Kobe says he loves Shaq: 'But I didn't particularly like playing with him too much.'
More than a decade has passed since they last played together (minus the 2009 All-Star Game) but the Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant story just keeps trudging on.
Bryant was asked about his favourite teammates after 19 years with the Los Angeles Lakers, to which he answered: Derek Fisher and Pau Gasol. O'Neal's name was mentioned, but Bryant brushed him aside.
From KobeTeam.com:
"There is two. (Shaq?) No it’s not Shaq. But I loved Shaq. Me and Shaq won the thing but I didn’t particularly like playing with him too much. (Laughs) It’s easy. It’s Derek Fisher and Pau Gasol."
It's no great secret that Bryant and O'Neal had a falling out after winning three championships together. The two have exchanged a flurry of verbal jabs since their split in 2004.
Still, their relationship has softened as the years have gone on. O'Neal is retired and Bryant will soon join him. At this point, it's all water under the bridge; a footnote in NBA history.
It does make for an interesting thought experiment. Had Shaq and Kobe gotten along, how many championships would they have won? The Lakers had two generational talents in their prime, led by one of the most successful head coaches of all time in Phil Jackson. Three titles is a dynasty, but could they have won more?
The bottom line is that a personality rift broke up the union of two Hall of Famers. And years later, it remains a sore spot for both players.
-with h/t Eye on Basketball