Kobe Bryant Was Furious Over Shaquille O’Neal’s Absurd $30 Million Demand, While Karl Malone and Gary Payton Played for Free! 

Kobe Bryant has never been one to shy away from speaking up his mind. He may have been stoic and stern when it came to demeanor but not when it came to injustice. Whenever he felt something was wrong, he spoke up.

And perhaps his burgeoning ego was the result of the breakup between him and Shaquille O’Neal, the NBA’s most lethal duo, ever. There were minor rifts from before but in 2003, the tectonic plates collided and the rift became unrepairable.

That was the year, Hall of Famers Karl Malone and Gary Payton decided to try and win a championship for one last time. Armed with a veteran skill set, they wanted to team up with Kobe and Shaq, who wanted to get back to winning ways. But O’Neal was hesitant.

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Shaquille O’Neal wanted to negotiate his contract, and Kobe Bryant didn’t like that

Kobe said, “Leaders don’t beg for contract extensions and negotiate some $30-million-plus deal in the media when we have two
future Hall of Famers playing here basically for free. A leader would not demand the ball when you have three of us besides you, not to mention the teammates that he’s gone to war with the past three years . . . By the way, you also don’t threaten not to play defense, and not to rebound if you don’t get the ball every time down the floor.”

The two Hall of Famers did take massive pay cuts and both virtually played for free.

No holes barred offense from Bryant and one that was a warning shot to O’Neal. Kobe Bryant didn’t care about money, he cared about winning.

He felt that O’Neal was slipping. But more than that, Bryant was done with the Lakers, or so he wanted it to seem.

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How that season became the last time Shaquille O’Neal played for the purple and gold

Shaq’s exit after the 2003-04 season was swift. The Lakers had a very unsatisfying end to their campaign. Buoyed by the sheer star power, they reached the NBA Finals. However, the Detroit Pistons gave them a “gentleman’s sweep”.

Bryant was right about O’Neal’s allegiances, he never had the plan to stay with the Lakers. The contract negotiations were just a stalling tactic. The silver lining was that both athletes had the mental fortitude to win more.

Shaq won another ring and Bryant picked up 2 more championships. This story was covered in Los Angeles Times in 2003.

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