The friction between then-Los Angeles Lakers stars Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal paved the way for a new era in the modern NBA. During a 2015 interview with GQ, the Black Mamba once shed light on the reason behind their disagreement. The shooting guard highlighted how Shaq was allegedly rewarded for not working hard, while he was constantly being accused of attempting to break up the team, much to his annoyance.
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At first, the Philadelphia-born accepted how the center was perceived as “charming” for being “lazy”. Following that, he mentioned his thoughts on the entire scenario, stating, “The city of L.A. knows me now, and they know who I am. But at the time, the perception was that Kobe was trying to break up the team. That was wrong”.
The 6ft 6″ icon then revealed his stance on the matter, highlighting his core beliefs as a hard-working individual. He put into the limelight his demands from the Lakers teammates, mentioning, “I am a maniacal worker, and if you’re not working as hard as I am, I am going to let you know about it”.
Following this, the 18x All-Star shed light on the paradoxical nature of the situation, stating, “That’s why Shaq and I still have a good relationship: He knows I have zero fear of him. I would tell him what he was doing, and what he wasn’t doing. And vice versa”. “There were times when we absolutely could not stand each other,” he mentioned before adding, “But we challenged the shit out of each other”.
This put into focus the difference in the players’ mindsets as Bryant attempted to make up for his limited gifted talent through obsession. At the same time, the enviable capabilities of Shaq made him take things for granted with time, resulting in a lack of effort. This became a friction point between the duo while further fueling their competitive spirits. Eventually, it reached its breaking point as they separated in 2004 following a three-peat win.
Kobe Bryant reflected on the dominance of Shaquille O’Neal during the three-peat
During the Lakers’ dominant era from 2000 to 2002, ‘Diesel’ led the franchise to three championship wins. The 7ft 1″ center also won a league MVP and three Finals MVPs in the process of securing the three-peat. During that phase, the New Jersey-born also led the league in field goal percentage showcasing his authority in the paint.
Thus, looking back, Bryant praised the Big Aristotle for his contributions, mentioning, “He had years where he was lazy. But during those three championships, we won? To say he was a beast would be an understatement. To say I didn’t learn things from him that I still use to this day would be a disservice”.
Following this, the 2008 MVP shed light on Shaq’s seeming laziness with age, revealing, “Like, right now, I hurt. My ankle joints, my knee joints. My back. My thighs are sore. But for him, with his big toe and his knee. It became very hard for him to get up in the morning and push through those things”.
So, a veteran Bryant became more understanding of the 15x All-Star’s situation once he entered a similar stage of life. By that time, it was too late for him as the 4x champion had already left the NBA. The entire situation thus explored an unexpected avenue of the duo’s relationship adding another layer to the complicacy between them.
