Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant had one of the most dramatic breakups in NBA history. The two won three straight titles together, then promptly parted ways after two dysfunctional seasons. And when it came down to it, the team had to choose between Shaq and Kobe.
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In the end, we all know which way the LA Lakers went. They decided to hand Kobe the massive 7-year, $136 million contract and traded O’Neal to the Miami Heat. But recently, Big Diesel revealed that the team traded him without warning in 2004.
“It was funny because I was eating Frosted Flakes, watching ESPN, listening to what people saying, and then they said Mitch Kupchak said he will take offers on Shaq,” O’Neal shared on the Straight Game Podcast.
Kupchak was the Lakers GM at the time. It’s not like he had to inform O’Neal that he was being traded, but it would’ve been a nice thing to do. After all, Shaq and Kobe were at a well-known breaking point at the time, and the big man’s contract was also up at the end of the year. Essentially, something had to give, and Kupchak should’ve let his player know that a trade was on the table.
O’Neal didn’t react well to the news. He said that he hopped in his car and drove to the Lakers’ facility to act like he was getting some gear. But in reality, he was going to have a word with Kupchak.
“I was going to f**k Mitch Kupchak up. I promise you, because my thing is, I understand the business, but show me a little more respect,” O’Neal stated. “I’m sitting there, eating Frosted Flakes with little Shareef, and he looking up at me. I’m looking at him, like, ‘Damn, we’re getting traded.’ I was going to kill that dude.”
Okay, maybe Shaq was going to have more than a word with his GM at the time. That’s why it’s a good thing the team’s police didn’t let him inside the facility. They were probably informed by Kupchak that O’Neal might react strongly to the rumors and were ready for the incident.
What’s funny is that in retrospect, Shaq understands why the Lakers wanted to trade him. He just didn’t like the way they went about it.
“After we lost, he did the right thing. He said, ‘Hey, if you don’t get rid of Shaq, I’m not coming back.’ So, they chose the younger guy, then I was traded a couple of days later.”
Another Heated O’Neal Exit
The thing about Shaq, though, is that it would be nice to be on his side about how Kupchak disrespected him. But this destructive behavior followed him to Miami as well. In fact, a scuffle he once had with the team’s coach, Pat Riley, led to him being traded.
“Jason Williams came half a second late. He was like, ‘Hey man, you need to get out.’ I told Jason we’re not doing that cuz that’s when he got rid of Antoine and my guys and had a regular team. We was losing like crazy. So he told J-Dub to get out. I said, ‘No, we’re not getting out.’ He said, ‘Well, you get out.’ I said, ‘Motherf****r, put me out,’” O’Neal shared on the same podcast.
Riley did put Shaq out by trading him the very next day to the Phoenix Suns. Going to show that even though he was a menacing presence, O’Neal’s intimidation tactics rarely worked when it came to his head coaches and front offices.
