"I want to win it on my own"- Isiah Thomas reveals Kobe Bryant was desperate to win without Shaquille O'Neal that he was ready to take a huge pay cut
Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal formed one of the deadliest tandems in NBA history. The two dominated the basketball league in the early 2000s and won three championships in a row together.
However, their partnership came to an end after the 2003-04 season when O'Neal was traded to the Miami Heat. Kobe and Shaq used to be unstoppable and their chemistry was impeccable, but their relationship started going downhill after the 3-peat.
Isiah Thomas, who recently appeared on the "All The Smoke" podcast, shared an interesting story regarding Kobe Bryant. The Detroit Pistons legend claimed that Bryant was ready to take a massive paycut just to win without O'Neal.
Kobe Bryant was interested in signing a contract with the New York Knicks
In December 2003, Isiah Thomas was named President of Basketball Operations of the New York Knicks. At the same time, Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal dealt with a lot of problems, which is why the shooting guard wanted out.
Thomas claimed that Kobe wanted out so badly that he was ready to take a massive paycut. He was willing to accept a mid-level exception just to win without his sidekick.
"He [Kobe] flew to New York to meet us to talk about signing with the Knicks," Thomas said on the podcast. "All we had to offer was the mid-level."
Back then, players who were signed with a mid-level exception were paid less than $5 million per season. Bryant, who averaged 30.0 points, 6.9 rebounds and 5.9 assists per game in the 2002-03 season, was worth much more.
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However, the LA Lakers shooting guard did not care about the money. He simply wanted to win without O'Neal.
"He was really like, 'I got to get out of LA ... I want to win it on my own without Shaq,'" Thomas said. "He goes, 'If I win it with Shaq, then I don't think I'm gonna be able to rise the way I want to rise.'"
Bryant did not end up with the Knicks. Instead, Shaquille O'Neal was shipped to the Miami Heat after the 2003-04 season, where he ended up winning the championship in 2006.
Kobe, on the other hand, signed a 7-year deal worth $136.4 million with the Lakers. He struggled in his first season without Shaq as he missed the playoffs for the first time in his career, followed by two first-round exits.
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However, Bryant eventually led the Lakers to the promised land by winning back-to-back titles in 2009 and 2010. He finished his impressive basketball career with five championship rings and two Finals MVP awards.