Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal did not get along during their time together with the Los Angeles Lakers, and some of the reasons for that are obvious. Now that Kobe is nearing the end of his career, he is willing to talk about the issues more openly.
The Lakers traded Shaq to the Miami Heat in 2004 when it became clear that their two superstars could not coexist. When asked on Sunday if he could have done more to save the relationship between Shaq and himself, Bryant admitted he wanted to prove he could win championships without O’Neal.
Kobe gave a very interesting answer when asked if there was more he could’ve done to save relationship with Shaq: pic.twitter.com/ISdzJSb2ic
— Baxter Holmes (@BaxterHolmes) February 22, 2016
Kobe had previously said that Shaq was lazy and it drove him nuts. The way Phil Jackson described Shaq a few years back also shed light on why Bryant didn’t get along with the three-time NBA Finals MVP.
But getting out from under Shaq’s 7-foot-1 shadow was as important as anything else to Kobe. Like any great player, Bryant has a massive ego. Had the Lakers chosen to stick with O’Neal as their franchise cornerstone, Kobe probably would have signed elsewhere eventually to prove he can win without Shaq.
Plus, there were times when Kobe and Shaq played together that Bryant probably should have feared for his life. Separating the two players was in everyone’s best interests.
