Shaquille O’Neal winning a title with the Miami Heat in 2006 certainly didn’t sit too well with Kobe Bryant. On the Club Shay Shay podcast, Bryant’s former teammate Trevor Ariza revealed that Kobe had sleepless nights after that, as he wanted to prove he could win without O’Neal.
“It drove him (to) f***ing sleepless nights,” Ariza said. “I could probably say that. He wanted to prove that he was who he thought he was.”
. @KobeBryant watching @Shaq win a ring with the Miami Heat:
“It drove Kobe to sleepless nights.” – @TrevorAriza pic.twitter.com/ieRbOBekns
— Club Shay Shay (@ClubShayShay) December 3, 2023
Considering the kind of competitor Kobe was, this isn’t much of a surprise. Bryant and O’Neal had three-peated with the Los Angeles Lakers from 2000 to 2002, but it was clear that the latter was the driving force and best player in those teams.
Their internal clashes eventually led to O’Neal’s departure in 2004 and he was clearly winning the breakup at first. Shaq and the Heat made it to the Eastern Conference Finals in 2005 and then, of course, won it all in 2006.
Bryant and the Lakers, meanwhile, missed the playoffs in 2005 and then were knocked out in the first round in 2006 and 2007. Ariza also became Bryant’s teammate in 2007 and his frustrations were probably at an all-time high at that point.
Kobe Bryant Was Furious When Shaquille O’Neal Said The Lakers Only Won 3 Titles Because Of Him
The contrast in their success following the breakup just strengthened the notion that Kobe needed O’Neal to win. While many would be offended by it, Kobe claimed he was not. It got to Bryant, though, when O’Neal said the Lakers only won three titles because of him.
“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.”
Well, O’Neal might have just poked the bear there and Bryant would end up one-upping him in the end. The Lakers traded for Pau Gasol in 2008, which finally gave Kobe the secondary star he needed to get over the line.
Kobe and Pau would lead the Lakers to three straight NBA Finals from 2008 to 2010, winning it all in 2009 and 2010. After winning his fifth ring, Bryant had a rather simple message when asked what it meant to him.
“Just got one more than Shaq,” Kobe said. “So you can take that to the bank.”
It certainly would have felt ever so sweet and he silenced his critics once and for all.
Shaquille O’Neal Tore Up His House After Kobe Won His 5th Title
It wouldn’t be wrong to say that just like Kobe, Shaq didn’t take it too well seeing his former teammate win more rings than him. O’Neal revealed he destroyed his house after seeing Bryant win his fifth title.
“Heated, I tore my house up,” O’Neal said. “I went crazy. ‘Cause, when I got four and you got four, that’s straight. When you got that fifth one, you said, ‘I just wanted to get one more than Shaq.'”
He revealed this back in 2018 during his famous interview with Kobe. O’Neal then joked that he might sign a 10-day contract with the Golden State Warriors to win his fifth championship.
While the two loved that they showed they could win without the other, they both ultimately regretted the split, as they’d have won a lot more if they just stayed together.
We sincerely appreciate and respect you as a reader of our site. It would help us a lot if you follow us on Google News because of the latest update.
Thanks for following us. We really appreciate your support.
