Putting talent together doesn’t automatically elevate a team into a championship contender. The Paul George and Kawhi Leonard-led Clippers are a perfect example of that. Heat legend Dwyane Wade understood the importance of having skilled teammates but, more importantly, of being on the same page with them. Wade once disclosed a conversation he had with Shaquille O’Neal regarding his differences with the Lakers and Kobe Bryant ahead of the Heat’s 2006 title run.
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O’Neal and Bryant failed to see eye-to-eye. The 2000 MVP desired a change of scenery, so the Lakers and Heat agreed on a trade that sent Shaq to join Wade in Miami prior to the start of the 2003-04 season.
O’Neal, 32 at the time, didn’t want to repeat the events that led to his departure from Los Angeles. Wade was only 23 when O’Neal joined the team, which caused ‘The Big Diesel” to be wary of stepping on Wade’s toes in the same fashion he had with Bryant.
Wade revealed on Quite Frankly with Stephen A. Smith, that the two stars had an adult conversation. O’Neal opened up about his differences with Bryant so that he and Wade wouldn’t make the same mistakes.
“We had a conversation for an hour and talked about everything that happened in LA,” Wade said. “He said he had some differences with different things they wanted to do over there. Of course, Shaq is the greatest player of all time and Kobe is coming to his own.”
The eventual three-time NBA champion offered complete transparency in their conversation. It makes sense that O’Neal and Bryant butted heads, since their paths were conflicting. However, Wade and O’Neal agreed to ensure the same outcome didn’t result for them.
“He has some differences over there. That’s something that we will not and cannot have down here, and I absolutely agree with him,” Wade said.
Bryant and Wade’s personalities are completely different. Despite their differences, Wade and O’Neal were able to figure out a common ground, which led to them reaching basketball immortality in 2006.
Shaq and Kobe’s massive feud
O’Neal and Bryant’s notorious beef in the early 2000s ended one of the greatest dynasties in NBA history. Bryant had issues with O’Neal’s work ethic, which snowballed into a longstanding feud, one Shaq regrets in hindsight.
Fortunately, Shaq and Kobe made amends before the Lakers legend’s untimely death. However, when reflecting on his impasse with his former teammate, O’Neal can’t help but feel remorse over how things panned out.
“I’ll never get to see Kobe again, in real life, forever,” O’Neal said. “And I just should have called. He should have called. We both should have called. But he’s working, I’m working, so it’s, ‘I’ll see you when I see you.’”
It has been five years since Bryant’s passing, and O’Neal continues to grieve his dear friend. Although the two’s relationship didn’t blossom the way they would have liked, what they accomplished together on the Lakers can’t be taken away.
