Shaq left Lakers, Kobe because there 'can't be two kings'

The rocky relationship between soon-to-be Hall of Famer Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant from when they were teammates on the Los Angeles Lakers has been well-documented, with the two megastars vying to be the alpha dog of a team that won three-straight NBA championships.

O'Neal was dealt to the Miami Heat during the summer of 2004 in a four-player trade, where he'd go on to capture his fourth and final ring. The move came on the heels of O'Neal's frustrations with Lakers management, because he felt the higher ups in the organization were more concerned with appeasing Bryant and not him.

In an interview with Ernie Johnson set to air on NBA TV Wednesday, "The Big Aristotle" mentioned that while he and Bryant had their issues, his decision to ask for a trade ultimately came down to how he envisioned his future in the league playing out, and the notion that he would be pushed to the side in favor of a younger star if he stayed in Los Angeles.

"Yes and no," O'Neal said. "I didn't want to leave, but being a veteran in the business of basketball, I realized that ... there can't be two kings. And every great movie that I've seen - mafia movies, just to put it in better terms - the younger boss always takes out the older boss."

Midway into his fourth season in South Beach, the 15-time All-Star was shipped off to the Phoenix Suns. He would subsequently finish his NBA run with short stints in Cleveland and Boston before retiring in 2011.

"The Black Mamba" would go on to win two more rings sans O'Neal, with the likes of Pau Gasol, Andrew Bynum, and Lamar Odom by his side. He recently called it a career after 20 seasons in purple and gold, and currently ranks as the third all-time leading scorer in NBA history.

O'Neal will be inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame on Friday by presenters Julius Erving, Alonzo Mourning, Bill Russell, and Isiah Thomas.