Lakers News: Hall of Fame Coach Reveals Whether Kobe or Shaq Was Tougher to Defend

The two superstars were lethal together, but who was harder to guard?

Jun 2000; Indiana, IN, USA; FILE PHOTO; Los Angeles Lakers center Shaquille O'Neal (34) talks to / RVR Photos-USA TODAY Sports

Hall of Fame former Los Angeles Lakers shooting guard Kobe Bryant was part of a massive wave of prep-to-pro players when he opted to forgo college and head directly to the NBA. The Lakers traded for his draft rights in 1996 (he was the No. 13 pick by the Charlotte Hornets). His arrival to the league straight out of high school followed on the heels of Kevin Garnett in 1995, and pre-dating Tracy McGrady in 1997, Amare' Stoudemire in 2002, LeBron James in 2003 and Dwight Howard in 2004, among others.

But, to hear Hall of Fame longtime NBA head coach George Karl tell it, Bryant was a killer even during his Lower Merion High School days in Philadelphia.

Karl recently spoke with Brandon "Scoop B" Robinson for his show The Scoop B Radio Podcast, and reflected on Bryant's high school days and his (eventual) evolution into a team player in the pros.

"I saw Kobe play in high school and I knew he was good from the very beginning and there were five guys that I knew that were good like that were:  LeBron, Kobe, Tracy McGrady, Ralph Sampson… that when you saw ‘em in high school, they were going to be one of the best players in the NBA," Karl said. "But with Kobe, I think that early in his years he had to figure out more how to be a team player rather than an individual player and early in his career he was taking bad shots but, I don’t think that it’s talked about a lot but there are a lot of great young players and it takes time for them to get on the basketball court."

Karl went on to explain that Bryant needed time to develop at the next level, and that a certain big man teammate of his was always Karl's toughest defensive cover.

"I mean, Kobe in his younger days was an UNBELIEVABLE talent, but he didn’t learn how to be the assassin he became after about 4 or 5 years in the league and then of course he had Shaq right next to him," Karl noted. "I mean, people ask me who’s the most difficult guy I had to prepare for? It wasn’t Michael. It wasn’t Kobe. It was Shaq. Most teams don’t have an answer for Shaq other than to hope he doesn’t show up! [laughing]  I think Kobe’s legacy is pretty special and I think he’s earned it and deserves it and I hope it continues to grow."

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