Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant’s partnership amid a feud is permanently etched in NBA history books. But after losing his former teammate in 2020, O’Neal has never failed to elevate Bryant’s greatness. He recently did a faux pas by sharing an unverified Black Mamba on Instagram. But Shaq was quick to rectify it by sharing an old clip that showcased pre-title Kobe’s spectacular talent. The highlight comes from the 1998 game between the Los Angeles Lakers and New Jersey Nets. It was the game Big Diesel made a career record. But it was young Black Mamba who stunned the arena.

The erstwhile New Jersey Nets were obliterated by Shaq who scored a record 50 points on the Nets’ own turf. It was a preview of when he’d bulldoze the same team in the 2002 NBA finals. The Lakers legend dusted off the cobwebs on that game not to celebrate himself, but an old friend.

Shaquille O’Neal shares his best game to celebrate Kobe Bryant

On April 2, 1998, the Los Angeles Lakers and New Jersey Nets (now the Brooklyn Nets) clashed in the latter’s homeground. The Lakers beat the Nets 117-106. This was also a personal career-high for Lakers’ giant, Shaquille O’Neal who scored 50 points in the game. It was the second 50-point game of his career.

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O’Neal shared a brief clip of this game from a fan page on his Instagram Stories. But the agenda was to not show off but to showcase the talent of his best on-court partner.

Kobe Bryant first stepped onto an NBA court in 1996. It soon became obvious that Bryant and O’Neal were a formidable duo on the court. That shone in this 1998 game.

The Nets had zeroed on O’Neal but the 7-foot giant protected the ball across the court. He saw his chance and threw the ball to Bryant. And young Black Mamba, in a near-supernatural style, spun and changed direction mid-air to score. The entire moment had even the commentators going, “Some combo, huh?”

“It’s rare when a player comes out and is on top of his game like that,” the young Kobe Bryant said after Shaq’s 50-pointer game that time. “Everything was coming toward Shaq, the ball was coming toward Shaq. Shaq had an excellent game, it was only right to cap it off at the speed limit.”

Shaq misses his old friend

While Bryant had high praise for Shaq’s formidable performance back then, O’Neal is reminding everyone what Bryant was capable of. He recently made the mistake of sharing a false fact about Black Mamba, but it’s the thought that counts.

Big Diesel and the Mamba would become the Lakers’ strongest duo but they also clashed off the court. O’Neal would break that partnership and go off to Miami Heat after winning back-to-back championships with the Lakers.

When Bryant and his daughter, Gianna, passed away in 2020, O’Neal expressed his regret over never properly burying the hatchet with his old teammate. Even then, O’Neal makes it a point to show his admiration for Bryant as an athlete still.

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Whatever bitterness that was there during their time as teammates is long gone. Now all we have are the best memories in highlights of this championship-winning duo. What did you think of this “combo”?that terrorized the Nets in one game?