“You’ve gotta f**k Kobe Bryant up”: Shaquille O’Neal once urged 6ft 9″ forward to trash Mamba over a $100 bet

Following the tragic demise of Lakers legend Kobe Bryant, sports writer Jeff Pearlman published Three-Ring Circus. The book discussed Shaquille O’Neal, Kobe Bryant, and Phil Jackson’s time with the gold and purple. Having deep-dived that turbulent but successful era, Pearlman wrote it all in his book, likely as a tribute to Bryant. However, the way the book started hardly seemed an homage to the late legend.

Pearlman begins his book with a story about Kobe Bryant and Samaki Walker. In it, he revealed how in an attempt to look tough, Kobe messed with the wrong player. A bet between teammates turned into a sucker punch. And then Shaquille O’Neal convinced Walker to trash Kobe but fortunately, things did not get too violent.

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Kobe Bryant sucker punched Samaki Walker

Pearlman revealed how the Lakers had a half-court challenge. All players would put $100 in a pot and take turns shooting from the half-court. Whoever made it first would take win it all. During one such challenge, Kobe Bryant knocked down and won the bet.

However, Samaki, who was the newest addition to the back-to-back championship squad, did not have the money on him. So, when Kobe asked him for the $100, Samaki told him he’d give it to him later.

Later, the squad was on its way to Cleveland to play the Cavaliers. This was when LeBron James was yet not a player.  While on the bus, Kobe Bryant again asked Walker for the money. This was strange because the team had maintained a 48-hour rule for bets where the loser had to pay the winner within 48 hours.

However,  Bryant did not wait for 48 hours and asked Walker on the bus again. This time, when Samaki claimed he did not have the $100 on him, Bryant sucker punched the 6ft 9″ forward. After that, Shaquille O’Neal incited Walker to beat up Bryant.

Pearlman wrote: “The four-time All-Star leans past Fox, draws back his right fist, lunges across Walker’s head, and—pop!—punches him in the right eye. For a moment, everyone on the bus freezes. Just for a moment.”

Pearlman continued: “Walker rises, clenches a fist, and—whoosh! Jerome Crawford, O’Neal’s King Kong Bundy-Esque bodyguard and constant companion, charges from five rows up. He wraps Walker in a bear hug, but not before Walker launches his Discman at Bryant’s head. Not surprisingly, the career 63 percent free throw shooter misses. The device hits the floor and cracks apart. Walker is screaming at Bryant. “F**k you, bitch!” Bryant is screaming at Walker. “No, f**k you!” O’Neal, whose relationship with the young guard is both well chronicled and chronically awful, looks Walker in the face. “You’ve gotta f**k him up!” he says in his deep baritone. “F**k. Him. Up.””

Mamba apologized to Samaki Walker

After the sucker punch, Walker made the driver stop the bus. He then challenged Bryant to step outside and fight him. But by then, Bryant had probably realized what he had done.

Instead of continuing the fight, he chose to remain silent and ignored the taunt. Maybe it was because he was scared. Whatever the case, the world remembers that day better as Kobe dropping 32 points against Cleveland.

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