When Shaquille O’Neal Admitted That a 21-Year-Old Kobe Bryant Was the GOAT

There have been some iconic teammates through the years in the NBA. However, not many compare to Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal. The Lakers duo won three championships together and truly got the best out of each other.

While the two had a bitter-sweet journey in the NBA, they had nothing but admiration for one another. Having a brotherly relationship, it is no surprise that they tried to push each other, which may have eventually led to their separation.

But they had only praise for each other in front of everyone’s eyes. One such moment came when Kobe Bryant presented Shaq with an award.

Shaq calls Kobe Bryant the GOAT

After winning the championship in 2001, Shaquille received an award nomination. Unsurprisingly, he went on to win and his dear friend, the ‘Mamba,’ came on to present the award to him. This is where the respect between the two greats came out in the best way.

While Kobe spoke about Shaq he called him the most dominant player in the world. Moreover, Bryant also admitted that Shaq was the most powerful human being he had ever played with. And that he was glad it didn’t work out for him in Orlando.

After exchanging a brotherly hug, Shaq took the mic and spoke about his little brother with the biggest praise one could have. Shaq said: “I would not accept this award unless the greatest player in basketball gave me the award. I said it once before that Kobe Bryant was the greatest player in the game and I meant that when I said that.”

This goes to show how much the duo admired each other on the court and off the court. They shared a true bond and their success was proof of it. However, how well did Kobe play for Shaq to call him the greatest in the 2001 season.

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The 2000-2001 season

The Lakers wrapped up their back-to-back championship run with a 4-1 win in the finals. A 21 YO Kobe along with Shaq solidified themselves as one of the best duos in the NBA.

But what made Kobe a GOAT in Shaq’s eyes?

One main thing was his skill. Bryant was equally dominant in the playoffs that season. Coming off a stellar regular season, he averaged 29.4 points and 7 rebounds in the playoffs. But what was more important was his attitude.

Shaq knew that Kobe had great potential. Hence, despite being just 21 at the time, O’Neal admitted that Kobe was the greatest basketball player.

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