Watch: Kobe Bryant writes ‘34’ on his shoes in honor of Shaquille O'Neal, scores 56 points in 3 quarters, on this day 20 years ago
Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal shared a special bond ever since they joined forces in an attempt to win a championship for the LA Lakers. Their bond was on full display 20 years ago, where Kobe honored Shaq with a 56-point performance.
On this day in 2002, the Lakers hosted the Memphis Grizzlies but were without their starting big man. Shaquille O'Neal was serving the first of a three-game suspension due to an altercation with a player in their previous outing.
O'Neal was one of the most fouled players in the NBA but he was not getting the calls he deserved because of his size. However, he took exception to an unnecessary foul by Chicago Bulls Brad Miller and Charles Oakley with under three minutes left in the game.
Although it was ruled a flagrant penalty 2, O'Neal was willing to stand up for himself and threw a punch at Miller. His violent outburst was frowned upon by the league, resulting in him getting thrown out of the game and ending with a $15,000 fine and a three-game suspension.
Bryant, despite not condoning the fight, stood in solidarity with his running mate and chose to honor him in the next game by writing his jersey number (34) on his sneakers. The Grizzlies were the unfortunate victims as he exploded for 56 points in only three quarters.
20 years ago today 🐍
FROBE BRYANT wrote '34' on his Adidas shoes in honor of Shaq (suspended 3 GMS for throwing a punch at Brad Miller) & then did this to the Grizzlies in just 3 quarters:
56 PTS
21/34 FG
3/6 3PT
5 REB
4 AST
FINAL: LAL 120 - MEM 81 https://t.co/BjGICW8NBT
The game ended 120-81 in favor of the Lakers, with the next best scorer in the game being the Grizzlies' Pau Gasol with 25 points. Added to his box score numbers were five rebounds, four assists and a steal with zero turnovers.
Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant were among the most dominant duos in NBA history
There have been several dynamic duos in NBA history, from Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen to Karl Malone and John Stockton, and the Shaquille O'Neal-Kobe Bryant partnership was up there with them. The two high-level scorers wreaked havoc in the league during their time together.
The Lakers acquired O'Neal in the 1996 offseason, the same year they selected Bryant in the draft with the 13th overall pick. Although it took them three years to build the needed chemistry to win a championship, they were unstoppable from then on.
Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant pose for a photo in Jeff Hamilton jackets after winning the NBA Championship on June 19, 2000 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California.
Photo by Andrew D. Bernstein https://t.co/7fKBFx97kx
In 2000, they won their first championship together, defeating the Indiana Pacers in six games. Shaquille O'Neal won the Finals MVP award after averaging 38.0 points, 16.7 rebounds and 3.3 assists in the series.
That was the start of a three-peat as they won two more titles, with O'Neal also grabbing the Finals MVP award on both occasions. After failing to win a title in two other attempts, O'Neal moved to South Beach to partner with Dwyane Wade in Miami.