stepfather, and grandmother, saw his younger brother Kobe go through the wringer in 2003. Two years prior, he had recently wed Vanessa, upsetting both his parents in the process. Everyone has seen the iconic sad Kobe photo with the trophy, and this was the reason behind it.
He also saw Kobe grow in stature and discomfort as his time with Michael Jordan was coming to an end—Jordan was about to retire for the final time. Business decisions did not go his way, and he split with Adidas, a company that had believed in him since day 1. A slew of flings with multiple sneaker brands later, Kobe landed a multi-year deal with Nike.
But one controversy that caught the attention of many and caused a furor was the infamous 2003 scandal. In the biggest celebrity case since O.J. Simpson almost a decade ago, Kobe had to endure physical and mental agony. He went to Colorado to get his knee fixed but came back with a blemish on his reputation.
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Shaquille O’Neal was aghast when he heard about the 2003 Kobe Bryant controversy
Shaq always knew Kobe to be a faithful man; Bryant was the opposite of him in every way. He had just married his high school sweetheart; why would he commit adultery? And on top of that, commit a crime? Kobe wasn’t that type of guy, yet he was on the front pages of every tabloid.
In his book Shaq Uncut, O’Neal wrote:
“You aren’t going to believe what I just heard.” He told me a nineteen-year-old girl had accused Kobe of raping her in a hotel. I couldn’t believe it. I kept saying, “For real? Are you busting me, Jerome?” because I just never figured Kobe would ever be involved in something like that.
The big man knew Kobe was hurting and wanted to immediately reach out a helping hand. Anything he needed—a safe house, some time away from the media—he was ready to offer to his younger mate. The Big Aristotle had a few epiphanies in his life, but this one move he wanted to make was the wisest.
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Kobe Bryant did not make the first move to speak about the incident with his friend – neither did No. 34
This is a classic case of “You go first.” Shaq and Kobe wanted to speak about it, but they waited too long for it to be spoken about anymore. Each was waiting for the other party to take the first step, and in turn, they lost footing in their relationship. 2003 saw the Lakers duo play their last season together, and this could have been the final straw.
Kobe needed that support that Shaquille was so willing to offer—if only someone had raised their voice. In fact, Shaquille O’Neal even offered Kobe his house. He wanted Bryant to know that his house was always open for his family and him in case they needed to live in a gated community.
However, Kobe played out the situation in typical Kobe fashion—he just went on as if nothing had happened. He was the most talked-about athlete in the USA, yet all he had was one extra bodyguard. In fact, he did not even acknowledge Shaq’s offer.
The Black Mamba came into existence after all this died down; it was his way of using the negative to make it positive. The Mamba had not won over anybody with his façade at the start, but once people saw it as an actual lifestyle, they gave in to it. The Mamba Mentality is now the stuff of legends.
All that transpired between the Lakers’ dynamic duo is a funny set of events; they never really hated each other, but the media fuel burned that fire. And the one time Kobe needed his Shaq, he did not speak up, “respecting his privacy.” Funny how life works!
