When Shaquille O'Neal fired back at Kobe Bryant for alleging he paid women up to $1 million in “hush money”
Despite being one of the best duos in the history of the NBA, Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant had a fascinating relationship. On the court, they always found a way to make things work at a high level. However, their polarizing personalities led to several quarrels behind the scenes.
Following the 2004 season, Shaquille O'Neal departed from the LA Lakers and joined forces with Dwyane Wade in Miami. Even on different teams, Shaq and Kobe still managed to have their dust-ups.
In the fall of 2004, Kobe made a remark that greatly enraged Shaquille O'Neal. He claimed that the All-Star center had paid out over $1 million in hush money and was out "buying love." Shaq quickly denied the accusation and turned things around on his former teammate.
"This whole situation is ridiculous," O'Neal told ESPN. "I never hang out with Kobe, I never hung around him. In the seven or eight years we were together, we were never together."
"So how this guy can think he knows anything about me or my business is funny. And one last thing - I'm not the one buying love. He's the one buying love."
Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant's relationship wasn't as bad as it seemed
For years, most people in and around the league thought that Kobe Byrant and Shaquille O'Neal had a burning hatred for one another. Instances like this are clear that they bumped heads, but the two Hall of Famers still shared a strong bond.
The relationship the two had wasn't perfect, but the respect for one another was still there. Without it, they wouldn't have been able to come together and lead the LA Lakers to three-straight NBA titles.
As they got older, it was clear how close the two were. In their tell-all interview with one another, Kobe and Shaq touched on everything that went down between them. Kobe admitted that he was only so hard on Shaq because he knew how good they could be together.
When Kobe took the floor for his final game, Shaquille O'Neal was right there courtside to celebrate the moment with him. Deep down, the two did have a great love for one another.
Shaq made it clear how much he cared for Kobe in his documentary series with HBO titled Shaq. In the documentary, he stated that the tragic passing of his sister and former running mate still keeps him up at night years later.