"I'm not going to tell Shaquille O'Neal to get out of the way"- Kobe Bryant was pissed that a coach would not let him post up in 1998
Kobe Bryant is among the best post-scoring guards in NBA history. Coming into the NBA in the mid-90s, scoring was primarily an interior-based endeavor, meaning that big men usually dominated the league.
As Kobe Bryant developed into one of the best scorers in the NBA, he began to prove his ability to score in the post was almost unmatched - at least for non-big men. As the Los Angeles Lakers constructed a championship-contending team around him, they acquired dominant center Shaquille O'Neal. With O'Neal occupying the paint, Bryant found it increasingly challenging to find opportunities for post-scoring.
According to a 2008 article by Sports Illustrated's Chris Ballard, Kobe Bryant began to crave opportunities to prove his ability in the post but often found it difficult to earn those opportunities due to Shaq's presence on the roster.
In his article, Ballard quoted former Lakers head coach Del Harris, who revealed how Kobe Bryant had asked for more opportunities to flash his scoring ability on the interior.
"I said, 'Kobe, I know you can, but right now you can't do it at a high enough rate for the team we have, and I'm not going to tell Shaquille O'Neal to get out of the way so you can do this.' Kobe didn't like it. He understood it, but in his heart he didn't accept it," Harris said.
However, Kobe Bryant continued to evolve his offensive game and, over time, became one of the most feared scorers in NBA history.
Jamal Crawford recalls playing against Kobe Bryant.
During a June 14 appearance on FanDuel TV's Run It Back, former NBA guard Jamal Crawford detailed what it was like to face off against Kobe Bryant - and why he was such a difficult player to guard.
"I was in the league 7 years before he acknowledged me or even knew that I existed. Guarding him was like no other. He was literally the best player I've ever played against."
This Kobe Bryant story from @JCrossover is amazing 🙌
(via @FanDuelTV)
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"I was in the league 7 years before he acknowledged me or even knew that I existed," Crawford said. "Guarding him was like no other. He was literally the best player I've ever played against. He had no fear. He can go 1-for-15 and think he was hot.
"His work ethic, his skill. When you knew you were gonna play against him, he wants to take your heart, but you lost sleep the night before."
Kobe Bryant ended his NBA career widely regarded as one of the greatest players of All-Time. His fearlessness, commitment to improving, and sheer will to win helped separate him from the countless other talented NBA players that he shared the floor with or those that came before him.
Upon calling time on his NBA career, Kobe Bryant had won five NBA championships, was named NBA Final MVP twice, and was named the 2008 MVP. Yet, the stories of his greatness, and indomitable will to win, will never fail to captivate and motivate NBA fans around the world. The Black Mamba continues to live on through his amazing legacy.