Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant formed the greatest 1-2 punch in NBA history. They three-peated on the Lakers as teammates and won the title even after splitting up, with Shaq winning one while Kobe won two. There is a lot of basketball heritage associated with these 2 players and for good reason.
The Shaq-Kobe era brought success to LA but didn’t end well, with Shaq leaving the team acrimoniously in 2004. While he and Kobe repaired their relationship over the years, they didn’t see eye-to-eye most of the time. Shaq didn’t live by the hardworking Mamba Mentality that Kobe espoused and recently explained why he wouldn’t bother with coming into the season in prime shape, a criticism Kobe had levied against him before.
“I wouldn’t say valid, because, I always ask people this. You didn’t come into camp in shape. What year are you talking about? What big man did more than I did? Nobody. Which goes back to what I said, my willpower. I got beat up all year. I never came into camp in shape because one, I gotta rest and I gotta pay my family back. I missed school plays, they don’t wanna hear when the season is over that you gotta go work out. It don’t matter how you start, it matter how you finish. What’s crazy is that the times I did come in shape, I got swept.” (h/t NBA On TNT)
Shaq was a legend but he could have possibly been greater if he had the same commitment to his body we saw players like Kobe have and now we see players like LeBron James and Steph Curry have.
Could Shaquille O’Neal Have Achieved More?
Well, Shaq could have achieved less even if he was in shape and didn’t have the right pieces around him. As he said himself, the years he came into the season in shape were also the years he got swept. Shaq had the luxury of using the season to get into shape because a player like Kobe Bryant was sharing the floor with him.
Whether Shaq would have had more or less accolades to his name is immaterial because we know what he achieved. He is arguably one of the greatest centers in league history and a business mogul. He probably looks back on his career with a smile and doesn’t lament the fact he skipped 6 AM workouts in the offseason.
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