Shaq–Kobe feud

The "Kobe-Shaq feud" was the bitterTemplate:Really? rivalry between NBA players Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal, who played together on the Los Angeles Lakers team from 1996 to 2004. Before their rivalry explodedTemplate:Really?, the two were able to win 3 consecutive NBA Championships (2000, 2001, 2002) and make an NBA Finals appearance in 2004. Ultimately personal differences and arguments over their respective roles on the team led to a series of trades and signings that sent O'Neal to the Miami Heat. Lakers head coach Phil Jackson would later write a book entitled The Last Season: A Team in Search of Its Soul, reflecting on the troubles Bryant and O'Neal had during their last season.

Origins: 1996–2002

In 1996, the Los Angeles Lakers signed free agent center Shaquille O'Neal. That same year, they acquired the draft rights to high school player Kobe Bryant from the then Charlotte Hornets. The duo attracted much attention from the national media, O'Neal because of his already established fame, and Bryant because of his youth and talent. The first four years the pair played together were tumultuousTemplate:Really? and disappointingTemplate:Really?, with the Lakers suffering playoff defeats to the Utah Jazz and San Antonio Spurs.

Arguably, the team's greatestTemplate:Really? disappointment of this period came in the 1998–99 season, one which included a brief stint by Dennis Rodman as a Laker and the firing of a head coach (Del Harris). That season, the Lakers defeated the talented but age-weary Houston Rockets in the first round of the NBA Playoffs, before being swept by the San Antonio Spurs in the second round. The sweep was especially disappointing because the losses in Games 3 and 4 of the series made those games the final NBA games ever played at the Lakers' home at the time, the Great Western Forum.

In response, Laker owner Jerry Buss took a decisive action, hiring then six-time NBA champion Phil Jackson as the team's new head coach entering the 1999–2000 season. The results of the hiring were stark, as the Lakers cruisedTemplate:Really? to a 67–15 record (one of the best records in league history). During the playoffs, the Lakers fought off the eighth-seeded Sacramento Kings in five games, and then defeated the upstartTemplate:Really? Phoenix Suns in the second round, four games to one.

It was in the 2000 Western Conference Finals that the definingTemplate:Really? moment of O'Neal's and Bryant's on-court success together occurred. The Lakers had led the Portland Trail Blazers three games to one, before dropping Game 5 at home and Game 6 in Portland. The Blazers were leading the decisive Game 7, putting the Lakers on the brink of elimination. Portland led by 15 points early in the fourth quarter, before the Lakers mounted a furious rally to take the lead. The comeback run culminated in an alley-oop pass from Bryant to O'Neal for a slam dunk, as the Lakers went on to not only win that game, but the Finals as well.

In 2001, the Lakers won the title again, however O'Neal and Bryant began feuding during the season. Towards the end of the season, they attempted to put that behind them, with O'Neal even referring to Bryant as "[his] idol" and "the best player in the league, by far" following a victory in Game 1 of that year's Western Conference Finals. In the 2001–02 season, O'Neal even publicly campaigned for Bryant to win the NBA Most Valuable Player Award. Though Bryant did not win the award, O'Neal's comments seemed at the time to be yet another sign that the two had put their bitternessTemplate:Really? behind them, and the Lakers went on to claim third straight title that season.

2002–2006

The 2002–03 NBA season began with the three-time defending champions getting off to one of their worst starts ever. The team was several games under .500 at 11–19 with their return to the playoffs questionable. Shaquille O'Neal was sidelined with a toe injury. O'Neal could have had surgery on his toe early in the summer (which would have allowed him to return to playing sooner), but he decided to wait and have the surgery performed not long before the Lakers' pre-season training camp began. He said, "I got hurt on company time, so I’ll heal on company time." The Lakers ended that season with the 5th seed in the Western Conference, failing to get home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs. They defeated the Minnesota Timberwolves in six games, but were eliminated by eventual champion San Antonio Spurs in the conference semifinals. The disappointing defeat was followed that summer by accusations and then charges of rape by Bryant in Colorado.

This disastrousTemplate:Really? turn for the Los Angeles Lakers was just the beginning of a stressfulTemplate:Really? season. Just prior to Bryant's rape charge, the Lakers signed veterans Karl Malone and Gary Payton. It was a virtual consensus among NBA analysts that the Lakers were now the overwhelmingTemplate:Really? favorites to win another NBA title, with many touting the team's chances to win over 70 games during the regular season. However, even with these additions and seeming to have every reason to feel confident about reclaiming the NBA championship, the Lakers would not be able to avoid controversy.

Just prior to the start of the 2003–04 season, O'Neal and Bryant began feuding once more. The opening salvo, at least publicly, came from O'Neal at the start of the Lakers' pre-season training camp. With Bryant absent from camp due to his legal situation and his recovery from knee surgery, O'Neal answered questions about the Lakers' not having their whole team together yet in camp by pointedly insisting that the whole team was in fact there. Though never mentioning Bryant by name, O'Neal's comments seemed clearly intended to belittle Bryant's importance to the team.

When Bryant joined the Lakers in camp, O'Neal told reporters Bryant should look to be more of a passer than a scorer until Bryant's knee was fully healed. Bryant took offense, and fired back that he did not appreciate unsolicited advice from O'Neal on how to play the guard position.

O'Neal then responded that he would voice his opinions as he saw fit because the Lakers were his team. He said that if Bryant, who would be a free agent at the season's end, didn't like what O'Neal had to say, Bryant should just leave the team.

Bryant replied with his most scathingTemplate:Really? public criticism of O'Neal. In an interview with Jim Gray of ESPN, Bryant questioned O'Neal's claims of team leadership. Bryant claimed that O'Neal came into training camp "fat" and "out of shape", that O'Neal blamed others for the team's defeats, and had previously exaggerated the degree to which injuries had affected his game as cover for simply being out of condition. Bryant criticized O'Neal's public lobbying for a contract extension. He also criticized O'Neal for only taking responsibility when the team won. He accused O'Neal of threatening not to put forth his best effort if he was not passed the ball more often.

The now fully-heatedTemplate:Really? rivalry between the teammates prompted incessantTemplate:Really? sports media coverage. The two ceased their public war of words at that point and claimed that the matter was behind them. They were not widely believed, but with no new attacks on one another to report, the media coverage died down somewhat when, on opening night of the season, an injured Bryant sat down next to O'Neal during the Lakers' victory over the Dallas Mavericks.

However, the symbolic move would not help the Lakers when they lost Karl Malone to a knee injury during the winter. It would also not help the Lakers as they slid towards mediocrity during the spring. Injuries hampered Los Angeles, keeping them as the fourth seed in the Western Conference midway through season—far from the dominance that had been expected.

The Lakers ultimately entered the playoffs as the second seed, thanks to an overtime victory versus the Portland Trail Blazers on the final night of the season, courtesy of a pair of buzzer beaters from Bryant. They defeated the Houston Rockets, the San Antonio Spurs, and the Minnesota Timberwolves before advancing to the 2004 NBA Finals, where they were the overwhelming favorites to defeat the Detroit Pistons. However, after five games, the Lakers found themselves not only defeated but dominated by the Pistons, who won the NBA title.

After the loss, the division between O'Neal and Bryant came to a head. At the news conference after the final game, O'Neal addressed the uncertainty around Coach Phil Jackson's now-expired contract, and Bryant's impending free agency, which meant either or both might not return to the Lakers the next season. With regard to the issue of people possibly leaving the team, O'Neal commented that he understood that everyone would need to do what was best for themselves, then adding "including me". That last comment was telling because there had previously been no significant speculation about O'Neal's future with the team, as he was under contract with the Lakers for two more years.

Eventually Jackson, a favorite of O'Neal, was not offered a new contract by the Lakers. Many sports analysts and spectators assumed that this was because of Bryant, who had at times voiced displeasure with Jackson's offensive scheme. O'Neal, who wasn't notified of the move and learned of it by watching television, asked for a trade, making it clear that he felt the Laker organization was making moves designed primarily to placate Bryant. Bryant, meanwhile, was involved in discussions with the Los Angeles Clippers, making it urgent for the Lakers to choose between the two players. Bryant re-signed with the Lakers soon after, and O'Neal's demand was soon indulged, as he was sent to the Miami Heat for Lamar Odom, Caron Butler, Brian Grant and a first-round draft pick.

After the trade, news came out that Bryant had referred to O'Neal while being questioned by police in 2003. According to reports, Bryant stated that he should have paid off his women so that they wouldn't say anything, like O'Neal. Bryant also stated that O'Neal would pay women up to US$1 million to stay quiet about their rendezvous. It also was reported that investigators had told O'Neal of Bryant's supposed statements shortly after the investigation had begun.

O'Neal denied these claims, stating that Bryant had no idea about O'Neal's personal business since the two of them rarely spent any time together. O'Neal went as far as to say that he "[wasn't] the one buying love, [Bryant was] the one buying love", a derisiveTemplate:Really? reference to Bryant's much-publicizedTemplate:Really? purchase of a multi-million dollar diamond ring for his wife in the aftermath of the revelation that Bryant had been unfaithful to her.

Regardless of whether Bryant's statements about O'Neal were true, or whether the authorities accurately recounted Bryant's actual statements, the fact that O'Neal had been told that Bryant said such things seemed to shed new light on issues such as why O'Neal had never called Bryant to offer support and why O'Neal seemed to initiate the verbal war with Bryant in the summer of 2003.

In August 2004, the NBA scheduled the Lakers and the Heat to play on Christmas Day. The game became one of the most hyped in NBA history, and registered the NBA's highest regular season television ratings since 1998 and held its spot until a 2008 Christmas Day meeting between the Lakers and the Boston Celtics. In the lead-up to the game, O'Neal referred to Bryant as a "Corvette" and himself as a "brick wall" in an interview with ABC's Al Michaels during halftime of Monday Night Football.

Before the game, many were intrigued as to how O'Neal and Bryant would interact. At center court, during the typical meeting of the players before the game, O'Neal gave Bryant a small, impersonal physical gesture. During the game, Bryant drove into the lane on his first two possessions, being rejected by O'Neal on one attempt and scoring on another. O'Neal fouled out late in the fourth quarter of the game after fouling Bryant, but wound up with the upper hand in the end, after the Heat won in overtime. The potentially game-winning shot for the Lakers was missed by Bryant as time expired.

Bryant and O'Neal met on the court twice more during the season, once during the NBA All-Star Game and once more when the Lakers played the Heat on March 17 of 2005. In the 2005–06 season, the Lakers and Heat split a season series, each team winning one game.

Throughout the time leading up to the last of those games, the feud simmeredTemplate:Really? quietly. Bryant engaged in no public attacks on O'Neal. When asked directly about O'Neal he would simply state that the matter was in his past and that he wished O'Neal well.

For his part, O'Neal also did not further attack Bryant directly. However, he did make apparent that hard feelings were still present by pointedly refusing to so much as speak Bryant's name. On Christmas Day 2005, Kobe and Shaq faced off again. This time, Shaq ignored Kobe during pre-game handshakes and when asked about it at the half-time interview, replied, "Merry Christmas." If Bryant came up tangentially when talking about his previous time with the Lakers, O'Neal would refer to Bryant only as "that guy", or "the other guy". When asked directly about Bryant, O'Neal typically would either feign ignorance as to who Bryant was, or simply act as if he had not heard the question.

Outside of the basketball world, O'Neal would indirectly reference the feud. While cameo for the movie, Scary Movie 4 (2006), O'Neal indirectly mentioned Kobe as his suspected kidnapper.

End of the feud

Prior to their January 16, 2006 meeting, O'Neal greeted Bryant on the court warmly, a significantTemplate:Really? departure from his previous attitude toward Bryant. The two shook hands and hugged before tip-off, and many in the media construed this to be the end of their feud. O'Neal said he was spurred to make up with Bryant by NBA legend Bill Russell.

There seemed to be some cause for concern shortly thereafter when Bryant scored 81 points in a single game, and O'Neal refused to comment to the media about it. However, those concerns were laid to rest a few weeks later at the 2006 NBA All-Star Game. At one of the media sessions, O'Neal acknowledged that he had watched Bryant's 81-point game and offered only praise for Bryant's performance. Then, during the All-Star Game itself, the two were seen laughing and joking together on several occasions.

From 2004-2006, the Heat and the Lakers met on Christmas Day to emphasize the Shaq-Kobe battle. This tradition ended in 2007, as the Lakers faced the Suns, and the Heat took on the Cavaliers. However, on February 20, 2008, O'Neal was traded from the Heat to the Suns.

On May 14, 2007, O'Neal stated on TNT that Bryant should be awarded the MVP of the year. However, the MVP was won by Dirk Nowitzki the next day. In 2008, O'Neal reiterated his belief that Bryant deserved the MVP award. Bryant went on to win the award for the first time in his career that season.

During the offseason, O'Neal was at a party, and got up to rap in front of the crowd. O'Neal mentioned Bryant multiple times in the rap, saying that "Kobe couldn't do it without me", referring to Bryant and the Lakers loss in the 2008 NBA Finals to the 17 time NBA Champion Boston Celtics. He also was quoted as saying, "Kobe, tell me how my ass tastes". Bryant refused to comment.

In November of the 2008-2009 season, O'Neal told reporters that he believed the entire feud has been the fault of the Lakers head coach Phil Jackson. O'Neal later retracted the statement and apologized, even interrupting one of Jackson's pre-game interviews to give him a hug and a kiss on the cheek. On January 29, 2009, in an interview with Stephen A. Smith, O'Neal claimed that the feud between him and Bryant & Jackson was simply a marketing ploy. On Bryant, O'Neal claimed that he "always did love Kobe. It was all marketing". O'Neal also claimed that Jackson is "the greatest coach ever. And he's done a lot for me. Phil's my guy. It's all marketing, baby." O'Neal also added, "We helped you hype it up. I know what I'm doing, brother. I'm the smartest player in the world." At the 2009 NBA All-Star Game, O'Neal, Bryant, and Jackson were all reunited on the West squad. O'Neal and Bryant were both named co-MVPs for the game and were shown laughing and hugging during the game, implying the two had settled their matters and moved on.

Bryant and the Lakers would go to face the Orlando Magic in the 2009 NBA Finals. Shaq showed support for Kobe, on his Twitter page saying: “thats right i am saying it today and today only, i want kobe bryant to get number 4, spread da word”. When Bryant went on to win the NBA Championship, Shaq posted on his Twitter page: "Congratualtions kobe, u deserve it [sic]. You played great . Enjoy it my man enjoy it."

After the Lakers once again won the title in Game 7 of the 2010 Finals, Bryant was asked what it meant to him personally. He responded, "It means I got one more than Shaq ... You can take it to the bank." He followed with, "You know how I am. I never forget anything." This was taken seen as Bryant making light of the matter. O'Neal once again congratulated Bryant on his Twitter page, even making light of his earlier rap: "Congratulations Kobe, u deserve it. U played great. Enjoy it man enjoy it. I know what ur sayin 'Shaq how my ass taste' [sic]."

Head-to-Head Meetings between O'Neal and Bryant

December 25, 2004: Miami Heat 104, Los Angeles Lakers 102 F/OT

• Shaquille O'Neal: 24 points, 11 rebounds, 3 assists
• Kobe Bryant: 42 points, 3 rebounds, 6 assists

March 17, 2005: Miami Heat 102, Los Angeles Lakers 89

• Shaquille O'Neal: 25 points, 12 rebounds, 2 assists
• Kobe Bryant: 26 points, 10 rebounds, 3 assists

December 25, 2005 Miami Heat 97, Los Angeles Lakers 92

• Shaquille O'Neal: 18 points, 17 rebounds, 3 assists
• Kobe Bryant: 37 points, 8 rebounds, 6 assists

January 16, 2006: Los Angeles Lakers 100, Miami Heat 92

• Shaquille O'Neal: 18 points, 10 rebounds, 1 assist
• Kobe Bryant: 37 points, 3 rebounds, 4 assists

February 20, 2008: Los Angeles Lakers 130, Phoenix Suns 124

• Shaquille O'Neal: 15 points, 9 rebounds, 3 assists
• Kobe Bryant: 41 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists

November 20, 2008: Los Angeles Lakers 105, Phoenix Suns 92

• Shaquille O'Neal: 15 points, 9 rebounds, 1 assist
• Kobe Bryant: 24 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists

February 26, 2009: Los Angeles Lakers 132, Phoenix Suns 106

• Shaquille O'Neal: 12 points, 7 rebounds, 0 assists
• Kobe Bryant: 22 points, 4 rebounds, 8 assists

March 1, 2009: Phoenix Suns 118, Los Angeles Lakers 111

• Shaquille O'Neal: 33 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists
• Kobe Bryant: 49 points, 11 rebounds, 2 assists

December 25, 2009: Cleveland Cavaliers 102, Los Angeles Lakers 87

• Shaquille O'Neal: 11 points, 7 rebounds, 0 assists
• Kobe Bryant: 35 points, 9 rebounds, 8 assists

January 21, 2010: Cleveland Cavaliers 93, Los Angeles Lakers 87

• Shaquille O'Neal: 13 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists
• Kobe Bryant: 31 points, 2 rebounds, 4 assists

• O'Neal is 6-4 all-time against Bryant.

External links

• Kobe on Shaq: 'Childlike selfishness and jealousy'
• It looks like Shaq's reshuffling Heat house
• Shaq on Kobe: "He's a Corvette, I'm a brick wall"
• ESPN.com - NBA - Recap - Mavericks at Lakers
• Sports -- L.A. Story: Lakers Feud Hurting Game
• Salon.com News | Shaq vs. Kobe: Who's Right?
• Kobe Seals Sweet 16
• New York Daily News - Home - Shaq Shocker!