Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant starred in one of the biggest feuds the NBA has seen. Everything started pretty fine with the pair but things got worse season after season, ultimately leading to the Los Angeles Lakers trading Shaquille O’Neal to Miami in 2004. During that time, it was reported that Kobe and Shaq couldn’t stand one another and they were having fights day in and day out.
It’s been 16 years since they last played together, a lot of water has gone under the bridge and now Shaq has made sure to dismiss those beliefs that he and Kobe couldn’t spend a day without going at each other’s faces. He recently joined The Fat Joe Show to talk about several topics, denying that he had frequent fights with his former teammate (24:28 minute mark).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nbw25cDlpOE
“People thought we fought every day,” Shaq started.
“We never fought. We had one little scuffle but nothing other than that. He had a guy who he would say something to in the paper. And you know me, if you say something about me in the paper I am coming back.
“As you see on the court we always played together. I was always the type (who would) play, do my job, get my money, and go home.
“I wasn’t the type of guy (who would) call guys and go out to dinner. People always think you have to be best friends. No, you just have to respect each other. When I get double-teamed, I know who to look for first. Cuz I respect him and his game.”
Even with all the respect they might have for each other, the relationship between them wasn’t any good and the Lakers had to break up one of their biggest partnerships. The Lakers of Shaq and Kobe are the last team to three-peat in the League and it’s been almost 20 years since their last title. We can only imagine what would have happened with those Lakers if Shaq and Kobe stayed together for more years.
They luckily fixed their relationship years later and were good friends until Kobe passed away last January 26 in a tragic helicopter crash.
