Shaquille O'Neal stunned by Meek Mill and Rick Ross' 'Shaq & Kobe' music video release
Shaquille O'Neal isn't an easy person to impress. The former NBA superstar is a high achiever, both on and off the court. However, it would appear that Meek Mill and Rick Ross have managed to earn O'Neal's respect with their latest music video. The Hip Hop stars have teamed up for a song called "Shaq & Kobe" and recently released the video for the song.
O'Neal shared some thoughts on his Instagram page, sharing old footage of the Los Angeles Lakers star duo with a second slide showcasing a mural of Kobe Bryant in Los Angeles. In the caption of his post, O'Neal praised Mill and Ross for their latest song.
"#ShaqandKobe official video out now! Dir by @kidart @meekmill Rozay ‘TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE’ en route. The powerful @untouchablemmg," O'Neal wrote.
On October 1, Rick Ross posted the music video to his own Instagram page, with the comments section showing the song and the video have been well received by hip-hop fans worldwide. The track is just another example of how hip-hop and the NBA are intertwined in pop culture and is the latest in a long line of songs that interweave basketball lore into rap music.
Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant once got into a fistfight
During their time together with the Los Angeles Lakers, Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant amassed amazing on-court success, winning three championships together. However, during their playing days, the star duo's relationship was often strained due to a clash of personalities.
In a special episode of "Players Only" on NBA TV in February 2018, Kobe recalled how he and O'Neal got into a physical altercation after some trash-talking escalated between the duo. The issue occurred during a lockout as the NBA and the Players Association were at a stalemate.
"We were playing a pickup game," Bryant said. "It was lockout season, South West College, we were playing a pickup game. We're on opposite teams and trash-talking. And you kept saying, 'Yeah, take that, lil b*tch, take that, lil b*tch.' I'm looking around like, 'F**ker's talking to me!' And I said, 'Hold on, there ain't gonna be too many more of those.'
"To which you said, 'What you gonna do about it? What you gonna do about it?' Next thing I knew, I saw a big hand coming this way, and I remember going this way. And I remember throwing some lollipop sh*t, Olden Polynice came and caught, and then they all just kinda broke us apart, broke us up."
Despite the altercation, Kobe and O'Neal found a way to co-exist on the court and quickly became one of the most dominant duos in league history. With three championships between 2000 and 2002, the star duo made history. Shaquille O'Neal eventually went his own way and won one more championship while playing for the Miami Heat.
Kobe spent the rest of his career with the Lakers, enjoying back-to-back championship runs alongside Pau Gasol between 2009 and 2010. Despite both of their successes after their partnership ended, NBA fans still remember their dominance and speak about that Lakers era fondly.