Shaquille O’Neal had one of the most intimidating presences of any big man in NBA history. And he would often pair that intimidation with some mean-spirited trash talk, as he knew most opponents would never go after him. However, the Big Diesel also used to direct some of that trash talk toward his own teammates, like Kobe Bryant, to get them to play better.
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Some athletes and people in general compete harder when they’re being trash-talked. It’s a trigger to some, as it can create a rivalry and encourage one to prove the smack talker wrong. O’Neal knew he had to be mean to get in his opponents’ heads from time to time. But he also knew he had to do it to get the best out of his teammates, too.
“I became an a**hole,” O’Neal revealed on Armchair Expert with Dax Shepperd. “Because earlier I was focused on a relationship. But now I’m focusing on the task… If I know you’re going to give me your best rhetoric when you’re upset, I’m gonna make you upset.”
It was a daring task for O’Neal to undertake, as it could’ve driven a wedge between him and Bryant. In fact, it did drive a wedge between them. A wedge that they were both very candid about after they retired.
Despite the wedge, O’Neal and Bryant would go on to win 3 straight NBA titles. Throughout it all, the Diesel was egging on the Black Mamba because he knew it would take his game to an entirely new level.
“I know Kobe’s going to be a monster when he’s mad… And it would drive him crazy,” O’Neal said. The Hall of Famer then went into examples of what he would tell Bryant to get him going.
“You ain’t sh*t. That f***ing Michael Jordan jumper you’re doing is not going to work,” he added.
It’s all too reminiscent of something another former player said about O’Neal and Bryant’s relationship. Paul Shirley once talked about how Shaq would often make fun of Kobe during training camp.
“Shaq would make fun of him and behind his back say, ‘Hey, look at baby Mike out there.’ Because Kobe Bryant was aping Michael Jordan,” Shirley said on Fearless with Jason Whitlock.
It seems as though the MJ smack talk was O’Neal’s favorite when it came to clowning on Bryant. This was because he and everyone knew that Kobe directly modelled his game after the GOAT. So, it was the perfect way to badger him.
By the end of O’Neal’s sit-down, though, he did express some love to his other Laker teammates.
“I love Horry. Kobe and I get a lot of credit, but we definitely would not have won any without the others. So, I always try to stir the name. Big Shot Bob saved both of ours a lot. Rick Fox saved our a** a lot. B-Shaw, Gary Payton.”
Without Horry, we probably wouldn’t have gotten to witness the three-peat. In Game 4 of the Western Conference Finals, he hit a massive three-pointer as time expired to beat the Sacramento Kings 100-99. The series would go 7 games, and the shot proved to be the difference-maker.
It goes to show that O’Neal didn’t trash-talk all of his teammates, just some. His most notable victim, though, had to be Bryant. As he never seemed to spare any expense when it came to getting the Black Mamba riled up and ready to strike.
