“I Looked at My Wife”: Angry Shaquille O’Neal Disrobes a Disturbing Night That Ended His Lakers Run

Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant were one of the most iconic duos in the history of basketball. The Los Angeles Lakers were blessed to have two of the best players in the NBA at the turn of the century. A blessing that led them to three straight NBA titles. But both of the insanely talented players had strong personalities, which led them to butt heads at times. Their infamous beef between the two in the early 2000s was one of the reasons Shaq left the LA side.

In his recent documentary, the former Lakers squad and Shaq explained in great detail how the whole scenario panned out. Shaq specifically mentioned how ignorance from the Lakers owner at the time following a defeat in the NBA finals, cleared things up for him.

Shaquille O’Neal opens up on how he felt disrespected in LA

The Los Angeles Lakers were on the top of the NBA at the time, and many predicted that they were there to stay. The Lakers had swag, charisma, and unbelievable talent in the form of Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant.

The third episode of the recent HBO documentary on the Big Aristotle, Shaq, revealed what actually happened behind the scenes. Amidst the lengthy contract situation with Shaq, the Lakers no. 34 also felt that he wasn’t respected as much as his counterparts. Something that he got proof of later, just after losing to the Detroit Pistons in the 2004 NBA Finals. 

“We lost to Detroit the last game. We had like a team dinner, and the owner wasn’t talking to me,” said Shaq, recalling the time in the documentary. He further added, “He was talking to the other side [Kobe Bryant]. He didn’t say anything to me. I looked at my wife Shaunie, and I looked at Uncle Jerome, and I was like, ‘Uh-Oh’.“

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Shaq pointed out the obvious differentiation between him and the Black Mamba by the Lakers owner, Jerry Buss. What followed was a press conference by the Lakers to announce the departure of Shaq from the Lakers, ending a legendary partnership.

The legendary duo had helped the team to three consecutive NBA finals. But after they were entangled in their infamous beef, both the players fell out against each other publicly for a while, with Kobe refusing to consider the seven-foot giant as his “Big Brother”. However, Shaq and Kobe famously reconciled their dispute later on in their lives.

What followed after Shaq’s exit from the Lakers

Long story short, it did not go well. As Phil Jackson predicted earlier, teams “do not recover” from the loss of such players. The dominance of Shaq was instantly felt.

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The seven-foot giant went on to win another NBA title with the Miami Heat in 2006. While the Lakers had to wait till the Black Mamba had one of the best phases of his career to lead them to two consecutive NBA titles.