The Los Angeles Lakers have always been a phenomenal team in the NBA. Of course, we need to count out their current form as they have been struggling a lot since the era of Jeanie Buss began. But prior to that, the Purple and Gold were always one of the top teams in the league.
There are many iconic eras in the rich history of the team and the time when the organization had the duo of Kobe Bryant, and Shaquille O’Neal ranks high among fans. Kobe and Shaq led the Lakers to three consecutive NBA Championships and once again proved to the NBA community that the Lakers were a dominant team.
Unfortunately, due to the infamous beef between the two superstars, Shaq was traded to the Miami Heat in 2004.
Kobe Bryant On Why He Was Angry At Shaquille O’Neal
After Shaq’s departure from the Lakers, it took the team some time to get back to its winning ways. On the other hand, O’Neal won a ring with Dwyane Wade by his side. So people were quick to derive the narrative that Kobe won three rings only because of the Diesel.
In an old interview, Kobe was asked about his thoughts on this narrative and did it fuel his competitiveness to win more rings than O’Neal.
“No, I never really cared about when other people said that, they never bothered me, that people said, ‘Well, you only win championships because you playing with Shaq, it bothered me when he said it, So when he said it, I said, okay, you know what? that’s it because you know what time it is.”
Kobe Bryant was one of the most competitive players to play in the NBA. Just like his idol Michael Jordan, he took things personally pretty easily. And as per Bryant, he made it his mission to win more rings than Shaq when the former big man said it.
Well, Kobe succeeded in doing so. He achieved it by winning back-to-back rings with the Lakers in 2009 and 2010. After Shaq and Kobe’s career was over, the Mamba had one more ring than his former teammate.
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