?Must See TV?: Shaquille O?Neal and NBA World Reminisce About Classic Christmas Day Game Between Lakers and Heat

It seems like Shaquille O’Neal, Kobe Bryant and Dwyane Wade are ready to take us on a trip down memory lane. It was the winter of 2004 and Santa Claus came to town with some really exciting presents. While almost the entire world was celebrating Christmas, NBA fans were looking forward to one of the most anticipated games of the season, that was set to take place that day. It was the classic Christmas Day game between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Miami Heat. The main highlight of the game was two legendary former teammates who would be playing against each other for the first time. A recently resurfaced clip of the encounter has hit NBA fans with a strong dose of nostalgia.

Shaquille O’Neal joined the Los Angeles Lakers in 1996 and played for the purple and yellow team for eight seasons. During the time, he built a bittersweet relationship with his former teammate Kobe Bryant. It is no secret that the duo often clashed heads during their time together as teammates. This was the very reason why fans were so eager to watch the Lakers vs Heat game at that time.

Shaquille O’Neal and NBA fans cherish a Christmas Day present from years ago

Hall of Famer Shaquille O’Neal recently shared a post uploaded by NBA History on Instagram that reminded fans of a Christmas present from over a decade ago. The teaser-like video was of the 2004 Christmas Day game between the Los Angeles Lakers vs Miami Heat. It was the first time Shaq faced Kobe as a Heat player. Given the relationship between the Big Aristotle and the Black Mamba, fans were looking forward to see who would emerge victorious. The game is scheduled to be aired again on Christmas Day on ABC and ESPN.

The caption of the NBA History post read, “DWade (29 PTS, 10 AST) and Shaq (24 PTS, 11 REB) led the Heat over Kobe (42 PTS, 6 AST) and the Lakers in a classic Christmas Day game in 2004!?#NBAVault? ? Games 12/25 all day on ABC & ESPN”

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Fans immediately began expressing their joy on getting to watch the memorable game yet again. Here are a few of the comments.

“Must see tv. I couldn?t miss this matchup.”

“One of the most hyped regular season games of all time ?”

“Should add the context – first Kobe vs Shaq game after the lakers break up. ?”

“Nostalgia”

“It?s crazy how so unproductive Shaq became so fast in like 1 year after this he was washed”

“Legendary game”

“dis was the last bball game i watched wit my pops’

“Kobe almost beat them both all by himself”

“Kobe was different man?, rip??legend”

Shaq overpowered the Lakers

In 2004, Shaquille O’Neal was traded to the Miami Heat in exchange for Lamar Odom, Brian Grant, Caron Butler, and Jordan Farmar. The matchup between the Lakers and the Heat had everyone on the edge of their seats. The intense game was a Christmas treat to the fans mostly due to the feud between Shaq and Kobe. The Diesel then went on to score 24 points and 11 rebounds, securing a win over the Lakers by 104-102. The Black Mamba was impressive on the court scoring 42 points and six assists but failed to defeat his former teammate.

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Who were you rooting for in the iconic matchup? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below!