Many basketball experts believe that if O’Neal and Bryant’s relationship had not been as corrosive, they could have won more titles. On “The Big Podcast with Shaq,” the former Lakers center discussed that glorious and tumultuous time in LA.
The Hall of Fame center insisted that he has no regrets about how things turned out in his stint with the Lakers:
Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant believed they could have won more had Shaq stayed with the LA Lakers. In a previous edition of the “All the Smoke” podcast, O’Neal was convinced they could have won more had he not been traded.
Kobe Bryant, meanwhile, had loftier aspirations than Shaquille O’Neal and blamed his tag team partner for why he didn’t have a dozen NBA titles:
The San Antonio Spurs were Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant’s biggest stumbling blocks during their stay with the LA Lakers
David Robinson, Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili were the biggest obstacles for the Shaq and Kobe Lakers.
In 1999, when the San Antonio Spurs won their first franchise title, they swept the Lakers in the second round of the playoffs. They were the last team to beat the Lakers before they won three straight titles.
The Spurs ended the LA Lakers’ hopes of a four-peat in 2003. San Antonio won the title that year. In 2004, the Spurs had the Lakers seemingly on the ropes with a 2-0 lead.
Behind Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant, the Lakers kept their composure and succeeded in dismissing the Spurs by winning the next four games. They weren’t so fortunate in the 2004 NBA Finals. They suffered a monumental upset at the hands of the Detroit Pistons.
For five straight years, the winner of the playoff matchup between the San Antonio Spurs and the LA Lakers went on to win the title. Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant were the most dominating duo back then. However, they were also beaten by team-oriented squads like the Spurs and the Pistons.
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