The Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal beef wasn’t without drama, so much so that it extended even after the Los Angeles Lakers traded the latter to the Miami Heat in 2004. The timeline of their feud began as early as 1999, and the duo clashed with every passing season.
One of the clips that surfaced recently on YouTube Stories was a montage of O’Neal and Bryant’s views on their differences. A clip of the two responding in separate interviews was pieced together and shared.
In the first segment of the clip, analyst Stephen A. Smith was seen asking O’Neal about when the friction between the two developed, to which the Center responded that he didn’t know and didn’t care.
He further added, “You don’t have to like me, but most people you ask about me, they really like me. So if you don’t like me, there might be something wrong with you.”
Bryant was asked for his thoughts and if he had anything to add or share after his teammate’s comments, to which he replied,
“Not really, I mean…I just wish him all the best.”
Despite Their Feud, The Two Lakers Superstars Eventually Buried The Hatchet
Despite the differences, their relationship significantly improved after the big man moved to Miami. The semi-reconciliation started off when the two shook hands and hugged each other when the two teams met in January 2005. O’Neal also congratulated his former teammate when Los Angeles won the 2009-10 season.
He was one of the NBA superstars who broke down when he heard of Bryant’s tragic death. The shooting guard and his daughter, Gigi, was among the nine who died in the helicopter crash in January 2020.
“The fact that we lost probably the world’s greatest Laker, the world’s greatest basketball player is just — listen, people are going to say take your time and get better, but this is going to be hard for me,” O’Neal said. “I already don’t sleep anyway, but I’ll figure it out.”
“I haven’t felt a pain that sharp in a while,” the 50-year-old said on TNT’s “Remembering Kobe” tribute wishing that he could say something to Bryant again.
It was an emotional O’Neal who cried that he could no longer share the running joke with his teammate about the titles they won. While Bryant had five, O’Neal had bagged four. And while the video serves as a throwback to the skirmishes they had in the past, safe to say, it’s pretty much ended.
