Kobe Bryant loved himself some trash talk, and audio of him jawing at Shaquille O’Neal and Kevin Garnett during a game on January 30, 2011, has now gone viral.
Kobe Bryant: “Remember me, buddy?”
Kevin Garnett: “How is that a foul?”
Kobe Bryant: “I pump-faked his a**”
Kevin Garnett: “F*** out of here.”
LEAKED Audio Of Kobe Bryant Trash Talking Shaquille O’Neal & Kevin Garnett In 2011👀:
Kobe: “Remember me buddy?” 2x
KG: “How is that a foul?”
Kobe: “I pump faked his a**”
KG: “F*ck out of here” pic.twitter.com/4cbdzFLk1g
— LegendZ (@legendz_prod) October 10, 2023
O’Neal certainly would remember who that was and Bryant would have enjoyed rubbing it in his face there. The two men infamously clashed during their time as teammates on the Los Angeles Lakers and were still at odds with each other at this point.
O’Neal was the one who was all smiles at first after he won a championship with the Miami Heat in 2006, but Kobe had very much gained the upper hand back by the time 2011 rolled around. He had won back-to-back titles in 2009 and 2010 to get to five championships while O’Neal was stuck at four.
Shaquille O’Neal Tore His House Up After Kobe Bryant Won His Fifth Title
To say O’Neal was upset that Bryant had surpassed him in terms of titles, might be an understatement. He was furious at the time, and O’Neal admitted he destroyed his house when Kobe won his fifth title.
Bryant gleefully stating how happy he was to get one more title than his former teammate only made matters worse for the big man. Wanting to win his fifth championship was actually one of the big reasons why O’Neal ended up joining the Celtics in 2010.
He would fall short in that quest, though, as they lost to the Miami Heat in the Conference Semifinals. Fortunately for Shaq, he didn’t have to worry about Kobe winning any more titles, as Bryant never got close to winning another after 2010.
This Was The Last Time Kobe Bryant And Shaquille O’Neal Played Against Each Other
Interestingly, this would end up being the last time that Kobe and Shaq played against each other, with the former winning the individual battle fairly comfortably. Bryant had 41 points and 3 rebounds in this game while O’Neal failed to score a point and had just 6 rebounds and 2 blocks.
The big man would have the last laugh, however, as the Boston Celtics beat the Lakers 109-96. O’Neal then missed the second Lakers-Celtics game due to injury and after the season, announced his retirement. All in all, the two would end up facing off 11 times, with Bryant clearly outperforming O’Neal.
Kobe averaged 35.0 points, 5.8 rebounds, 4.3 assists, 1.2 steals, and 0.7 blocks per game while O’Neal put up 16.7 points, 9.2 rebounds, 1.7 assists, 0.2 steals, and 1.4 blocks per game.
Despite that significant difference, O’Neal actually did win more games between the two, holding a 7-4 edge. I wish we could have seen them square off in the playoffs, as it would have been an iconic series.
While Bryant and O’Neal ended up having success without each other, they ultimately did look back at the split with a great deal of regret. O’Neal stated that he and Bryant would have won seven championships with the Lakers had they not split, and they very well could have.
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