“Beast Would Be an Understatement”: Kobe Bryant Once Praised Shaquille O’Neal for Form During Their Three-peat

Kobe Bryant and Shaquille ONeal are among the greatest tandems in NBA history.

However, despite winning three straight titles together, the duo didnt see eye-to-eye.

The animosity eventually led to the Lakers splitting them up in 2004.

While the distance didnt subside their disdain, Bryant acknowledged that without ONeals heroics, he wouldnt have won three titles.

In a 2015 interview with GQ , the guard said that labeling the center lazy would be unfair as he wasnt always lethargic.

He admitted that there were times when the Hall of Famer did not want to put the work in.

However, he noted that during their three-peat, he was a cut above the rest of the league.

Bryant said, Between 1999 and 2002, ONeal averaged 28.6 points, 12.4 rebounds, and 3.5 assists per game while shooting 57.5% from the field in the regular season.

He took his game up a notch in the playing, recording 29.9 points, and 14.5 rebounds per game while shooting 55.2% from the field.

He saved his best for the NBA Finals, where he put up 35.9 points, and 15.2 rebounds on average while shooting 59.5% from the field.

The centers otherworldly stats justify Bryants claim.

The guard also acknowledged that he wasnt aware of the damage playing basketball for decades does to the body, especially to a player who was 7-foot-1 and weighed nearly 350 pounds.

After experiencing the wear and tear himself, he empathized with ONeals unwillingness to work harder during the Lakers three-peat.

He said, However, back in the day, Bryant attributed ONeals lethargy to his mindset, which he chastised him for.

Kobe Bryant and Shaquille ONeals beef ended the dynasty they created After the Lakers clinched their first title of the three-peat, Bryant worked hard in the offseason to improve and prepare to chase another title.

On the contrary, ONeal spent the offseason having the time of his life.

The center came to the teams first practice out of shape, which left the guard and head coach Phil Jackson incensed.

The results on the court werent affected, but the animosity between Bryant and ONeal continued to grow.

They avoided letting their issues come in the way on the court, but when their success finally dried up in 2003, their beef boiled over.

The 2003-04 campaign was arduous for the Lakers, with their two stars no longer seeing eye-to-eye and Bryant facing serious legal troubles, which affected his performance.

Despite the issues, they made it to the NBA Finals but surprisingly lost to the Pistons.

In the offseason, Bryant gave LA the choice of retaining him or ONeal.

The franchise opted to keep hold of the young guard and traded ONeal to the Heat.

Two years later, the center helped his new team win a championship, prompting many to question whether the Lakers made the right call.

But the guard led the team to back-to-back titles in 2009 and 2010 and repaid the faith the franchise showed in him in 2004.

Two years after Bryants retirement, he and ONeal did a one-on-one interview and the two quashed their beef.

They talked about their long-running feud and admitted that both of them acted childishly at a time when they should have focused on dominating the league together.

While they couldve won more championships together, theyll be glad they won three before their ego caused their divorce..

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