"I think Kobe wanted to be on his own" - Gary Payton on the Shaquille O'Neal-Kobe Bryant feud
Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant were known to be one of the greatest one-two punches in the history of the game.
However, the two legends did not have the greatest of relationships as teammates, eventually leading to O'Neal seeking his way out of the LA Lakers in 2004. Gary Payton, who joined the Lakers in 2003, has said that the problems between Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal were purely due to a lack of communication.
The duo won three NBA championships together. If they had managed to keep their relationship intact, many believe both would have had a lot more success. In their final years as teammates, things got really tense, and the two superstars never really tried to clear the air between each other.
Speaking about their relationship, Gary Payton said in an interview with DJ Vlad:
"The whole big deal about that was they never talked. It was always about somebody hearing something about this; well he said this about this and then you see it in the media and then all of a sudden they fued and now they want to fight each other, and that's how it was and that's why I think it was good for me and Karl (Malone) to be on the team at the time because we defused all of that, because I always used to tell Kobe, 'Think about what the people saying, where did you hear this from', and he would think about i,t and he was like, 'Man I heard it from him"; I said, 'Did you ever go and ask Shaq?' No. Why not try?"
Gary Payton revealed that by the time O'Neal and Bryant talked about things, it had gotten really far. After winning the three-peat, the Lakers were beaten by the San Antonio Spurs in the Conference Semi-Finals. They were also beaten by the Detroit Pistons in the NBA Finals.
Commenting further on the relationship between O'Neal and Bryant, Payton said:
"And then you can talk about it. Yeah. And that's where we start getting to the level where we start talking about it; talk about it. But after that time, I think things were too far gone."
"It was too far gone, and everybody needed a change, and I think Dr. Buss wanted to make a change; everybody wanted to make a change, and I think Kobe wanted to be on his own, and that's what he was."
#OTD 2009, Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal were named Co-MVPs of the All-Star Game. https://t.co/UAqaudxXo8
Could Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant have dominated the league for a few more years had they stayed together?
Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant were a real menace to all teams in the league. While O'Neal bullied his way through defenses with his brute strength, Bryant nailed shots and tired defenses with his insane footwork.
They went on to beat the Indiana Pacers, New Jersey Nets and the Philadelphia 76ers to win three NBA championships in as many years. However, they fell to the Detroit Pistons in the 2004 Finals, and with that, the Bryant and O'Neal era came to an end.
Were @kobebryant and @SHAQ the best duo in NBA history?
Kobe: "If you ask us? Of course we're the best." 🤷♂️
(via @NBAonTNT)
https://t.co/WqvHeQ7VQc
Kobe Bryant was then set to be the face of the Lakers as O'Neal teamed up with Dwayne Wade in South Beach. Things eventually worked out well for both, as Bryant led the Lakers to two more championships, while O'Neal helped the Heat get to one in 2006.
However, basketball fans and experts believe if the duo were able to maintain a good relationship and stay together, both would have had a lot more rings than with what they ended their careers with.
"Me and @kobebryant had tension all the time, but we respected each other."
—@SHAQ says the Rockets have to play together to win a championship https://t.co/Rwy7EQrsnR
Post their playing days, they did sort out their differences and even discussed how great the two would have been if they were together for longer.
Kobe Bryant even stated that the duo would have probably won 12 rings, which would have been a record-breaking feat. Nevertheless, the two are still the greatest to play the game, and their contributions to the sport will never be forgotten.