Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal were among the most electrifying duos of all time. The two superstars shared the court for eight years and during that time won three NBA Championships.
Unfortunately, the two drifted apart after winning a 3-peat, which ultimately led to the Lakers picking one of them. They picked Kobe and started to build around it. But even to this day, many wonder what if the duo stayed together? Would they have won more championships? There is no way for us to figure that out.
What we know is facts from their time together. Today, our focus is on the very first NBA title that Kobe and Shaq won in 2000. The two superstars faced the Indiana Pacers in the 2000 NBA Finals.
The series went to six games and ended up in favor of the Purple & Gold. Although they dominated the series in general, at one point, it felt like the Lakers might let the Pacers make a comeback in Game 4 of the series.
Shaq fouled out during a crucial moment in the game, fortunately for the Lakers, Kobe stepped up and took over the game. The two legends of the game discussed that moment in the famous 1-on-1 interview, which they used to settle their differences. Here is how the conversation went between them in the said interview.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N8Kio298RvQ
Shaquille O’Neal: “In the finals in Indiana, I fouled out. I’m like damn, I’ve let the team down again. And you put your hand on my shoulder and said, ‘Don’t worry big fella, I got it.’ All I knew you was a bad cat but that moment right there because you have no fear, I was like.”
Kobe Bryant: “But you know what? I knew how much it meant to you. You don’t let your brother down, right? It wasn’t my time yet. This championship was yours, right? Because you worked hard to get to this point, right? For your whole career in Orlando and all the disappointments and here you are and it’s my responsibility to pick that up.”
For years, most of us have continued to believe that there was a beef between the two players. But clips like these prove that there was a brotherhood between them as well.
Moreover, a few years ago, Kobe Bryant clarified that there was no beef between him and Shaq. Fans love hearing such amazing stories about their favorite players. Unfortunately, the Mamba is no longer with us, otherwise, we are sure he would have kept narrating such amazing stories from his playing days.
