Kobe Bryant didn’t have the space for his former teammate Shaquille O’Neal.
Kobe Bryant’s 47th birthday is where fans remember his greatest player of all time and his contributions to the sport.
With 12 players selected ahead of Bryant in the 1996 NBA Draft, few people expected him to become a star when he first entered the league.
Even members of the LA Lakers questioned Bryant’s draft day trading. But he proved everyone wrong and became one of the best players ever.
But Kobe Bryant thought that which player was the best ever.
Kobe Bryant interviewed ESPN in 2009. Bryant rattles off the list of legendary names when reporters asked him which player he would add to his history start five.
Kobe chose fellow La Lakers legend Magic Johnson to point guard Michael Jordan to shoot guard Larry Bird, power forward Bill Russell and Wilt Chamberlain at the center spot.
“Always? Magic. Two MJs. Three Larry Birds. Bill Russell and four.
“I’m not close to that team. We have Jerry West, Oscar Robertson, Walt Frasier and Bob Pettis. The list goes on and on…”
Interestingly, Bryant didn’t name his former LA Lakers teammate, Shaquille O’Neill.
The rivalry between Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal really derailed La Lakers’ domination at the beginning of the decade.
In fact, the LA Lakers could have won 10 championships with Bryant and Shack. However, the problem with the pair came between them.
After O’Neill’s departure, Kobe became the Lakers leader. It took him a while, but Bryant proved he deserved the role, leading the team to two NBA championships in 2008 and 2009.
Still, if KOBE and O’Neal weren’t having any issues, then we have to wonder how successful the Lakers were.