Shaq and Kobe Rivalry Revisited in O’Neal’s New Book

The rivalry between Shaq and Kobe should have died when Shaq retired, but Shaquille O’Neal has reignited the flames in his new book, “Shaq Uncut: My Story.” The autobiography talks about the big man’s life and his illustrious career, but the Shaq and Kobe feud is definitely the selling point.

The rivalry between the two L.A. Lakers has been a source for sports gossip for the last 15 years, but O’Neal gives some fresh insight on the rivalry in his new book. Here are a couple of excerpts from “Shaq Uncut: My Story.”

“So I’m on edge because I don’t have a new deal, and Kobe is on edge because he might be going to jail, so we’re taking it out on each other… The coaching staff called us in and said, “No more public sparring or you’ll get fined.” So what happens? Immediately after that Kobe runs right out to Jim Gray and does this interview where he lets me have it. He said I was fat and out of shape. He said I was milking my toe injury for more time off, and the injury wasn’t even that serious. (Yeah, right. It only ended my damn career.)… I’m sitting there watching this interview and I’m gonna explode. Hours earlier we had just promised our coach we’d stop. It was a truce broken. I let the guys know, “I’m going to kill him.”

Shaq says that much of the rivalry had to do with Kobe’s sexual assault case in 2003. Bryant was supposedly upset that Shaq and his fellow Lakers didn’t support him during the case. But Shaq doesn’t see it that way. Shaq writes:

“I did call him. … So here we are now, and we find out he really was hurt that we didn’t stand behind him. That was something new. I didn’t think he gave a rat’s ass about us either way.”

Shaq does have at least one flattering thing to say about Kobe. Shaq said that Kobe was immature and boastful as a rookie, but he was also right about his abilities. Shaq writes:

“Everything Kobe is doing now, he told me all the way back then he was going to do it. We were sitting on the bus once and he told me, “I’m going to be the number one scorer for the Lakers, I’m going to win five or six championships, and I’m going to be the best player in the game… I’m going to be the Will Smith of the NBA.”

Of course, Shaq’s praise for Kobe doesn’t last long. Shortly after praising his abilities, he knocks Kobe because Bryant thought that he was above rookie hazing.

What do you think about the Shaq and Kobe rivalry? Does anyone care anymore?