“I tore my house up after you won your 5th ring!”: Shaq admitted to going on a rampage after Kobe Bryant got one more championship than him in 2010

Shaq told Kobe Bryant to his face that he tore his house up after seeing Bryant win one more championship than him in 2010. 

The turn of the century saw perhaps the most dominant duo win three straight championships to open up the millennia. Kobe Bryant and Shaq brought the Los Angeles Lakers back into their 1980s glory days with three straight title wins over the Indiana Pacers in 2000, Philadelphia 76ers in 2001, and the New Jersey Nets in 2002. 

Of course, as everybody who knows even a bit about the Lakers knows that Kobe and Shaq were quite the atypical duo. Both suited to be number one offensive options on championship teams, the two simply didn’t not mesh well together, personality wise.

Also read: “Michael Jordan was once one of 3 most famous people on the planet”: When a 1996 study found out MJ’s unmatched popularity, Princess Diana and the Pope being other top names

Everything from Shaq confronting Bryant about his shot selection to them getting into a physical altercation at a practice, the duo was not compatible. Yet, they won three straight. Imagine if they had actually liked each other enough to stay together. 

O’Neal did recently come out and say on the NELK boys podcast that he played up his beef with Kobe Bryant to quite the extent to generate buzz in the tabloids. 

Shaq tore his house up after learning that Kobe Bryant won his 5th ring. 

Shaq doesn’t limit his property damage to urinals in arenas as he admitted to Kobe’s face in a sit-down interview with him that he tore his house up after seeing him lead the Los Angeles Lakers to a second straight championship after beating the Celtics in Game 7 in 2010. 

This gave Kobe Bryant 5 total championship rings, making it one more than Shaq. The sit-down interview was in the form of what Isiah Thomas and Magic Johnson had before them as a way to bury the hatchet.

Also read: “You shouldn’t need recruiting to come to the Lakers”: Kobe Bryant reveals the pressure of following his and Magic Johnson’s footsteps in an old clip

Kobe Bryant would go on to say in this same interview that he actually rooted for Shaq to win his 4th ring in Miami to fuel his desire to win 2 or 3 more rings, to edge out O’Neal in total NBA Finals won. 

“I knew you were going to get one,” said Kobe to Shaq. “I knew you were going to get on because of the energy, you’re going to Miami, D-Wade, and everything that was there. So I knew I had to get at least two or three. I wanted you to get that because I needed that.”