Shaquille O’Neal spoke on the OGs podcast about how he used to motivate Kobe Bryant during their days together. Shaq said that he would rile up Kobe Bryant by trying to get him to slow down, and then later, would try to get him mad by saying that he wasn’t the next Michael Jordan, and LeBron James was the next MJ.
“When he first came in, we used to call him ‘Showboat’… Finally, when he started coming into his own, I said ‘Okay, I’mma have to use him’… I’ll say something just to get you mad.”
“Because I know when you’re mad… ‘Motherf**ker you shoot too much. You ain’t Mike. Matter of fact, they got this other kid in Cleveland, LeBron. Bron is the man, you ain’t sh*t. I did it because I knew he’s not no punk, I know it used to eat him up.”
(30:13 onwards)
O’Neal knew just how to get under Kobe Bryant’s skin, suggesting that another young player was better than him, and invoking the name of Michael Jordan was surely a way to do just that. However, considering LeBron James entered the NBA in what would be Kobe and Shaq’s final season together, perhaps the comments didn’t work the way Shaq hoped.
O’Neal and Bryant always had what many describe as a tumultuous relationship. The two fundamentally disagreed on their roles on the team and what the other was bringing to the franchise, whether that be Shaq’s work ethic or Kobe wanting to be the focal point of the offense.
In the end, while Kobe and Shaq found great success as a championship duo, arguably the greatest duo in NBA history, their falling out was inevitable. However, both players were able to find success later in their careers with different teammates and continue winning multiple NBA championships.
Shaq’s Career After Kobe Bryant Wasn’t As Successful
Shaquille O’Neal obviously didn’t find the same championship success during his career after leaving Kobe Bryant as he did with him. Now, that is not because he didn’t have great teammates, because he did. Shaq got the chance to play with Dwyane Wade, Amar’e Stoudemire, Steve Nash, and LeBron James before he retired.
Now a large part of that was because of his age, as Shaq was in the latter part of his career during that time. O’Neal didn’t have the explosiveness or physicality during his stints with the Heat, the Suns, the Cavaliers, or the Celtics. But it was also due to him facing a lot of injury problems during that time.
O’Neal himself noted that he did miss out on a lot of championships in his career. In the same interview, he claimed that he should have won at least 8 or 9 NBA championships during his career, with him missing out while being with the Magic, Lakers, Heat, Cavaliers, and Celtics.
Regardless of the missed championship opportunities, there is no denying that Shaquille O’Neal is the most dominant player in the history of the NBA. And his stint with Kobe Bryant cemented the two of them as the greatest duo in NBA history.