Kobe says he'd have 12 rings if Shaq 'was in the gym'

Warning: Video contains coarse language

The cheap shots never seem to end between Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal.

The dynamic duo starred together with the Los Angeles Lakers for eight seasons, winning three straight championships, before issues forced an ugly divorce that saw O'Neal get traded to the Miami Heat in 2004.

Arguably the biggest beef between the two legends was Bryant's constant demand that O'Neal - considered the most dominant player in league history - put in more effort to improve his craft and stay in shape.

These days, Bryant is sticking by that criticism. When asked what Shaq's ceiling would have been with a Kobe-level work ethic, Bryant suggested his former teammate "would be the greatest of all time," before adding "I wish he was in the gym. I'd have 12 fucking rings."

O'Neal unsurprisingly took Bryant's slight personally, responding on Instagram by saying, "You woulda had 12 if you passed the ball more - especially in The Finals against the (Detroit) Pistons."

Bryant had arguably the worst playoff performance of his career in the 2004 NBA Finals against the underdog Pistons, as he shot just 38.1 percent on 22.6 field-goal attempts per contest en route to a five-game defeat. O'Neal averaged just 16.8 shots in that series despite dominating around the basket.

Bryant has since responded with a reminder that O'Neal remains the most dominant ever. He later added, "There is no beef with Shaq."

O'Neal went on to win his fourth and final title in 2006 alongside Dwyane Wade with the Heat, before Bryant secured two more championships with the Lakers in 2009 and 2010.