“How the Hell”: Three Months After Shaquille O’Neal’s Furious Kobe Bryant Diatribe, Ex-NBA Champion Reopens Fiery Issue

Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant running riot throughout the NBA was pretty common at the turn of the century. The iconic duo accomplished what they set out to achieve by winning three titles on the trot. Despite achieving their deserved success, many would say that the duo missed out on quite a few things in their journey. For example, the duo could have won a few more championships if they stuck together. However, recently an NBA superstar wanted to discuss something else that the Black Mamba missed out on in his illustrious career in the league.

Kyle Kuzma, the Washington Wizards star, recently went out on Twitter to raise a question that was stuck in Shaq’s mind for quite a while. According to both, Kobe Bryant deserved more than he got, for the player he was.

Kyle Kuzma questions the absence of multiple MVP awards in Kobe’s trophy cabinet

In a short tweet recently, Kyle Kuzma took some time out to demand answers for a question that had been bugging him for some time. He wondered how the Black Mamba didn’t win more than just one MVP award in his career.

“I will say one thing on the media voting for mvps over the years growing up a fan of hoops: how the hell does Kobe Bryant have 1 MVP????” wrote Kuzma on Twitter. The Wizards star wasn’t the only one that had the question, as just a few months ago, Shaq was wondering the same thing.

In an interview with ESPN in December 2022, the Big Aristotle mentioned how he never really understood the criteria. The Big Man further added that he felt he and the Black Mamba deserved more than just one MVP award each. 

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The award is very subjective as it has been decided by a panel of sportswriters and broadcasters from the USA & Canada since the 1980-81 season. However, there is a case to be made for Kuzma and Shaq’s argument as their opinions on this aren’t unpopular. The most debated season in which fans thought Bryant deserved an MVP trophy was the famous 2005-06 season.

Why Kobe could’ve won more MVP awards and why did he not?

 Only a handful would remember Bryant putting even a foot wrong in the race to be the best. Bryant had an amazing year in 2006 when he averaged 35.4 PPG, but didn’t receive the award. There are many hotly contested debates that favor Bryant over Nash during that period.

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However, Steve Nash was no ordinary player. The Canadian’s MVP win might be controversial, but the argument wasn’t one-sided. Nash was an essential part of the Phoenix Suns and orchestrated the team’s offense during the season. The Suns were the best offensive team during the season, and Nash’s quick transition play was a major factor in the Phoenix side’s success during the mid-2000s.