NBA players always share a bittersweet relationship when it comes down to the number of championships won. Although it takes a whole team to even qualify for the finals, the case wasn’t the same with the Los Angeles Lakers back in 2001, 2002, and 2003. Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal turned out to be a gold mine of talent for the franchise.
However, one of the best shooting guards of the Los Angeles Lakers found it imperative to maintain the same record after Shaquille O’Neal was traded to the Miami Heat on July 14, 2004. In a recent one-on-one interaction with Shannon Sharpe on ‘Club Shay Shay’, Trevor Ariza, a former Lakers player, unraveled some astonishing facts about the same.
When Sharpe asked, “How demanding was Kobe to win a ring without Shaq?” Ariza said, “That’s something that… It drove him fu**ing to sleepless nights. I can say that he wanted to prove that he was who he thought he was.” This dialogue seemed to claim that Bryant wanted to prove that he was no less without his big man by his side.
. @KobeBryant watching @Shaq win a ring with the Miami Heat:
“It drove Kobe to sleepless nights.” – @TrevorAriza pic.twitter.com/ieRbOBekns
— Club Shay Shay (@ClubShayShay) December 3, 2023
However, the turn of events seemed to put “Employee #8” in a very tight spot. When Shaquille O’Neal won a championship in 2006 with the Heat, the Lakers point guard went all in to win one without any help. Furthermore, Ariza didn’t hesitate in placing “Lord of the Rings” above the No. 1 in NBA history, Michael Jordan.
Also touching on the topic of comparing Jordan’s and Kobe’s kicks, the two former players seemed to agree that Kobe’s were more comfortable than the former’s. Although Kobe Bryant and Shaq were the best duo in the league, do you know the reason behind their feud?
Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant feud explained
The two biggies played together for the Lakers from 1996–2004 until Shaq was traded off. The brawl, which started because Shaq was jealous of Kobe’s jersey sales, escalated into a whole new story. The feud got a lot of traction from NBA fans in 2000–03. Kobe seemed to develop an aversion towards Shaq since he was getting out of shape.
Most of the ‘unspoken‘ fight was because Shaq was slowing down the overall gameplay of the franchise since he was very negligent about his weight and shape. While Kobe was dealing with the allegations of being a selfish player, Shaq demanded a trade. Although the players made sure not to say much about their deteriorating relationship, the heat could be felt by their teammates.