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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