"I was obsessed with being the most dominant, he was obsessed with being the best ever” – Shaquille O'Neal on pressing Kobe Bryant's buttons, reveals he taunted him by saying, "You might be Kobe, but I'm the Shaq"
The Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal duo is among the greatest in NBA history. In their time with the LA Lakers, they led the franchise to a three-peat, winning titles from 2000 to 2002.
In a recent interview with "Valuetainment," Shaquille O'Neal recalled his time with the five-time NBA champion. He revealed the type of relationship they shared and his leadership style, which he feels others misconstrued as hatred.
Shaq was asked about what the Black Mamba was like and what set him apart from other greats. Shaq described him as "alien-like," revealing the tedious work ethic of the Hall of Famer. He stated that while he was obsessed with being dominant, Bryant wanted to be the best.
"He was alien-like," O'Neal said. "When he was 18, he used to be in the locker room dribbling and shooting without the ball for hours. And then you see him practice the same move on the court.
"Like, he was obsessed with being the best ever. I was obsessed with being the most dominant, he was obsessed with being the best ever, and sometimes you sacrificed a lot of things, and he did. All he did was work out."
Shaquille O'Neal also said he made it his mission to get the best out of Kobe and constantly pushed his buttons. He believed that if he could get Bryant to perform at the same level as himself, the Lakers were guaranteed to win.
"And I knew all he did was work out, so I used to push his buttons all the time, because I knew what I was going to give you," O'Neal said. "So if I know I could have somebody else that can give similar and more, I was definitely going to win.
"So, I was always the guy that presses buttons. The audience thought that it was a personal thing, we hated each other, but no, it was me and my leadership style and what I chose to do to get him to perform at a higher level."
When asked to give an example of how he pressed Kobe's buttons, Shaq said:
"This ain't your team, this is my team little man. You might be Kobe, but I'm The Shaq."
Shaquille O'Neal described Kobe Bryant's life as hectic, unlike himself, who focused on family and business
During the interview with Valuetainment's Patrick Bet-David, Shaquille O'Neal spoke about Kobe Bryant's work ethic. O'Neal reflected on his time with the LA Lakers and the type of motivation he received from coach Phil Jackson.
A notable question Shaq was asked was what he would have been like if he had Bryant's work ethic. He almost immediately responded that he would have been "The Shaq," insinuating that he was great regardless.
However, O'Neal said that while Kobe was newly wedded, he had four kids and a business to run. So when Shaq was not playing or working out, he was busy being a husband, a dad and a businessman. He also said he didn't need to work out to win games.
"Kobe was a beast, nobody worked harder than him," Shaq said. "But I think you can find success in many ways. For me I had to, eight hours of work, eight hours of business, eight hours of family."
"See Kobe was getting married, getting to his family. I'm already like four kids in. So after I put in my two, three hours of work, now I had to be daddy, now I had to be husband, now I had to take care of business. And mentally I'm so strong, I don't need to workout for these bums anyway. That's what I'm thinking."
“He was alien like… he was obsessed being the best ever… all he did was workout.”
@SHAQ. with @patrickbetdavid, talks about how the Late Kobe Bryant was wired. https://t.co/uszYoz9Ryh