By: Debadrita Ghosh Image credit: NBA
The Los Angeles Lakers have consistently been one of the best NBA teams. Given their significant struggles since the start of the Jeanie Buss period, their current form cannot be disregarded.
Fans consider the time when the team had Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant to be one of the most famous periods in its lengthy history, as they guided the team to three consecutive NBA Championships.
However, due to the rivalry between Shaq and Kobe, Shaq was traded to the Miami Heat in 2004.
After Shaq left the Lakers, there was a certain fall in the team's performance. O'Neal, on the other hand, took home a ring alongside Dwyane Wade. People quickly claimed that Kobe only won three rings because of the Diesel.
Kobe was questioned in an interview about his thoughts and whether or not it fueled his desire to surpass O'Neal in the number of rings won.
Kobe replied: “No, I never really cared about when other people said that, they never bothered me, that people said, ‘Well, you only win championships because you playing with Shaq,....."
He continued: "...it bothered me when he said it, So when he said it, I said, okay, you know what? that’s it because you know what time it is.”
Kobe did really succeed in doing so, by winning back-to-back rings with the Lakers in 2009 and 2010, he was able to accomplish it. The Mamba had one more championship than his former partner Shaq.
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