Shaquille O’ Neal and the late NBA star Kobe Bryant shared an infamous beef. However, Shaq and Kobe famously reconciled their dispute later on in their lives. They both donned the Los Angeles Lakers jersey together for eight years. It was a partnership that resulted in three titles out of four trips to the NBA Finals. Shaq eventually decided to part ways with Lakers.
In the summer of the same year, O’Neal took his talents to Miami, intending to prove he could win without Bryant. Some thought Shaq let his emotions get the better of him and that he made an impulsive decision. However, the man himself disagreed.
Shaq opens up on Kobe Bryant
Shaq had made the right decision in teaming up with Wade:
“It was a great move. I got to play with one of the top 5 guards ever in the history of basketball in DWade. And I was in charge of my own destiny. So that’s really why I chose to come to Miami,” O’Neal said on The Players’ Tribune’s “Text Message Talk Show with Dorell Wright” in 2020.
When O’Neal finally arrived in Miami, fans were ready for a Shaq vs. Kobe era, as the circumstances suggested that the teammate feud had now evolved into an all-out war. We’ve witnessed their battles, but Wade experienced them firsthand. And as advertised, the clash between O’Neal and Bryant was epic.
“I remember he [Shaq] be running down ‘I built this place’. That was my favorite one,” Wade said, recounting the chatter between O’Neal and Kobe during their first duel as foes in LA.
