Brian Shaw had the opportunity to play and win championships alongside Kobe Bryant and the LA Lakers and later return to the team as an assistant coach. Shaw has seen different levels in which Bryant dealt with his co-stars, which he discussed with Paul George in a recent episode of Podcast P. He always wanted to establish himself as an elite force within his team’s roster and in the NBA. Hence, Bryant was never afraid to challenge any player who dared to cross his way.
Advertisement
The Lakers acquired shooting guard Isiah ‘JR’ Rider during the summer of 2000-01, who played with the team for almost a full season. The Lakers used to have intense practice sessions and scrimmages during that time, with Mamba always leading the show. Shaw described how JR Rider once dared to trash-talk him during practice, which urged the Mamba to challenge him to a 1v1 faceoff.
JR Rider once scored on Kobe during practice and dared to talk smack to the young Lakers star right after. This irked Kobe to challenge Rider to face him one-on-one after the practice. Seeing intense tension build-up, head coach Phil Jackson stopped the practice and let Kobe and JR Rider resolve the matter in a 1-v-1 contest. While all the players sat on the sidelines watching the two play, Kobe dominated Rider, who was considered a decent hooper in his playing days.
Describing that intense moment, Shaw told Paul George,
“JR Rider could hoop his a** up, and Kobe ate his a** up. He chewed him up!”
Shaw also recalled how the rest of the Lakers bench was in complete awe, with Horace Grant trying to level up the tensions by warning Rider to be careful before messing with Kobe. Rider was left embarrassed after this intense showdown as he walked to the sidelines and was challenged to beat the rest of the Lakers roster in his fit of frustration.
It is interesting how Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant recruited the eight-year veteran JR Rider to join them in LA. According to Rider, Bryant would often ask head coach Phil Jackson to allow Rider to guard him to test himself and improve his own game. Rider played his part well enough for the 2000-01 Lakers team, leading the bench by averaging 7.6 points per game in his 67 games.
Shaq once offered JR Rider $10,000 to get into a fight with Kobe Bryant
JR Rider had long realized the potential of young Kobe Bryant even before he arrived at the Lakers. He had faced an 18-year-old Kobe in the league and felt lucky to play alongside an emerging legend who was guaranteed greatness in the future.
However, at that time, the feud between Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant was brewing hot. Rider recalled in a 2020 appearance on All The Smoke podcast how Shaq had even offered him $10,000 to fight Kobe Bryant during one of their practices. Shaq made this offer three days after Rider joined the Lakers in the summer of 2000. Recalling this incident, Rider said,
“When I first get to the Lakers, Shaq tells me, if you and Kobe get into it, it’s 10 G’s in the locker. This is three days into practice… I’m like, ‘Man, come on, you playing, man.'”
Reasonably enough, Rider turned down Shaq’s offer to not draw heat and tensions for himself. He had quite a decent run with the Lakers, helping the franchise win a championship during their three-peat run between 1999 and 2002.
