“Had the Courage to Say Anything”: Shaquille O’Neal Lashed Out at Magic Johnson in 2011 for Not Intervening During Infamous Beef with Kobe Bryant

Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal formed one of the greatest duos in NBA history, if not the very greatest, leading the Los Angeles Lakers to three consecutive championships in the early 2000s. However, a very public beef between Shaq and Kobe, that transpired after their Championship run in the 1999-2000 season, soon rocked their relationship. The feud only got worse with time, ultimately causing the superstar duo to part ways in 2004. In his 2011 book “Shaq Uncut”, Shaq called out Magic Johnson and other Lakers legends for not stepping up and helping them solve the issue during the ongoing feud.

The infamous feud had become the talk of the town during its prime years. Despite both legends trying to get past their age-old feud, the beef kept unfolding, making headlines even after their retirement. However, the former teammates had fortunately amended their relationship before Bryant tragically passed in a helicopter crash in 2020.

Shaquille O’Neal lashed out at Lakers legends for not stepping in during his beef with Kobe Bryant

Alluding to the long feud between them, Shaq wrote in his 2011 book, that he expected the Lakers greats and elders to step up and solve the problem between them. However, instead of Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul Jabbar, two of the Lakers’ greatest legends, it was Brian Shaw who stepped up and tried to solve the problem between Shaq and Kobe. Shaq wrote in “Shaq Uncut”;

“Somehow Kobe and I made it through the rest of the year without any major issues. BShaw managed to get us back on track. It’s kind of funny when you think about it. All these supposed Lakers leaders who care so much about the franchise, all these Lakers legends, none of them ever had the courage to say anything to Kobe and me. Not Kareem, not Magic, not Mitch Kupchak, none of them. Only Brian Shaw took us on.”

After Shaq and Kobe retired from the league, they tried to mend things and started to grow closer. However, after the tragic crash in 2020, Shaq felt devastated with the death of his friend. He later said that he should have tried to talk to Kobe and mended things between them much earlier.

Shaq vouched for Brian Shaw to get the coaching job

Shaq never forgot what Brain Shaw had done for him during his stint with the Lakers. When the veteran coach was out of a coaching job in 2013, Shaq had vouched for him to get the coaching job in LA. The four-time NBA Champion preached that the former Lakers coach was very capable for the job. Shaq had also added that this was a new era of basketball and Shaw understood the new business of coaching the young guys in the league. Vouching for Shaw to get a coaching job, Shaq said to USA Today;

“I’d like for him to get the Clippers or Brooklyn job. Make sure you put it in so they know I said it. People need to realize this is a new era and B Shaw speaks that language. He’s my age, but he understands how it goes.”

The Big Diesel also added that Shaq was the reason he won three championships with the Lakers.