Former Lakers Champ Calls Out 'BS' Idea About Kobe Bryant, Shaquille O'Neal Relationship

The Los Angeles Hall of Famers' fraught chemistry was the subject of much media coverage.

Mar 24, 2017; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Lakers former center Shaquille O'Neal (left) and guard Kobe Bryant react during ceremony to unveil statue of O'Neal at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

For eight decorated seasons, Los Angeles Lakers legends Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant had a fraught-but-productive working relationship.

Bryant was a 17-year-old shooting guard phenom out of Lower Merion High School in Philadelphia in 1996 when Los Angeles shipped out center Vladimir Divac to the Charlotte Hornets in exchange for the right to select Bryant with the No. 13 pick. O'Neal was already an All-Star center with one NBA Finals berth to his name by the time he was poached from L.A. by general manager Jerry West that summer. Thus began an uneasy, fruitful partnership that would result in three consecutive titles from 2000-02, plus a fourth NBA Finals appearance in 2004.

By their 2000-01 season, however, fissures were starting to show between O'Neal, the established veteran star and the club's offensive fulcrum, and Bryant, whose flashy game had made him a fan favorite — despite him clearly being a supplemental superstar next to the Big Diesel. Tensions fully bubbled over after the club's 2003-04 run, which saw a veteran-laden L.A. club fall in a five-game NBA Finals defeat to the Detroit Pistons.

In the 2004 offseason, O'Neal was flipped to the Miami Heat to accommodate Bryant. Eventually, the Lakers landed another future Hall of Fame big man, Pau Gasol, in a 2008 deadline trade with the Memphis Grizzlies. With Bryant now unquestionable the team's leader and most valuable player, the Lakers promptly appeared in another three consecutive NBA Finals, winning in 2009 and 2010.

On a recent episode of his must-listen podcast "Gil's Arena," retired former three-time All-Star Washington Wizards point guard Gilbert Arenas made a bold statement about Bryant's hierarchical place on those title teams next to O'Neal.

"3 of his championships [Kobe] was the sidekick... Shaq was the dominant force."

Is Gil trippin' for saying Kobe was Robin to Shaq's Batman during the Lakers dynasty 🤔 pic.twitter.com/nhCkdJRClE

— Gilbert Arenas (@GilsArenaShow) December 18, 2024

"Three of his championships [Bryant] was the sidekick," Arenas said, "Shaq was the dominant force."

NBA fan @WhozMEECH took to X to refute Arenas' claim and defend Bryant's performance during the Lakers' halcyon days. Veteran swingman Ron Harper, a Phil Jackson import from the then-Lakers head coach's Chicago Bulls champion days who served as a role player for Los Angeles during their 2000 and 2001 champion runs, took to the comments section to call out the idea, too.

Stop with the BS KOBE wasn’t a side kick for sure!!!!

— Ron Harper (@HARPER04_5) December 20, 2024

"Stop with the BS KOBE wasn't a side kick for sure!!!!" wrote Harper.

Bryant was an All-NBA talent during all three of the Lakers' title-winning seasons with O'Neal, and finished among the top 12 in MVP voting across each of those stints. He was also an elite defender by this point, finishing among the top five in Defensive Player of the Year voting twice in that three-season span. Bryant may not have scored as much as O'Neal, but he still posted impressive averages of 25.4 points, 5.9 rebounds, 5.1 assists, 1.6 steals and 0.7 blocks across those three regular seasons.

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