{"id":81423,"date":"2025-07-22T01:14:06","date_gmt":"2025-07-22T01:14:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?p=81423"},"modified":"2025-07-22T01:14:06","modified_gmt":"2025-07-22T01:14:06","slug":"report-lakers-fans-upset-about-shaquille-oneals-kobe-bryant-statement","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?p=81423","title":{"rendered":"Report: Lakers Fans Upset About Shaquille O\u2019Neal\u2019s Kobe Bryant Statement"},"content":{"rendered":"<p data-wp-block=\"{&quot;dropCap&quot;:false}\" data-wp-block-name=\"core\/paragraph\">Shaquille O\u2019Neal and\u00a0Kobe Bryant\u00a0remain one of the most dominant duos in\u00a0NBA\u00a0history. Together, they delivered three consecutive championships to the\u00a0Los Angeles Lakers\u00a0from 2000 to 2002. Their on-court dominance was undeniable, but their relationship was also marked by friction, leading to O\u2019Neal\u2019s eventual departure from the franchise in 2004.<\/p>\n<p data-wp-block=\"{&quot;dropCap&quot;:false}\" data-wp-block-name=\"core\/paragraph\">In recent days, Bryant\u2019s name returned to the spotlight after comments from former NBA star Tracy McGrady sparked fresh debate. McGrady suggested he could have won a championship had he been paired with O\u2019Neal instead of Bryant. The comments were widely criticized, with many fans accusing McGrady of minimizing Bryant\u2019s legacy. The pushback was immediate, with some pointing out that Kobe ultimately won two titles without Shaq, further reinforcing his individual greatness.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"styles_figureContainer__kdsyO wp-block-image size-full fade-in-top visible\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/athlonsports.com\/.image\/w_3840,q_auto:good,c_limit\/MjE0MzYzMTAyMjA3MDI2OTgw\/shaquille-oneal.jpg\" sizes=\"auto, (min-width: 750px) 750px, calc(100vw - 60px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/athlonsports.com\/.image\/w_16,q_auto:good,c_limit\/MjE0MzYzMTAyMjA3MDI2OTgw\/shaquille-oneal.jpg 16w, https:\/\/athlonsports.com\/.image\/w_32,q_auto:good,c_limit\/MjE0MzYzMTAyMjA3MDI2OTgw\/shaquille-oneal.jpg 32w, https:\/\/athlonsports.com\/.image\/w_48,q_auto:good,c_limit\/MjE0MzYzMTAyMjA3MDI2OTgw\/shaquille-oneal.jpg 48w, https:\/\/athlonsports.com\/.image\/w_64,q_auto:good,c_limit\/MjE0MzYzMTAyMjA3MDI2OTgw\/shaquille-oneal.jpg 64w, https:\/\/athlonsports.com\/.image\/w_96,q_auto:good,c_limit\/MjE0MzYzMTAyMjA3MDI2OTgw\/shaquille-oneal.jpg 96w, https:\/\/athlonsports.com\/.image\/w_128,q_auto:good,c_limit\/MjE0MzYzMTAyMjA3MDI2OTgw\/shaquille-oneal.jpg 128w, https:\/\/athlonsports.com\/.image\/w_256,q_auto:good,c_limit\/MjE0MzYzMTAyMjA3MDI2OTgw\/shaquille-oneal.jpg 256w, https:\/\/athlonsports.com\/.image\/w_384,q_auto:good,c_limit\/MjE0MzYzMTAyMjA3MDI2OTgw\/shaquille-oneal.jpg 384w, https:\/\/athlonsports.com\/.image\/w_640,q_auto:good,c_limit\/MjE0MzYzMTAyMjA3MDI2OTgw\/shaquille-oneal.jpg 640w, https:\/\/athlonsports.com\/.image\/w_750,q_auto:good,c_limit\/MjE0MzYzMTAyMjA3MDI2OTgw\/shaquille-oneal.jpg 750w, https:\/\/athlonsports.com\/.image\/w_828,q_auto:good,c_limit\/MjE0MzYzMTAyMjA3MDI2OTgw\/shaquille-oneal.jpg 828w, https:\/\/athlonsports.com\/.image\/w_1080,q_auto:good,c_limit\/MjE0MzYzMTAyMjA3MDI2OTgw\/shaquille-oneal.jpg 1080w, https:\/\/athlonsports.com\/.image\/w_1200,q_auto:good,c_limit\/MjE0MzYzMTAyMjA3MDI2OTgw\/shaquille-oneal.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/athlonsports.com\/.image\/w_1920,q_auto:good,c_limit\/MjE0MzYzMTAyMjA3MDI2OTgw\/shaquille-oneal.jpg 1920w, https:\/\/athlonsports.com\/.image\/w_2048,q_auto:good,c_limit\/MjE0MzYzMTAyMjA3MDI2OTgw\/shaquille-oneal.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/athlonsports.com\/.image\/w_3840,q_auto:good,c_limit\/MjE0MzYzMTAyMjA3MDI2OTgw\/shaquille-oneal.jpg 3840w\" alt=\"\" width=\"2885\" height=\"1923\" data-nimg=\"1\" \/><\/figure>\n<p data-wp-block=\"{&quot;dropCap&quot;:false}\" data-wp-block-name=\"core\/paragraph\">O\u2019Neal finally weighed in on the discussion during an appearance on\u00a0Off the Record, adding his own twist to the conversation.<\/p>\n<p data-wp-block=\"{&quot;dropCap&quot;:false}\" data-wp-block-name=\"core\/paragraph\"><em>\u201cOur guy (Kobe) had room to operate because I got 3 people on me,\u201d O\u2019Neal said. \u201cProbably get a lot of flak, but I always said myself, I think I could\u2019ve got three in a row with T-Mac. I think I could\u2019ve got two with Vince, oh I know I get six with Steph.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter styles_wrapper__KtICr fade-in-top visible\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<div data-embed-url=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/username\/status\/1946656663446171680\" data-rhp=\"1\">\n<div class=\"twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered\" data-rhp=\"1\"><iframe id=\"twitter-widget-0\" class=\"\" title=\"X Post\" src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/embed\/Tweet.html?creatorScreenName=ayoadeduyite&amp;dnt=false&amp;embedId=twitter-widget-0&amp;features=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%3D%3D&amp;frame=false&amp;hideCard=false&amp;hideThread=false&amp;id=1946656663446171680&amp;lang=en&amp;origin=https%3A%2F%2Fathlonsports.com%2Fnba%2Flos-angeles-lakers%2Flakers-fans-upset-about-shaquille-oneals-kobe-bryant-statement&amp;sessionId=d3f4f8d85d2a522bb9d0b5e401965c23dc865fee&amp;theme=light&amp;widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&amp;width=550px\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\" data-tweet-id=\"1946656663446171680\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p data-wp-block=\"{&quot;dropCap&quot;:false}\" data-wp-block-name=\"core\/paragraph\">The remarks quickly sparked backlash among Lakers fans, many of whom felt O\u2019Neal was downplaying Bryant\u2019s contributions.<\/p>\n<p data-wp-block=\"{&quot;dropCap&quot;:false}\" data-wp-block-name=\"core\/paragraph\">\u201cShaq should be thanking Kobe for those rings,\u201d one user posted.<\/p>\n<p data-wp-block=\"{&quot;dropCap&quot;:false}\" data-wp-block-name=\"core\/paragraph\">Another added, \u201cKobe won two without him \u2014 what\u2019s he talking about?\u201d<\/p>\n<p data-wp-block=\"{&quot;dropCap&quot;:false}\" data-wp-block-name=\"core\/paragraph\">\u201cThis dude over the years has really done his absolute best for the fanbase to dislike him,\u201d another fan remarked.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Shaquille O\u2019Neal and\u00a0Kobe Bryant\u00a0remain one of the most dominant duos in\u00a0NBA\u00a0history. Together, they delivered three consecutive championships to the\u00a0Los Angeles Lakers\u00a0from 2000 to 2002. Their on-court dominance&#8230; <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":81426,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-81423","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nba"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v23.7 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Report: Lakers Fans Upset About Shaquille O\u2019Neal\u2019s Kobe Bryant Statement - News 365<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?p=81423\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Report: Lakers Fans Upset About Shaquille O\u2019Neal\u2019s Kobe Bryant Statement - News 365\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Shaquille O\u2019Neal and\u00a0Kobe Bryant\u00a0remain one of the most dominant duos in\u00a0NBA\u00a0history. 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