“I Was Similar in High School”: Shaquille O’Neal Saw Himself in a Young Kobe Bryant As He Recalled His High School Years

Not everyone had a great childhood. Shaquille O’Neal had a very tough childhood under very strict parents. However, that carved him into the man he is today. During an interview, the NBA star revealed this childhood incident and how fellow NBA player Kobe Bryant reminded him of himself.

When the names Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant come up, the most talked about topic among NBA fans would be the feud between them. Contrary to popular beliefs, Shaq had clarified that his and Kobe’s relationship was not hostile.

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According to what Shaq said in the interview with PBD, he would deliberately push Kobe’s buttons to drive him in giving his best on the court. Furthermore, Shaq admitted that he regrets not saying all the things he wanted to say to Kobe.

Shaquille O’Neal talked about high school and Kobe Bryant

During the interview with PBD, Shaq talked about how he used to be bullied in high school and what drove him to develop the ‘killer instinct’. Shaq recalled that in high school he only played basketball for two years and lost just one game. He added that he would always shoot jumpers. One such time, during a game, as Shaq was working on his dribble moves, he did the finger roll and missed. At that moment, his dad walked on the court wearing his military uniform and called a timeout.

His dad then took Shaq outside and slapped him in front of the crowd. A furious Shaq then started dunking and tried tearing the rim down. As he saw his opponents get intimidated by him, Shaq realized his dad was right yet again. The host asked him if he knew someone who eventually developed the ‘killer instinct’ from experience. Shaq took Kobe Bryant’s name and added that he was like Kobe when he was in high school.

“Yeah, his name was Kobe Bryant. Because when he first came in, his first two years, he was..no he was an NBA player but it’s not till that second third year that he became Kobe Bryant. I was similar in high school.” said Shaq in the interview.

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While the two former Lakers players had clashed at some point, their respect for each other was significant. It is evident because Shaq was one of the notable speakers at Kobe’s memorial.