The legacy of one of the greatest sports franchises in the world, The Los Angeles Lakers, cannot be described without one big name – Shaquille O’Neal. The big man was THE star of Lakerland and the NBA at the peak of his powers. And it was at this peak that Shaq conquered the NBA title and held it for three consecutive years.
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Alongside Shaq, a young Kobe Bryant starred in the Lakers’ three-peat. Bryant was the well-established #2 option who would take over from the older primary option role held by O’Neal.
However, with two absolute egos being the two characters in that takeover, it promised to be rough and indeed led to a messy breakup in LA. Shaq and Kobe both wanted to be the alpha, ending in the duo going their separate ways.
All good things do have to come to an end. Under the guidance of “The Zenmaster” Phil Jackson, the Lakers were on a romp, until they weren’t.
The rift between Shaq and Kobe may have been unwarranted, but once O’Neal lost his marbles at his coach. The reason involved an unfortunate fine at a terrible time, ultimately.
Why did Shaquille O’Neal blast his coach, Phil Jackson, in public?
In 2001, Shaquille O’Neal, the biggest star in the NBA, was fined by his coach for missing a practice. While this sounds reasonable enough, context dictates a reconsideration. In reality, O’Neal had missed practice only because he had to attend the birth of his daughter, Amirah O’Neal.
Shaq has often spoken about the importance family holds in his life. To such an individual, the birth of a child is as important an occasion as any in life. So, naturally, when The Big Diesel learned about the fine, it was made evident that the fact did not sit well with him.
O’Neal was asked what he thought about the fine. Expletives definitely did follow.
“That fine? That *expletive* knows what he can do with that fine” was O’Neal’s response. With direct reference to his coach, Phil Jackson, who implemented the fine, Shaq had made his displeasure clear. Tensions must have been flaring at the next practice session in LA.
So, Shaq had feuded with his coach and his co-star during his time with LA. And an eventual move to the Miami Heat followed, with the Lakers deciding to take the Kobe #1 plan ahead. While O’Neal waxes lyrical about his pride in being a Laker legend, beef was well in the air at the time.
However, the Kobe – Shaq beef wasn’t apparently just about egos. Coach Phil Jackson was also to blame, as per Robert Horry’s version of the tale.
How was Phil Jackson to blame in Robert Horry’s version of the Shaq and Kobe story?
“Big Shot Bob” was living up to his name as a teammate of Shaq and Kobe. The veteran was one of the key players for the three-peat Lakers and was well aware of what was brewing in LA.
Horry went on to state that he believes Phil Jackson was a reason for the duo’s breakup. According to Horry, “It happened many times that after team practice he would say, “Kobe said this about Shaq, and Shaq said that about Kobe.”… We couldn’t believe how could that happen, because just the day before we saw them together, jumping on one another. Phil liked it when there was conflict of some sort.”
Uncharacteristic for someone nicknamed “The Zenmaster” indeed. Jackson and his Chicago Bulls saw a lot of conflicts, as evident from “The Last Dance,” and still ended up as champions. Maybe this stirred up an affliction for conflict in Jackson.
The duo was arguably the greatest one-two attacking punch the league has ever seen and yet went their separate ways, with the Lakers very much still the top dogs in the West. Naturally, what if Shaq and Kobe hadn’t beefed, remains one of the biggest “What-ifs” in NBA history.
Also read: “How My A** Taste?”: Shaquille O’Neal’s Obscene Rap about Kobe Bryant Was Leaked for $1500
