Kobe Bryant is regarded by the Laker Nation as one of the greatest to ever wear a Purple and Gold jersey.
In his iconic 20-year NBA career, Kobe Bryant won five championships with the LA Lakers, while also giving fans countless memories.
For the entirety of his career, the Lakers played their games at the Staples Center, and he made sure to put on a show for the fans every time he walked out.
His running mate for a long time was Shaquille O’Neal, who was one of the most dominant forces in the history of the league.
The two terrorized defenses on their way to a three-peat, but it was well documented that they did not share the best of relationships off the court.
At least during their playing careers because after that, the two legends came together and talked it all out.
After winning the three-peat, the Lakers faced defeat in the 2004 NBA Finals, and that led to O’Neal deciding to leave the franchise.
Bryant played the Shaq role in his own way
Even after his playing career, O’Neal has stayed close to the game through ‘Inside the NBA.’
His antics and fun-loving personality attract a lot of viewers. He was the same during his stint with the Lakers and Bryant revealed that it was one of his ways to keep the team together.
After his departure to join the Miami Heat in 2004, Bryant had to take over the reins of the team and he tried to replicate the same in his own ways through ‘sarcasm.’
Speaking on All the Smoke before his untimely death, the Black Mamba said: “Understand how to connect the team more, I didn’t have to with Shaq cause Shaq was the guy who connected everybody, still drove a hard bargain, but he was the jovial one.
“I figured out how to do that, but do that in my own way with my sarcasm and try humor or whatever the case may be.
“Being authentic with guys, but still being able to build that relationship and understanding that this is what it’s about.”
Bryant became a different player after Shaq’s departure
After O’Neal left the Lakers, it took him two more years to win his next championship.
While he was on a contender, Bryant was trying to help the Lakers compete for a playoff spot.
His performances were brilliant and he was averaging good numbers, but that was not translating to team success.
Finally, after the arrival of Pau Gasol, the Lakers started to do well in the playoffs. They lost in 2008 to the Boston Celtics in the NBA Finals, but came back to win two more championships in 2009 and 2010.
Bryant showed faith in his teammates and they repaid him with big performances in the playoffs.
His maturity as a player helped him form a great relationship with his teammates.
Not only was he relying on his talent, but also on the likes of Gasol, Metta World Peace and Lamar Odom to help the team get to a championship.
Eventually he managed to prove it to the world that he could lead a team to a championship without Shaq, but the question of how many titles the duo would have won if they stayed together will always be discussed around the NBA community.
