Dwyane Wade reveals Shaquille O'Neal told his Miami Heat he wanted to be superior to Kobe Bryant: “Shaq went off on us, and as a young player I didn’t understand why”
Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant had an unbreakable bond on the court, which helped the LA Lakers win three championships from 2000 to 2002. However, they became rivals the instant Shaq was traded to the Miami Heat in 2004.
The trade marked the end of a dynasty for the Lakers, but Shaq was determined to one-up his former partner in their quest for championships. Shaq was the Finals MVP in their three-peat, making his departure an opportunity for Kobe to establish himself and win a Finals MVP award for himself.
On the latest episode of Ringer's Icons Club podcast, Shaq's mentality after he was traded was revealed. Diesel was eager to lead his new team to a better campaign than the Lakers, and Dwyane Wade recounted how he motivated the team.
"All the time. Like I remember, it was a meeting, a team meeting in the locker room, and we were like 10 and five, or 10 and six, somewhere around that jacket in Shaq's first year and I remember the Lakers were about 10 and six, 10 and seven."
"It was like the same record, and Shaq went off on us. And as a young player, I didn't understand why. I was I think we have a pretty good year right now. I'm coming off of you know just barely hitting .500 a year before."
"What he was saying was, I didn't come here to be average. I didn't come here to be equal to the Lakers. I can't get to be superior to them, I came to be superior to Kobe. And I remember after that meeting we went on a 12 game winning streak."
The Heat finished with the best record in the East (59-23), winning 25 more games than the Lakers, who missed the playoffs. Nonetheless, the Heat were denied glory as they were eliminated in the Eastern Conference Finals by the Detroit Pistons.
Shaquille O'Neal won a championship in his second year with the Miami Heat
Although Shaq did not win the title in his first year with the Heat, he had a better run than his former compatriot Kobe. However, it wasn't enough for the big man, who made sure to go all the way the following season.
In the 2005-06 season, the Heat did not have a dominating run in the regular season, but they turned things around in the playoffs. They never reached a Game 7 throughout their playoffs run.
June 20/2006 - Miami Heat defeat Dallas Mavericks to win the NBA Championship. Dwyane Wade, Gary Payton, Alonzo Mourning's first title & Shaquille O'Neal 4th and last. https://t.co/rgdTSZIr1B
Although the Dallas Mavericks jumped to a 2-0 series lead and looked the favorites to win the title, an inspiring display from Dwyane Wade turned things in favor of the Heat. Shaq ended up winning championship No.4 before Kobe, but the Finals MVP award went to Wade.
While that was Shaq's last title, Kobe led the Lakers to back-to-back titles in 2009 and 2010, winning the Finals MVP award on both occasions. After winning the 2010 title, he said in his post-game interview, "I have one more than Shaq."