Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant formed arguably the best duo in the history of the NBA, and very few outright star duos come close to dominating as they did for the Lakers around the turn of the millennium. But things weren’t always rosy between the two superstars, with their eventual rift leading to O’Neal’s departure from the Lakers and to the Miami Heat.
There was some competition between the two for the rest of their careers, even though they did eventually reconcile before Kobe’s tragic passing in 2020. However, when Shaq won his 4th title with the Miami Heat, it spurred Kobe on to win more for himself, something that he was sure to rub in Shaq’s face after he won his 5th in 2010.
O’Neal was as fierce a competitor as they come and he knew he had to match his former teammate, which is apparently what drove his decision to join the Boston Celtics at the start of the 2010-11 season, something he admitted to GQ Sports in a recent interview.
“When I signed with Boston, I was chasing that fifth ring to catch up with Kobe, but I was also chasing points to catch up with Wilt… but because I didn’t pass him, I have to allow people to still say his name.”
Shaq spoke about wanting to be the most dominant player ever rather than the GOAT, a conversation that involves Wilt Chamberlain also, and it’s clear that surpassing him was also something Shaq wanted to achieve. However, neither of his goals was accomplished during his stint with the Celtics.
O’Neal played in just 37 games for the team that season and missed the first round of the playoffs. In the second round, he could only play for a couple of games as the Celtics succumbed to the new-look Big 3 Miami Heat. Shaq may have made his peace with all of this since, but it’s always interesting to know just how the minds of the game’s greatest work.
