The era of Shaquille O’Neal and the late, great Kobe Bryant was arguably one of the most exciting times in the Lakers’ history. The duo three-peated the Larry O’Brien trophy, made four NBA Finals appearances, and are often regarded as the most dominant one-two punch in NBA History. But there were other contributing factors to the excitement around them. Shaq and Kobe rarely got along and had a rocky relationship.
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The NBA legend is currently in Mexico on a promo run for his brand. During a media interaction, he was asked about which teammate he had the best chemistry with. Although he had great chemistry with most of his teammates mainly due to his personality, the top spot on Shaq’s list belongs to Kobe.
He said, “My favorite would be Kobe Bryant.” The big fella also stated that they could’ve won four rings, but they still made four NBA Finals appearances in such a short span. Shaq choosing Kobe as his top choice was interesting because these two had a very public feud back in the day. Their differences led to Shaq leaving LA for Miami. Although they eventually made peace, the tales of their rift are never-ending.
While Kobe received the highest praise, Shaq didn’t forget to mention some of his other teammates. He said,
“Every guy I played with, I had chemistry. Me and Penny Hardaway had great chemistry, made to the Finals, wasn’t able to win. Me and Kobe had killer chemistry, we won three. Me and D Wade had great chemistry and Steve Nash, so, every guy I played with I tried to bring in the team concept.”
Having the best chemistry with someone doesn’t mean they were Shaq’s favorite teammate. On a recent episode of The Big Podcast, Shaq revealed who his best teammate was.
Shaquille O’Neal named his best teammate
On his podcast, Shaq was in conversation with Leonard Fournette. The Super Bowl winner put Big Diesel on the spot and asked him, “Out of all the guys you played with on your team, who was the best?” Shaq started by saying, “Kobe was the meanest.” However, he wasn’t his favorite to play with because he was equally driven to score.
Shaq revealed that Hardaway was the best teammate to have because he used to pass him the ball. He said, “Penny Hardaway was super unselfish. He gave me the ball every time.” Even though Kobe’s hunger used to be a problem due to ball possession conflict, Shaq has always admired that about his little brother.
The four-time NBA Champion said that even at the tender age of 18, Kobe wanted to shut everyone down if they talked trash to him. Shaq personally tested that quality in him and realized that the young Kobe had a great future lined up for him.
