Shaquille O’Neal plays down his animosity with Kobe Bryant – NBA Update
Retired NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal has been making a lot of headlines recently thanks to a new book. O’Neal has lashed out at a number of individuals from his past in that book, and the Los Angeles Lakers star Kobe Bryant is chief
among them, although the centre now claims his differences with Kobe are a thing of the past.
One wouldn’t have thought so when some excerpts from the book hit some news outlets. According to one section of the book, O’Neal had told Bryant he would kill him. The former Miami Heat centre has now explained that the death
threat wasn’t serious.
“That [threat] happened back then,” O’Neal said while talking to ESPN. “It’s well-documented. It’s like an Ebonics statement. I’ve wanted to kill you many times, Stephen A. But we’re still cool….”
The said incident occurred back in the 2003-2004 NBA season, which was incidentally O’Neal’s last one in Los Angeles. His then Lakers teammate, Bryant had just criticized him in a TV interview over his weight among other issues.
This happened right after head coach Phil Jackson told the duo to stop exchanging barbs in public view, so O’Neal was rightly incensed at Bryant breaking the truce.
The Diesel went on to state in the interview that his frosty relationship with Bryant was a result of the big ego’s both possessed, and because of their will to win. O’Neal was the leader of that Lakers team and though it was his
responsibility to win things and keep the team in line.
There were problems sure, but O’Neal firmly believes that his time at the Lakers, with Bryant, was very, very productive, at least on the court.
“Leadership styles vary when you’re dealing with tasks or relationships,” O’Neal said. “I was more task-oriented. With me being the leader of the team, me being the CEO, everything had to go my way. Sometimes when you focus on
the tasks, the relationship dwindles. It was all a respect thing. The task was completed. We won three out of four, we were the most dominant, most controversial duo ever created. That’s all that matters.”
Shaq n Kobe indeed became one of the most famous and dominant duos in basketball history while at the Los Angeles Lakers. With O’Neal at his overpowering best and a brilliant Kobe Bryant backing him up, Los Angeles looked unbeatable
for half a decade. They won three consecutive NBA World Championships and went to the NBA Finals again in 2004.
The Detroit Pistons though beat them in the Finals and the Lakers team broke up afterwards. O’Neal left because of contractual disputes while Kobe stayed, languishing in a mediocre team for years before their resurgence some time
ago.
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