Exclusive: How Kobe Bryant rivalry fueled Shaq to hit ‘apex level’

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Exclusive: How Kobe Bryant rivalry fueled Shaq to hit ‘apex level’

Autumn Hawkins, ClutchPoints · ClutchPoints

Sun, Dec 21, 2025 ·

4 min read

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Exclusive: How Kobe Bryant rivalry fueled Shaq to hit 'apex level' appeared first on ClutchPoints . Add ClutchPoints as a Preferred Source by clicking here .

When it comes to NBA duos, Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal are cemented into the history of the league. They led the Los Angeles Lakers to three consecutive championships (2000-2002) despite any conflict or personal afflictions that came their way. But what sets O'Neal and Bryant apart from other duos in the NBA, and their mastery in canceling out the noise to produce a three-peat run? True grit.

"For us, it's all about winning and performing at an apex level and just bringing home the trophy," O'Neal exclusively told ClutchPoints following his Shaq-A-Claus event this week. "Growing up, I brought home a lot of trophies. I was programmed to bring home trophies. So, every time we didn't bring a trophy home, it would just drop us more."

Despite the conflict that the two endured based on power struggles, managing their different work approaches, and even the 1998 physical altercation, nothing could stop them from getting to the gold. While they didn't agree on everything, they were able to tackle their conflicting values head on.

"But here's the thing: What made our disagreements special was that we said them to each other's face. "We didn't go behind each other's back and whisper to our teammates about this, that, and the other," Kobe said, in a 2015 appearance on The Big Podcast with Shaq.

"And then when you come out of that, the team is all the better for it, because now you have more momentum, and I think that's what catapulted us, especially for that second championship," Bryant said.

As for Shaq, who would later leave Kobe and the Lakers to head to the Miami Heat in 2004, had an alternate view of the events from a strategic standpoint and, in the end, knew that they would always have each other's backs.

"It ain't a feud," explained O'Neal on The Big Podcast. "It just looked like a feud because I'm going to keep it real. When I'm getting double [teamed], he's the first dude I'm looking for. When he's getting double [teamed], I'm the first dude he's looking for. Forget all that. I hate the outsiders that say, 'You have to be this, you have to be that.' No, you don't, no, you don't. You don't need all that."

Shaq on remembering Kobe Bryant

In 2020, Kobe, alongside his daughter Gianna "Gigi" Bryant, and seven others were killed in a helicopter crash. The tragedy shocked the sports world, from casual NBA watchers to die-hard Lakers fans and those who played alongside Kobe through it all. Shaq briefly touched on their "feud" in his speech at Kobe's memorial at the Staples Center in 2020, comparing them to music legend duos John Lennon and Paul McCartney to create "some of the greatest music of all time."

"Kobe and I pushed one another to play some of the greatest basketball of all time, and I am proud that no other team has accomplished what the three-peat Lakers have done since the Shaq and Kobe Lakers did it," Shaq said. "And sometimes, like immature kids, we argued, we fought, we bantered, we assaulted each other with offhand remarks [in] our feud. Make no mistake, even when folks thought we were on bad terms, when the cameras were turned off, he and I would throw a wink at each other and say, 'Let's go whoop some a*s.'"

They shared iconic moments on the court, such as Game 7 of the 2000 Western Conference Finals when Kobe threw to Shaq to secure their comeback victory against the Portland Trail Blazers , or when they shared the MVP title at the 2009 NBA All-Star Game, both moved them to tears.

Through the turmoil rose greatness, will, and brotherhood, where nothing was going to stop them from fulfilling the Lakers' dynasty.

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