"Laker show" - Shaquille O'Neal sends LA Lakers fans into nostalgia mode after he shares an old picture with Kobe Bryant
Undoubtedly the most dominant player in the history of the NBA, former LA Lakers superstar Shaquille O'Neal took to Instagram to post a picture reminiscing about his time with the franchise that culminated in three championships.
Shaquille O'Neal posted a photo of himself alongside the late, great Kobe Bryant, Nick Van Exel and Eddie Jones with a caption that read:
"laker show."
The former Miami Heat and Orlando Magic center was best known for his time with the showtime franchise alongside Phil Jackson and Kobe Bryant and the incredible success they had during that period.
Nick Van Exel, nicknamed Nick The Quick, was an incredibly flashy point guard who played the game at incredible pace and was known for his ability to hit clutch shots and buzzer beaters.
Alongside him in the picture is Eddie Jones, who was picked as the 10th overall pick in the 1994 NBA Draft because the then Lakers General Manager Jerry West wanted the best pure athlete available.
Why did the Lakers trade Shaquille O'Neal to the Miami Heat?
It is no secret that Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal did not see eye to eye on a lot of matters. In fact, it was even reported that the duo came close to blows during one practice session for the Los Angeles Lakers. But if you can three-peat as champions, the thought of dismantling the tandem seemed hard to comprehend.
Arguably the most dominant duo in NBA history alongside Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen, the Lakers had incredible success with Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant as the former won three Finals MVPs and one regular season MVP during the eight years they spent together.
Shaquille O'Neal showing up to training camp out of shape often annoyed Kobe Bryant and that is where their feud began with Shaq shooting less than 50% from the free throw line also something that irritated Kobe. Another key thing that affected their relationship was Shaq deciding to postpone his toe surgery ahead of the 2002-03 season as this meant Shaq would have returned to action long after the season had begun.
20 years ago today, Kobe and Shaq combined for 62 points to upend the 76ers in Game 3 of the NBA Finals 🔥 https://t.co/TSjgYNRB2c
The relationship between the duo was so toxic that there were reports of leaks after almost every game of unrest in the locker room with the two at the forefront of it. But the on-court success was unparalleled and it was when the on-court abilities of the duo started to get affected, that is when the Lakers realized that they had to dismantle the team and prioritize one over the other.
They ended up choosing Kobe Bryant over Shaquille O'Neal for a multitude of reasons with one major reason being the age of Kobe was only 26 and Shaq was 32.
Shaquille O'Neal had the first laugh after leaving the Lakers as he won another championship with the Miami Heat in 2006. But the Lakers and Kobe Bryant went on to reach the NBA Finals thrice, winning it on two occasions.