Former NBA forward AC Green had the privilege to be a part of two of the best teams in league history. First, he was a part of the Showtime Lakers, winning back-to-back titles in 1986 and 1987, respectively. Then, he re-joined the team in the late 90s, helping them win again, but this time with another great duo showing the way.
After playing with Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Green knew what it took to win, and he tried to pass that knowledge on to the younger generations. Now, we could say that his intervention really helped the Lakers reach the next level and win more championships.
Green knew that Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal had a problem and didn’t like each other, but he tried to work with that and let them know that even if they hated one another, there was still a way they could be successful together.
AC Green Talks About Helping Shaquille O’Neal And Kobe Bryant Winning A Ring In Los Angeles
Talking with Byron Scott on Scott’s podcast, Green talked about the work he had to do to make Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant get along, at least on the court, so the Lakers could win another championship.
“Yeah, that’s phenomenal and when you really think about it–because that bridge of Showtime to the new millennium, not many cross that bridge. So I remember in our team locker room, our two superstars not seeing eye-to-eye and then us veteran guys who already won the championship and we’re in the middle like, ‘you know what we’ve got to do, right?’
“[We said], ‘coaches, can y’all leave the room for a minute?’ Some voices got high, some furniture got moved. Point got across and the mission got on, and then we went on to another winning streak, and then finally started to see, this is how you win, and this is how you actually play, and this is how you start to look out after one another.”
That lesson was learned, and the Lakers took advantage of that until they couldn’t. Even though Shaq and Kobe were great together on the court, their relationship was terrible when they weren’t playing. Many people wonder what would have happened if they never got separate ways, including Shaq.
O’Neal has claimed that he never had beef with Kobe, but history suggests the opposite. It’s still good to know that they made amends after all and were on good terms until Kobe sadly passed away nearly 3 years ago.
Green can take pride in helping this team win the first of their 3 consecutive championships, starting one of the best dynasties in NBA history that year.
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