Kobe Bean Bryant and Shaquille Rashaun O’Neal formed one of the most dominant duos in the history of the NBA but had one of the most complicated feuds in NBA history. Both players spent eight seasons playing together and won three consecutive NBA championships for the Los Angeles Lakers.

After winning the three-peat the Lakers seemed unstoppable on the basketball court, but personal issues between the two superstars emerged and the Lakers dynasty was over. Shaq left for Miami and Kobe stayed in LA until the end of his career winning two more championships.

Both Shaq and Kobe joined the Lakers in 1996. Shaq was the next great NBA center who had already led the Orlando Magic to the NBA Finals and was brought to LA to take the Lakers back to the throne. Kobe was just an 18-year-old kid coming out of high school who would have to wait his turn to shine.

However, Kobe didn’t think that way and wanted a part of the spotlight right away. And he actually became a star pretty quickly. He was voted an All-Star starter in his second NBA season.

Right after the 1998 All-Star Game that took place in New York City, Shaq reportedly being jealous of Kobe’s jersey sales, accused Kobe of playing selfish basketball.

So with those comments, the beef has already started but Kobe was still too young to have the courage to respond. But not much later, when Shaq showed up out of shape for the beginning of the 2000 training camp, Kobe didn’t keep his mouth shut.

During the upcoming season, Kobe demanded a change in the Laker’s style of play, expecting more possessions to go through him while Shaq still wanted the ball to run through him in the post. Luckily for the Lakers organization, they had Phil Jackson as a head coach who could handle the egos of both Kobe and Shaq and manage to lead them to three consecutive NBA titles.

Things weren’t quite well between Shaq and Kobe in those years, but the beef didn’t cause much trouble while the team was winning.

But things changed quickly.

In the off-season after they lost to the Spurs in the 2003 NBA Playoffs, the Lakers signed the veterans Karl Malone and Gary Payton in hope that they will help the team get back to the top. After the signing of the two future Hall of Famers, Shaq reportedly said that Malone and Payton decided to join the Lakers because of one player, not two.

Shortly after, Kobe was accused of raping a hotel employee in Denver where he was preparing for surgery. That case totally ruined Kobe’s reputation and he did not receive any support from his teammates, especially not from Shaq.

Brian Shaw, one of the older players in that roster who mediated the argument between the two superstars, said that Kobe was mad at Shaq because he didn’t reach out to him during his trouble with the law stating that “Shaq supposed to be his friend”.

Shaw asked Kobe why he doesn’t attend team dinners or events if they are supposed to be friends, even questioning Kobe for not inviting his teammates to his wedding. Kobe was even fined by the Lakers for comments made to the press on the subject.

The following season didn’t end up as the Lakers were expecting since they lost to Detroit in the finals.

Following that loss, the personal issues reached a boiling point and cuts had to be made. Phil Jackson did not resign as a head coach and Shaq was traded to Miami for Lamar Odom, Brian Grant, and Caron Butler.

The following season, Shaq came to LA on Christmas Day as a member of the Miami Heat which was the highest-rated regular-season game since 1998. There weren’t many reports on Shaq and Kobe relations during that season, since both players chose to be quiet about it.

The next season the reconciliation process began. Both players greeted each other before the game between the Heat and the Lakers. Shaq congratulated Kobe on his 81-point game and said that Kobe should have won the MVP award that ended up in Dirk Nowitzki’s hands.

But still, the beef was not over yet.

After the Lakers lost to the Celtics in the 2008 Finals, Shaq said that Kobe simply cannot win without him. He also blamed Kobe for telling Shaq’s wife about his affairs which led up to his divorce. Kobe didn’t respond to those accusations. 

In 2009 and 2010 the Lakers won back-to-back titles. Kobe couldn’t wait to get to the press conference and say that now he has one more ring than Shaq.

Finally, after Shaq retired from the NBA in 2011 and both players became more mature, the beef between the two of them was over. When Shaq was asked what would happen if he stayed longer in LA, he responded that he and Kobe would have won at least three more championships. After Kobe passed Shaq on the All-time leading scorer’s list, Shaq congratulated his former teammate. When Kobe was asked about his opinion on Shaq, he said that they are in good relation and all their issues from the past were just “a good learning experience”.

And there it was the beef between the two was over. Kobe Bean Bryant and Shaquille Rashaun O’Neal will be remembered as one of the best duos in the history of the league and the question of how many NBA championships they would have won if they stayed together will always remain unanswered.