There will be no basketball game without the presence of two opposing teams, playing against each other, sharing the same goal of winning at the end of the four quarters.
The team members help each other to ahieve their goal. They have different positions so that the work is distributed, and for them to execute the play properly. This takes a lot of practice. The teams practice everyday and by doing so, they end up to be the friends. Just like the other members of any team, that’s what happened to Shaq and Kobe. What exactly happened to Shaq and Kobe’s relationship?
The Beginning
Shaquille “Shaq” O’neal landed in Orlando Magic in the 1992 NBA Draft. Shaq played with the Orlando Magics for four years. In 1996, Shaq was then a free-agent, the Los Angeles Lakers signed Shaq to the team.That same year, the Los Angeles Lakers did something that no other team has done before: signing a player straight from high school. Do you know who that high school player was? YES, you’re right. The highshool player was none other than, Kobe Bryant.
The Plot
After a few years of practicing in the same team, Shaq and Kobe lead the Los Angeles Lakers to a three-consecutive years of being the NBA champions, of course with the help of their then new coach, Phil Jackson.
Their first champion together was season 1999-2000. Shaq was hailed the season’s MVP, and Kobe was maturing into one of the best guards in the NBA. The next season, 2000-2001, there was no stopping Shaq and Kobe and the whole team of the Los Angeles Lakers in winning the championship.
However, that same season, the feuding between the stars of the team began. A lot of issues arose: O’neal saying Kobe was selfish for not passing the ball to him or the the other members, or by pushing offense too much, etc. The LA Lakers was, again, the champion of the 2001-2002 season, Shaq being the season’s MVP again.
The next season, the feud between the two teammates, Shaq and Kobe, worsen. Shaq said to the reporters that Kobe should be more of a passer than a scorer. Kobe, on the other hand, said that he knows what he’s doing and he knows how to play the guard position and that Shaq should just concentrate on his low posts. The 2003-2004season ended with a loss, a loss in the game by the Detroit Pistons and a loss of a great player.
The End
After the 2003-2004 defeat, Bryant re-signed with the LA Laker, while Shaq suggested a trade, and was really traded to the Miami Heat. During the next seasons, when both Shaq and Kobe would see each other on the court, they would just give small gestures to each other.
After a few years, the feud between the former teammates ended, with Shaq stating that he really did love Kobe. They were even seen hugging ang laughing after the won the MVP’s of the 2009 NBA All Star game.