Shaquille O’Neal is all set to be inducted into the NBA Hall of Fame Class of 2016. Joining other greats that include Yao Ming, Allen Iverson, and Sheryl Swoopes.
Focusing on Shaq, he is best remembered as one of the unstoppable players to play the game. He was huge and could easily throw his weight around without really trying, proving why he was the hands-down top pick of the 1992 NBA Draft.
He immediately made an impact with the Orlando Magic but success set in when he joined the Los Angeles Lakers. He won three NBA titles with the purple and gold though it was not always a bed of roses for “The Diesel”.
There could only be one King in LA
At that time, seeing two players co-exist wasn’t as high profile as the one he and Kobe Bryant had. The two seemed to be working well together until the real colors came out. The two had a strained relationship and it was all tied to a power struggle.
O’Neal was aware that Bryant wanted to be top dog, something he obviously was at that time. He realized that he would soon be out, despite the fact that big men were a rarity. Kobe was a rising young kid who wanted a piece of the glory and the big guy eventually moved out.
He landed with the Miami Heat in what surprised many. Regardless, he showed he had just enough when he helped the team win its first NBA title in 2006.
Since then, the feud between Kobe and Shaq was still in the air. It all died down when the two faded. Shaq retired 2011 and Kobe eventually followed recently. Now in their mature ages, the two have finally grown up, now laughing of those potshots of mentally attacking each other.
Shaquille O’Neal will be first to enter the HOF and Kobe is likely to follow moving forward. Despite their differences, there is no denying that they were among the great tandems the NBA ever had.