Kobe Bryant is one of the greatest players of all time. However, he wasn’t exactly the easiest player to work with. Notorious for being a bad teammate, the Black Mamba once had beef with two of the best centers of all time. In 2004, Hall of Famer Shaquille O’Neal left the Los Angeles Lakers due to the clash of egos between himself and Kobe. Nine years later, he ended up in a similar situation with Dwight Howard. And, as he revealed to CNN, like with Shaq, irreconcilable differences led to their eventual breakup.
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The five-time NBA Champion was known for his incredible work ethic. As such, he valued hard work over everything else. So, naturally, when he teamed up with anyone who wasn’t at his level, things ended badly. As it did with both Shaq and Dwight, both of whom preferred relaxing over working on their game.
Kobe Bryant broke down why exactly things didn’t work out with Dwight Howard
In 2012, the Orlando Magic traded Dwight Howard to the Los Angeles Lakers. It was a blockbuster deal, one that the Lakers hoped would help propel the team to championship success. However, after just one season, Dwight had enough and moved to Texas to play for the Houston Rockets.
It was a bewildering saga, but one that heavily revolved around Dwight’s Lakers teammate, Kobe Bryant. The Black Mamba is an intense player. One who values hard work and determination over skill and talent. And, while Howard did have the latter in droves, he lacked the work ethic Kobe desired.
So, as Bryant explained in an interview in 2013, the chemistry that the Lakers hoped would develop between himself and Dwight never occurred. A superstar partnership, that “philosophically” was doomed to fail from the start.
Interviewer: “You guys had a tough time playing together… you and Dwight.”
Kobe: “Well… I mean it’s different perspectives. I have a way that I think winning should be done. Which is… you know… hard work and it’s a challenging nature. So, you and I, if we’re working together… you got to challenge me just as I have to challenge you. Lot of times it makes people uncomfortable. But, I don’t think you can argue with the results.”
Interviewer: “He said that you didn’t give him the ball enough and that you were shooting too much…”
Kobe: “I don’t know. I mean… it’s ugh… I think he had plenty of opportunities. I just think philosophically, that relationship was never going to work.”
The end of their tenure together was unexpected. But, it was eerily similar to a previous falling out Kobe had. A highly publicized one, with none other than Shaquille O’Neal.
Kobe’s feud with Shaquille O’Neal holds legendary status as part of NBA lore
The feud between Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal is one of the most highly publicized feuds in NBA history. It saw the end of an era and the split of one of the greatest duos in NBA history. But why? Well, it all had to do with the clash of egos and the Lakers’ decision to go with Kobe as the face of the organization moving forward.
Dr. Jerry Buss was incredibly impressed by Kobe and decided he would be the future of the Lakers. A decision that did not sit well with Shaq, who was traded away to the Heat in 2004.
The feud led to the end of what could have been a dynasty for the ages. However, if Kobe’s statement about Dwight Howard is anything to go by, perhaps Shaq’s departure, even if it didn’t happen in 2004, would have been inevitable.
