Only watched the 4 minute clip that went viral about Kobe vs Shaq so far, but here's the whole hour long interview
Bryant Claims He Would Have 12 Championships If Shaq Was in Shape BYA GALBRAITH AUG 27, 2019 Kobe Bryant claims that the Lakerswould have won 12 championships during his tenure if Shaquille O'Nealhad his work ethic. Bryant laid out his ultimate "what-if" scenario in an interview with Patrick Bet-David at the PHP Agency Convention in Las Vegas. While this all sounds like Kobe big-upping himself, Bryant was quick to say that Shaq would have been the better of the two players in this hypothetical. Bryant shared that Shaq could have been the GOAT if he had committed to it "He'd be the greatest of all time," Bryant said of a gym-focused Shaq. "He'd be the first to tell you that!" Bryant said that his desire to see the best possible Shaq wasn't merely as a friend, noting how much more hardware would have found its way to Los Angeles. "I wish he was in the gym!" he said. "I would've had 12 f*cking rings!" Don't need to watch hour on youtube
Shaq responded with "they don't give statues to guys who don't work hard" and "you could've had 12 rings if you passed more, especially in 04 vs Detroit." Ouch.
What the H with the 12 rings comment if you passed more from Shaq and is that old or current? Very much like his Kobe how's my a** taste period. Hope this s*** isn't all being dredged up again in this interview. Like @Azndude2190 says above.
OK, 12 rings is a hyperbole, but he does have a point. It's not that Shaq did not "work hard". Honestly, I don't know how hard he worked, but we all know he was not in shape quite often, which is one of the reasons he had those foot problems that kept him resting on "company time". He could have been the GOAT if he worked like Kobe, that's for sure. Kobe, for all his love for the game and hard work, did not have the physical talent of MJ, let alone the talent of Shaq. So, I'm on Kobe's side here. I understand that Shaq needs to defend himself too, but come on... the guy was a monster and declined super fast. That's not a coincidence. And at this point in his life Kobe is not the rebellious kid anymore. He knows what's up and does not give a flying #$% about what people will say. He speaks the truth. Whether it was necessary to do this all over again or not, I honestly don't know, but it might bring some more spotlight on both of them again which is good for basketball in general.
Wait. What? How do you define talent? Because he was bigger than everyone and a great athlete with unusual foot skills and speed and hops for his size before getting prematurely FAT and played like a bully against lighter and smaller players at his peak doesn't IMO make him more physically "talented" at his peak than other greats like Kobe or Hakeem who honed their skills and physical talents to razor's edge sharpness through the constant work and practice. Remember what Hakeem did to prime physically super "talented"... beast Shaq.
my recollection of the 04 series is that det got away with single coverage on shaq--not because he didn't get the ball but because he wasn't able to dominate wallace in isolation. also, they essentially doubled kobe off the ball (illegal at the time) and made it so that he didn't have an easy direct pass to shaq--instead the ball had to go to one of the players who couldn't hit the broad side of a barn from the perimeter. the malone injury killed us in that series. just one more useful offensive player and that defense would have been shredded. i'm surprised shaq would respond to this, tbh. everyone could see he let himself go physically once he got the first couple rings. had he taken care of his body better and still felt like kobe was a ballhog, he would have been the one that stayed in la for his entire career.
Unnecessary comments. Unnecessary response. But I’d take the good old days over this hodgepodge roster any day of whom to no players do I feel a connection. Except of course Kuz And the GOAT Caruso :Carusohearthands: The rest of them I have no emotional investment in. Such an odd feeling. Like I don’t even know my team anymore.
Physical talent? Exactly as you describe it. Everything else you posted simply proved that having less physical talent, but more knowledge of the game and skills honed through hard work will beat raw physical talent.