Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant were arguably the greatest duos in NBA history, the two were unstoppable when they played together. Their relationship was also one of the most interesting topics of discussion in the NBA, it was as topsy-turvy as the Lakers were successful with the two of them. They went from hungry co-stars to superstars that hated one another, to eventually reconciling.
Kobe Bryant‘s tragic demise took a toll on Shaquille O’Neal and he still admittedly struggles with it. But while Kobe’s passing changed some things, they spoke about one another candidly a fair few times in interviews. It’s no secret that Kobe Bryant thought Shaquille O’Neal should have been working harder. Kobe’s work ethic inspired a whole generation of stars but Shaq operated differently. And when he was asked about what Shaq could have been with his work ethic, the Mamba didn’t hold back.
“He’d be the greatest of all time. He’d be the first to tell you that. This guy was a force like I had never seen. It was crazy. Guy that size, generally guys that size are a little timid. They don’t wanna be tall, they don’t wanna be big. He did not care. He was mean, he was nasty, he was competitive, he was vindictive. I wish he was in the gym, I would have had f***ing 12 rings.”
It’s easy to see that, but there is a reason Shaquille O’Neal was who he was. And if he had been any different then things would have been different, but then he wouldn’t have been himself. And considering that Shaq became one of the best as he was, the Big Diesel had something to say in response.
Shaquille O’Neal Thinks He Would Still Have Been The Same
Kobe Bryant was younger and hungrier than Shaquille O’Neal, so there were a fair few differences between the two. Asked the same thing about work ethic, Shaq candidly answered during an interview.
(starts at 8:00 minutes)
“I would’ve been Shaq. Kobe was a beast, nobody works harder than him. But I think you can find success in many ways. You know for me I had to; 8 hours of work, 8 hours of business, 8 hours of family. See Kobe was just getting married and getting into his family, I’m already 4 kids in.
“So after I put in my 2-3 hours of work, now I have to be Daddy, now I have to be husband, now I have to take care of business. And mentally I’m so strong I don’t need to workout for these bums anyway, that’s what I’m thinking. So I think it would’ve been a better question if we had no championships, no MVPs and I would’ve been an absolute failure. But the resume you just read, that was a hell of a resume, sir.”
While Shaquille O’Neal has admitted in the past that he was a little arrogant and it cost him from time to time, he is fully cognizant of how great he was as well. Even the greatest have doubts about themselves, but O’Neal knows what he achieved and what it meant. He could have been different from what he was, but as mentioned before, then he wouldn’t be Shaquille O’Neal.
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