Lakers News: Derek Fisher Reveals Main Reason Kobe Brant, Shaquille O'Neal Grew Apart

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Former Los Angeles Laker Derek Fisher joined Podcast P with Paul George where he recalled playing in the 2000-2001 NBA season alongside legends Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal. He details this season, especially as the initial “shift” in the nature and camaraderie of the team.

The Lakers had a special run in 1999-2000 spearheaded by the dominance of O’Neal. This season was the star center’s first real season back since recovering from a slew of injuries dating back to the 1994-1995 year.

With a new head coach in Phil Jackson and a new triangle offense with O’Neal at the center, the big man was destined for greatness.

The Lakers steamrolled through the regular season finishing with a league’s best record of 67-15. O’Neal was named MVP of the regular season having averaged 29.7 points per game. His dominance continued through the playoffs, leading the Lakers to their first NBA title since 1988.

Byant, in just his fourth season, posted strong numbers averaging 21.1 points, 4.5 rebounds, 4.4 assists, 1.5 steals and 1.5 blocks per game. Though he may have been young at the time, he was already starting to emerge as an NBA standout.

Fisher believes the following season after winning the championship in 2000 was the year Bryant began demanding more out of himself. He says Bryant knew he was on track to becoming one of the league's “G.O.A.T.s”, and he says he believes Bryant started “to feel like he was being asked to sacrifice too much.”

“We won the first title in 2000, and so I think that second year…in 2000, 2001, that’s when it really shifted a little bit to I think Kob really felt like he was bein’ asked to sacrifice a little too much in terms of what — again, you have to remember, Kob really saw himself and ultimately became one of the G.O.A.T.s,” Fisher said. “Right? And so none of the guys on that list were the second guy. I mean, if you really go down the list of guys that we have the G.O.A.T. conversations about, I don’t know if there were many of those guys, if any, were the second guy.

“And so I think in ’01, Kob started to feel like, ‘In order for me to be the G.O.A.T. that I know I’m capable of accessin’ — I’m willin’ to put the time in. I’m willin’ to wake up at four in the mornin’, no sleep, train hard, play in every game, play through injuries, do everything to become one of the greatest players of all time. Why am I being asked to do less and be less when my teammate that is capable of just as much or more greatness isn’t maybe investing that much time, energy, et cetera?’

“And I think that was the year where it changed a little bit from healthy — some of the tension the great teams do need — to a little bit more like one guy is maybe standing in the way of the other. And so for the rest of us on the group, we just always made sure that both guys understood, ‘We’re not pickin’ a side, bro.'”

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