Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal - Inside the NBA's most dynamic/dysfunctional duo's feud
It is fitting that Kobe is a name already suited for a K-serial. You think those soap operas had drama? They are Sesame Street compared to what the Lakers had on their hands with Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal. If the WWE were to adapt the storyline of their feud, one might dismiss it as being too unrealistic.
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Before the league veered towards the Big 3, there were a number of eras of two superstars who complemented each other perfectly. Dynamic duos. One-two punches. Dependable tandem. Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen, Bob Cousey and Bill Russell, John Stockton and Karl Malone, Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Julius Erving and Moses Malone, Jerry West and Wilt Chamberlain, and Larry Bird and Kevin McHale. Those are some of the most prominent names on the list of dynamic duos.
Then we have one of the greatest "What could have been?" questions in sport, with the duo of Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal. Never has such immense potential been squandered, not even when the Bulls chose to break up Jordan's 3-peat team.
Kobe and Shaq remain among the most prolific one-two punch in basketball, one of the most dominant inside-outside combo of all time. They are also the quintessential dysfunctional duo, a stark contrast in personalities which mixed as peacefully as flames and napalm.
Their relationship was a rocky rollercoaster which ultimately ended with the rollercoaster train flying off the rails at its peak and crashing down in a glorious blaze.
Here's a look at how it all began, the highs and lows, and the inevitable breakup.
#1 Two alphas arrive
Establishing hierarchy among dynamic duos can be a tricky maneuver. One has to be Robin to the Batman; you can't have two alpha dogs without friction. Of all the duos mentioned above, only the Magic-Kareem duo would invite a debate on who the clear cut leader was. One can say that initially, Kareem was the Batman, and down the road as he got older and Magic grew into his own, the roles reversed to a certain extent.
In some cases, the debate can be decided by who came first. There was a time when the Miami Heat were said to be powered by Dwyane Wade over LeBron James, mainly because LeBron left Cleveland to come to Miami. In the case of Kobe and Shaq, there would be no such easy solution as they both came to the Los Angles Lakers in 1996.
Kobe Bryant was drafted by the Charlotte Hornets as the 13th pick, the Lakers traded Vlade Divac for him when he made it clear to the Hornets that he wouldn't play for them. Jerry West was the manager for the Lakers back then, and he had his sights set on Bryant once he saw the youngster's pre-draft workout. The Lakers knew that they had someone special on their hands with him.
Shaq arrived at the Lakers via free agency when they offered him a seven-year, $120 million contract. Jerry West compared his elation at signing Shaq with the birth of his children.
Shaq had already proven his mettle at the NBA Finals with the Orlando Magic, helping them defeat the vaunted Chicago Bulls in the conference finals. Initially, there was no question that the duo arrived at the Lakers with Shaq being the main draw.
Kobe wasn't one to take things slow, though. He brashly proclaimed that he would lead the Lakers in scoring and eventually become the best player in the game. In hindsight, Kobe came very close to following up on that.