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Reading: Bill Russell Played A Key Role In Ending Shaquille O’Neal And Kobe Bryant’s Beef
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Home > NBA News & Analysis > Bill Russell Played A Key Role In Ending Shaquille O’Neal And Kobe Bryant’s Beef

Bill Russell Played A Key Role In Ending Shaquille O’Neal And Kobe Bryant’s Beef

Shaquille O'Neal once spoke about how Bill Russell intervened to ensure his beef with Kobe Bryant came to an end.

Divij Kulkarni
Jan 21, 2023
3 Min Read
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Credit: Fadeaway World

Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant brought the Los Angeles Lakers closer to catching their longtime rivals, the Boston Celtics in terms of titles. During their tenure in Los Angeles, Shaq and Kobe grew together and added 3 titles to the Lakers’ burgeoning trophy room. But as many now, things were far from perfect between the iconic duo. 

Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant both were great enough to be the main man for the Lakers. This led to some serious issues, with O’Neal reportedly threatening to kill Kobe once. Bryant, for his part, seemingly didn’t think much of Shaq and his work ethic. Whatever the many reasons, the beef was deep, eventually only getting squashed in 2006 when Shaq returned to play against Kobe as a member of the Miami Heat. But a legendary NBA player played a role in that as well. 


Bill Russell’s Advice To Shaquille O’Neal Was Instrumental In Ending The Shaq-Kobe Feud

In 2006, the Miami Heat played the Los Angeles Lakers in the regular season when O’Neal went up to his old teammate and took the first step in moving on. Shaq reportedly congratulated Kobe on the birth of his daughter, a move that surprised Bryant. And talking to ESPN at the time, O’Neal revealed how Bill Russell was key to his decision to make that move to mend things between them. 

“I had orders from the great Bill Russell,” O’Neal said. “Me and him were talking in Seattle the other day, and he was telling me how rivalries should be. I asked him if he ever disliked anybody he played against, and he told me, ‘No, never,’ and he told that I should shake Kobe Bryant’s hand and let bygones be bygones and bury the hatchet.

“Today is a day of peace. Dr. Martin Luther King was an ambassador of peace. So when I talked to Mr. Russell, he told me he said that him and Chamberlain spoke once or twice a week before he passed away. And even though people thought they hated each other, there was nothing but love there.”

It’s odd to think that arguably the biggest Celtics legend was on hand to help end the animosity between two Lakers legends. But Bill Russell was a great man and shared a special relationship with Shaquille O’Neal as well as Kobe Bryant. Considering the tragedy that would befall Bryant in 2020, that advice proved to be incredibly wise. 

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TAGGED:Kobe BryantShaquille O'Neal
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ByDivij Kulkarni
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Divij Kulkarni is an NBA columnist for Fadeaway World. He has covered the NBA and the English Premier League, with 4 years of experience in creating sports content. Finding exciting and intriguing content about all things NBA is both his job and his passion. Divij loves the Dallas Mavericks and can be regularly observed getting emotional during games. Outside of basketball, he enjoys reading fantasy and sci-fi novels, consuming copious amounts of movies and TV, and spending time with his dog, Olivia. Expertise: NBA, Historical Sports ResearchFavorite Team: Dallas MavericksFeatured On HoopsHype, Sports Illustrated, Secret Base, MSNPrevious Work: Tribuna
Previous Article Dejounte Murray Reveals He Still Has Beef With Paolo Banchero
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