The conversation in the NBA is all about teammates fighting one another at this time. Draymond Green’s altercation with Jordan Poole has become one of the biggest talking points around the league, with lots of players weighing in on the matter. And while the video of the punch coming out has made this a unique case, it’s not the first time that teammates have fought during practice in NBA history.
Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal are one of the greatest pairings to have played in the league. They won three straight championships together and then went on to win championships without each other as well. And Shaq and Kobe famously didn’t get along too well in their playing days. The rift between them is what eventually caused the Lakers to move on from O’Neal.
Kobe Bryant And Shaquille O’Neal Once Reminisced About Their First Fight
One would think that considering how big Shaquille O’Neal was, Kobe Bryant wouldn’t try to fight him. But the Mamba was as competitive and wild as they come, so it’s not like he cared too much about the size difference. So when the two were together on the Lakers, even before the championships, they had their first physical tussle, something they recounted in a 2018 interview.
Kobe and Shaq talk about their first physical fight 😂😂
— Ballislife.com (@Ballislife) October 7, 2022
Kobe Bryant: “I think I can remember the first time we had our first fight. And you looked and said, ‘Okay, this motherf***er crazy.'”
Shaquille O’Neal: “I did say that, I said this motherf***er crazy.”
Kobe Bryant: “We were playing a pickup game. It was lockout season, South West College, we were playing a pickup game. We’re on opposite teams, and trash-talking.
Shaquille O’Neal: “Yes.”
Kobe Bryant: “And you kept saying, ‘Yeah, take that lil b*tch, take that, lil b*tch.’ I’m looking around like, ‘f**ker’s talking to me!’ And I said, ‘Hold on, there ain’t gonna be too many more of those.’
“To which you said, ‘What you gonna do about it? What you gonna do about it?’ Next thing I knew, I saw a big hand coming this way, and I remember going this way. And I remember throwing some lollipop sh*t Olden Polynice came and caught and then they all just kinda broke us apart, broke us up.”
Even the greatest players in the game’s history haven’t always behaved ideally, and this story is a good example of that. This isn’t to say that Draymond Green’s punch can be excused in today’s context, but it is a reminder of the competitive nature of top basketball. And it’s a fun story to remember otherwise as well.
