[NBA Today] Shaq on why he understands the way some Lakers fans view LeBron: “They didn’t love me, they loved Kobe…so I can understand LeBron’s case”
Why are we doing an interview while Shaq is on the way to the grocery store
bro is the most self aware before picking up some tortillas
How many tortillas, Chuck?
“I’m getting 4 tortillas - one for every ring. How many tortillas you gonna get, Chuck?”
Charles Barkley’s ozempic ass probably getting organic whole wheat wraps.
plant based wraps for sure
What animal does the tortilla come from?
He getting that low carb tortilla like I had to buy my wife when she had gestational diabetes
Chuck doesn’t do tortillas… he’s a churros man
H-E-B isn’t a secret there
H-E-B butter tortillas are so damn good. It’s worth the lovehandles
this dude tortillas
More tortillas then them big Ole san Antonio women
Pre-tortilla clarity
Lmaoooo why is this funny as fuck
Cars are essentially portable studios where you won’t be overheard or bothered in public. So it’s perfect for celebrities who just wanna yap about something in the middle of the day
I see a lot of people doing restaurant reviews on YouTube, cause I’m looking for recommendations for good places to eat, and so many of them do the review in the car. They hold up the giant burrito and drip a ton of sauce on every single huge, messy bite, and all I can think about it “isn’t that shit going all over your center console and upholstery?”
if it’s something they do frequently i figure they’d put something down to catch the drippage
This is every interview in mma but with the caveat that they are actively driving as well.
He don’t give a shit
Cause that is when their show is and Shaq isn’t going to sitting around waiting when he has things to do.
Same reason why I do my calls I don’t want to do while I’m running errands
Idk but I feel like I’ve seen Shaq do so many interviews where he’s just in his own car lmao
He doesn’t care about the interview
Sometimes as a celebrity you’ll have to do radio interviews while in your car outside of a grocery store or some shit and whatever you say people are going to run with and take extremely seriously. Kinda weird but I’m also baked so idk
It’s not that rare
I saw Steve Blake at a grocery store in Los Angeles yesterday.
I for one would LOVE to hear about your interaction with Steve Blake at a grocery store in Los Angeles
He was quite concerned with infetterence.
I don’t even think that’s a real word.
I saw Steve Blake at a grocery store in Los Angeles yesterday. I told him how cool it was to meet him in person, but I didn’t want to be a douche and bother him and ask him for photos or anything. He said, “Oh, like you’re doing now?” I was taken aback, and all I could say was “Huh?” but he kept cutting me off and going “huh? huh? huh?” and closing his hand shut in front of my face. I walked away and continued with my shopping, and I heard him chuckle as I walked off. When I came to pay for my stuff up front I saw him trying to walk out the doors with like fifteen Milky Ways in his hands without paying.
The girl at the counter was very nice about it and professional, and was like “Sir, you need to pay for those first.” At first he kept pretending to be tired and not hear her, but eventually turned back around and brought them to the counter.
When she took one of the bars and started scanning it multiple times, he stopped her and told her to scan them each individually “to prevent any electrical infetterence,” and then turned around and winked at me. I don’t even think that’s a word. After she scanned each bar and put them in a bag and started to say the price, he kept interrupting her by yawning really loudly.
What a FASCINATING story that I’m reading for the first time. Thank you for sharing
The best pasta is old pasta freshly pasta’d.
…this is kinda crazy if you think about it
You pay me Shaq money and you can interview me anywhere you’d like
I had to get on a Zoom call for court once and the guy before me was in his car. The judge asked him why he’s showing up to court in a bombers jacket and his response was that he was outside in the cold in New Jersey winter weather
Even more if you baked like us…
He could also just turn down the interviews.
But why?
Why take them? Why not just go do your errand in peace?
He might just like to talk ball.
Yep. Nothings really changed. You had radio interviews with Ryan Seacrest on KIIS FM or on AM 570 or 640 KFI and you’d have many personalities doing it while they’re in their car on the way to something. You’d often hear them driving through the radio or it wouldn’t cut out because they’re driving along a road with bad reception. The thing is we just have more cameras now to capture it.
Lucky! I’m trying to get baked too but I’m on no smoking as my lungs have took a toll and the edibles I can’t do everyday because they’re just so strong and it builds my tolerance up
It may be that way now but it was definitely not like that in the immediate aftermath of Shaq leaving.
From my perspective, a lot of Lakers fans loved Shaq more than Kobe until Kobe won his 4th in 09.
Which imo actually was quite the fair reaction
Yeah have to remember that Shaq was both the engine in LA, and the one who won a ring first after he left (still averaging 20+ a game)
A lot of fans took Shaq side during that period due to this, and Kobe lakers being trash AND Kobe complaining and wanting out a year or so after
I think most knowledgeable Laker fans at the time probably thought if you had to get rid of one of them, it was better to keep the guy who was just about to enter his prime over the guy who was just about to leave his prime. But as most around here know, the vast majority of Laker fans aren’t very knowledgeable, and instead preferred the guy who’d been 3x FMVP.
I think in hindsight most Laker fans now love Kobe more than Shaq or LeBron because Kobe only ever played for the Lakers, while those other guys not only played for other teams, but had a lot of success elsewhere (which meant beating the Lakers). Most people today forget that the Lakers only traded Shaq because he demanded they trade him. A lot of fans will have a bad taste in their mouth after a star player does that, especially if they go on to win elsewhere (look at Spurs fans with Kawhi).
I mean most fans WERE happy they picked Kobe it was just the results that made them annoyed, picking kobe is meaningless when he wanted out by the time Shaq was declining anyways.
Yeah, most fans just wished they could have figured it out. But I always looked at it like it was “irreconcilable differences”. I think Shaq felt like he should be the #1 option just by default, no matter how lazy he was, and Kobe was done deferring to a guy who didn’t work hard, when Kobe was killing himself to be as prepared as possible. I’ll always feel that if Shaq had Kobe’s work ethic, he’d easily have been the GOAT, but instead he was content to “merely” be a top 10 all time player. Kobe couldn’t have been the GOAT (and isn’t), but you can’t ever say he didn’t wring as much as possible out of his talents. They were just like oil and water, personality-wise.
Kobe was always a fan favorite before he even entered his prime. Sucks to see so many people having no idea what they’re talking about because they weren’t around and are trying to speculate on the past
Yup. If you were around during that time, Kobe was not this beloved Laker in the aftermath of Shaq leaving. He was even getting boo’ed for some time there. It took a few years for it to shift.
As a person who was growing up in SoCal during the aftermath of Shaq leaving. The kids loved kobe. Schools were filled with kobe jerseys. Shaq was called a “Miami Vice ass bitch” for a while, and then they started calling him Lucky Charms because he was collecting all the colors of the rainbow with his jerseys.
I wont doubt the older fans were harder on him, but Kobe had the schools in a chokehold from ‘05 on.
Yes there was definitely an age difference. I was in my teens during the threepeat’s aftermath, and I remember the old heads being more likely to take Shaq’s side over Kobe. But the idea that Laker fans, in a general sense, didn’t truly love Kobe until 2009 is pure revisionism.
100% they fucking love Kobe, I don’t get where that take came from honestly.
Yeah I went to college in LA in 2007. Kobe stans literally everywhere.
My uncle named his Rottweiler Kobe lol that’s how loved he still was
This is exactly it. I was in my early college years and people my age were split between Shaq and Kobe. Older folks were generally on Shaq’s side while younger folks were on Kobe’s side. I think part of it was what we grew up watching. Older folks saw the importance of a big man like Kareem, Olajuwon, Duncan, Shaq while younger folks focused on Jordan, Kobe, Wade.
Lol u/jsun_ got exposed
I think you are missing the point. I never said everyone didn’t like Kobe. I’m talking about how Kobe is now beloved with pretty much every Laker fan across all age groups and whatever other differing factor you want to pick loves Kobe. That wasn’t the case in the immediate aftermath of Shaq leaving. There was a lot of talk in Laker land about how Kobe drove Shaq out and how the Lakers chose Kobe over Shaq. There were many people on both sides of that argument. Pro Shaq people and pro Kobe people. Hence the entire point of the original comment of disagreeing with what Shaq said in the clip because it wasn’t that way immediately after he left. It became that way after Kobe furthered his Lakers legacy post Shaq.
I also never brought up ‘09. I actually disagree with that. It didn’t take that long for the overwhelming sentiment towards Kobe to shift. It started shifting around ‘06.
“Miami Vice ass bitch” lmao
Same. As a kid I loved Kobe because I could pretend to play like him in my back yard shooting fade aways. I couldn’t pretend to be Shaq when I was 10 (or now lol).
No one was shouting “Shaq!” while they shot trash into the wastebasket across the room
lol I used to pretend to be Shaq when I played beer pong because that’s how he looked when he took free throw 😂
Yeah it’s not true AT ALL. Sure there were some older people thinking like why did we just give up the most dominant big man to ever play the game. But cmon, we won 3 rings with him and he was already loved for doing that AND he still young, cool, and still promising to get even better.
It was split between Kobe and Shaq fans at the time on the Lakers side. The city was divided, it wasn’t clear on one side or the other but Kobe was still very loved.
I always stuck with Kobe. It was the thing back then.
Yeah. 09-10 did a completely 180’d his relationship with the fans
Without them, ppl would’ve just remembered him selling the 04 finals, chasing Shaq out of town, rape, sulking in game 7 vs the suns and asking out in 07
I’d say this is inaccurate. Of course winning helped, but LA loved Kobe even in the down years, even with him demanding a trade in 07. The city was always divided between the two even with Shaq there and after. Not a clear bias either way.
Winning the two rings after did solidify things, and tbh Shaq didn’t do himself much favor with fans by sitting out intentionally cuz of his contract situation and not staying in shape.
This is nonsense.
Majority of Lakers fans (especially younger fans) were very much Kobe fans. The only time he got booed was some games in 07 when he publicly asked for a trade.
You’re just making shit up lol! Fuck outta here
No he wasn’t lol. There were some Shaq fans but Kobe he was never booed.
He was even getting boo’ed for some time there.
That wasn’t about Shaq at all though, but instead was in the aftermath of him demanding the Lakers trade him in 2007. Kobe got boos to open the 2007-08 season, but once the Lakers actually looked like contenders that year, Kobe rescinded his trade demand and the fans went back to cheering for him.
You can tell immediately that the kind of person who says this kind of thing didn’t even live in California. Kobe was still beloved after 03-04. I don’t think I met one California resident who was an actual Kobe hater post Shaq era.
By that time we had seen a lot of Shaq’s laziness. He was showing up fat every year and lost a half-step by then and the fans were starting to turn on him.
As someone who was there, this is correct. And generally we all love Shaq for his time with the lakers. More than bron imo. Real LA fans I mean.
This is true. Kobe fans were mostly students. Kobe really had to win over the older fans with his on court performance.
The 2010 win over that Celtics team was what cemented him as the goat laker.
Those years for Shaq were possibly the best seasons by any player ever. He was so dominant.
What was the sentiment when he requested the trade? I was alive, but a pre-SM teen with no access to the Lakers fanbase
Back then it just depended on whether you were team Shaq or Kobe.
As a Lakers fan it was disappointing, but with the roster that was in place it wasn’t surprising either. Luckily Lakers were able to eventually get Pau, but even before Pau the Lakers started that season off really well.
I think once Kobe settled down and realized any team he wanted to goto would have to give up players he would want to play with, he backed off his demands.
It was a wild time though because it was all over sports center and La radio. Kobe was unfiltered going off. Usually you just hear the player wants to be traded, he was saying it himself to Stephen A.
I remember watching that SAS phone call on TV. Blew my mind that a player straight up announced his own trade request live lol I think that was the kick in the ass everybody needed, especially the Lakers FO
When he yelled “pay me!” at Jerry Buss during a preseason game a lot of the older fans lost all respect for him.
Yeah right after Shaq left it wasn’t immediate but there were rumblings of Shaq not buying in and how he came into the season fat and slow.
Then Gasol joined the team. Gasol is not a genetic freak like Shaq but he bought in and was willing to put in work, and it really showed how Shaq left the team on the back burner a lot of those years. The Lakers had to actively changed how they played during the season to play around Shaq’s ability/weight/conditioning. Everyone knows Shaq was a beast but he just wouldn’t stay in shape and due to his stardom no one could really keep him in line.
So he never really had the “bus driver” type of role, he was a guy riding the bus. He was kind of how people see KD now. Great piece and can make an impact but he’ll never lead the team due to other shortcomings.
I liked Shaq a LOT more than Kobe in the 00’s
Shaq had much better PR image than Kobe at that time. Shaq was seen as that goofy, funny but also serious leader for the Lakers that loved having a good time. At the time, they never got to see the things we now know about Shaq (his bullying, literally shitting in teammates shoes, physically assaulting teammates, his super sensitive ego, etc).
The things that were reported were way worse than shitting in their shoes, he would put his teammates’ mouthguards up his ass and other nasty shit.
Ah, but how can we compare shitting in someone’s shoe vs putting their mouth guard up your ass? I think a spirited debate could be had!
Shit and pissed in a bucket for a week and poured it on a rookie that was in a bathroom stall
If I did that to somebody and they killed me, I’d consider that fair
that was on the Heat though, not the Lakers
But people who actually watch the games could tell Shaq was fat and lazy and Kobe tried really hard. That’s why I chose Kobe.
Ya, if Shaq had maintained a more muscular body vs high fat, he might very well be considered the Goat center all time. He probably could have won a DPOY at least once if not 10+ defense teams including more blocks. His fat caused him to slack off too much
People have said that Shaq with Kobe’s work ethic would be the greatest player of all time and I believe them.
That’s pretty much just LeBron in an even more dominant body.
Center? If Shaq locked in and took his career seriously he could’ve been the GOAT. Think about how dominant he was while not taking it seriously.
He WOULD have been the goat. Rules were made to stop him. Hes an all time great despite not really trying for half of his career
How do you win b2b2b fmvp if you’re fat and lazy?
People on the internet don’t know how to use nuance just let em be
True but the league was DESPERATE for Kobe to be its next MJ, so he got pushed way, way more in the media than Shaq did.
Everyone knew Shaq was Him, but still people looked to Kobe to fill that flashy acrobatic swing man void that MJ left. It’s no different today - when’s the last time a center was actually the face of the league? Jokic, Giannis, and kind of Embiid were the best three players for a long time and none of them ever came close to top in jersey sales because bigs just aren’t as relatable or exciting as guards. The comparatively short general public can practice playing like Kobe or MJ or Curry taking circus shots and whatnot…they can’t really LARP as Shaq.
Sure I can LARP as Shaq. Get me a 8 foot rim and have me play against a bunch of 10 year olds
“Layin the Grout by GonePostalRoute” Idk tried to match the energy of “Oh mama Wembanyama”
Kobe also had a very public rape trial.
the rape case definitely made Kobe less likable in the 00s
i was a laker fan but kobe hater in the 2000s
not a popular take here in los angeles
eta: funny to see your flair bc i was a huge iverson fan
Fucking loved shaq. Everyone did. At the same time I wasn’t exactly a lakers fan
But you are not a lakers fan
That’s a goddamn lie. It was very split if not Shaq leaning in 2004.
Agreed as someone who lived near LA that entire time but is not a Lakers fan
Everyone was crazy about Shaq until he left and it didn’t go full Kobe until Kobe won 2 more of course
Shaq is just being an attention seeker
They love Kobe and see him as a lifer.
Shaq isn’t loved like that in LA.
So maybe he’s letting the last 20-ish years colour his perception. But I think it’s fair for him to take into account the last couple decades. He could have just made it clearer that he isn’t only talking about perceptions during his tenure there.
As someone who spent half his childhood actually in LA/Oakland…it’s extremely true lol. Especially after Shaq left it was extremely Kobe centered, maybe in some small circles it leaned Shaq but even when he was here and better than Kobe it was Kobe.
They were calling Kobe better than mj since I was a kid and I moved to Michigan it was the same.
I say this as someone who grew up a huge Shaq fan and I even own a signed copy of Kazaam.
I wish I had a signed copy of Kazaam
I have a signed copy of Sinbad’s Shazaam
That must be worth a gazillion dollars.
Real ones have a signed version of Steel
Shaq was obviously loved by L.A. especially after the threepeat, but that love level never reached anywhere near what the love shown for Kobe was and still is.
The L.A. fanbase will always respect Shaq for being such a crucial part of the Lakers success in the 2000s. But I’ve never met a diehard Shaq fan in L.A. (and I say this as nearly a 40 year old Angeleno).
Because he spent less than half his career with the Lakers.
Sure. But by 06 it was mostly Kobe due to his insane season
And Shaq being a Miami Heat player after demanding a trade
Yeah idk why Shaq does shit like this… I think he likes getting people riled up lol
Isn’t that the point though? There didn’t need to be any hate at all. You guys 3 peated. Shitting on either of them isn’t necessary in the slightest. Besides the Colorado thing.
If we’re having an honest conversation nobody cared. If anything Kobe got hate for mentioning Shaq in the interrogation room.
⬆️⬆️⬆️
While most of us were exasperated at both of them to varying extents, at the time there was more ire directed towards Kobe, definitely on the part of the media. (And to be fair, let’s just say that Kobe didn’t do himself many favors in that regard and leave it at that.)
My dad loved you Shaq.
from someone who grew up in that era, in LA, idk wtf Shaq is talking about…
He’s being dramatic, you mustn’t listen to Shaq very often he’s always like this
You got a damn statue at the staples. I understand he can be bitter sometimes but this is wild to compare.
I think it’s because the Lakers left another two or three chips on the table because Shaq didn’t take preparation and conditioning seriously, and they didn’t have a plan for how he and Kobe could coexist.
The revisionist history on Kobe is just weird, he was not this believed player in the early to mid 2000s even amongst Lakers fans, Shaq was the fan favorite and plenty of people sided with him over Kobe. Kobe wasn’t this media darling, he was rightfully criticized for his style of play, how he was handling the losses, his lack of leadership and not winning basketball. The team lost Shaq and Phil Jackson because of Kobe. Some fans were ready for him to either to get traded or leave.
The fact that he was able to repair his relationship with the team and became a beloved Laker is admirable and something worth talking about that only really helps his legacy.
Yup - Also Kobe had that very public rape trial. That was a pretty high profile thing. This was back in the days of everyone getting their sports news during sportscenter and not ADHD social media with a new story every day.
That trial was in the public eye for quite some time. It was a pretty big deal that led to a lot of resentment/negative PR for Kobe.
A lot of rose tented glasses when people look back at Kobe’s career.
Not to mention that Kobe, himself, publicly stated that he wanted to be traded.
Lmao Kobe was always the guy in my SoCal area growing up. There will always be two sides to every situation but calling it revisionist is very narcissistic to assume everyone else thought like you.
It was split half and half at the time they were winning together. In the end, yeah, Shaq wasn’t 100% committed to keeping his weight down and working on his game. It was clear Kobe was selling all out to winning, we all respected him for that.
No we did love you Shaq, but your ego and lack of effort made it hard to love you. It hurt to see you bitching at Jerry Buss. You could have been the greatest Laker of all time if you hadn’t been lazy.
And now the way lakers fans glaze Luka. Even though the lakers have never won a playoff series with Luka is just sad.
Luka just the new shiny toy for the moment unfortunately
Maybe you shouldn’t have played with the fuckin Celtics
Raping women is okay but joining the Celtics… fuck that
My dad HATED kobe. Kobe was not loved until much later in his career, this is some revisionist shit. Everybody called Kobe a ball hog and everyone thought the lakers were crazy for choosing Kobe over shaq when they traded him to miami
I to this day remember a random Sportscenter segment (back when Sportscenter was top tier) and they had on a bunch of panelists asking them if they would choose shaq or Kobe when they were at the height of their beef and every single one choose shaq except for Snoop dog. And Snoop was like “people will dog me and call me crazy, but I’m taking Kobe.” He was the only one
Kobe was pretty damn selfish early. All of us knew Shaq was the main focus and most of my family and friends who were Lakers fans loved Shaq and just wanted Bryant to fall in line.
It’s hard to love someone that might ambush you with the dookie toothbrush at any moment.
I loved Shaq growing up, didn’t like Kobe.
I don’t like either of them
We loved Shaq. What we didn’t love was him coming into every season heavier than before and more injury prone which as he got older, was clear it was a problem for him. Kobe just wanted to win titles and Shaq just didn’t seem to have that same mindset in his later years. The break up was a sad thing, but Jerry Buss had enough of Shaq’s contract demands and traded him.
definitely loved Shaq till at least the Celtics era
Shaq is 100% correct btw. Maybe he shouldn’t have been fat and lazy.
“Why didn’t they connect with LeBron.” Shaq: talks about self for 20 seconds straight
I live here now and in the Shaq Kobe era. Yes they did love Kobe more. But they did still love Shaq. The hate, though, for LeBron is real and is way more than any hate that Shaq imagines he got.
As a 40 something Lakers fan I can tell this is absolutely fucking false and it actually offends me deeply to hear him say this. Fuck you, Shaq. NOW we don’t live you - asshole.
Classic Shaq. He loves to make shit up
Shaq we loved you for a long time after you left and still do but Kobe is just higher on the list.
If we’re looking at this from a current day perspective, yes fans absolutely love Kobe more than Shaq and LeBron. Kobe essentially completed an entire hero story arc in LA, and cemented it when he shot those free throws and walked off on his own feet with a snapped Achilles. And the 60pt farewell.
Back in 2004 tho, it was a different scenario, but Shaq’s definitely looking at from a more current view.
lakers fans don’t love shaq? yeah ok
Kobe gave the franchise 20 years. That’s gonna be tough to beat for anyone. Thats like Dirk with the Mavs or Tim with the Spurs.
When Shaq was traded, Kobe got a lot of heat from that because he was labeled as running him outta town.
This is not true. We loved shaq. It wasn’t until his final season here and when he started acting like a douche the fans didnt fuck with him anymore
It’s stupid that you hear folks talk about the “circus” that came with Lebron.
Like that actually means anything. Of all the places that are well adjusted to stars, LAL has to be the most well known location.
That said, ask them what “the circus” consisted of? Then asked them how they managed to handle all the attention Shaq brought to the Lakers.
It’s such a lame attempt at keeping a narrative alive that they know nothing about.
I’m a lifelong Lakers fan I don’t recall any Lakers fans hating Shaq in fact there were a good number of fans who were upset the team chose Kobe over Shaq
The organization is one thing but Laker fans definitely loved Shaq and Kobe. He’s not being truthful putting himself in the same boat as LeBron for whatever reason
Because Lakers fans understood the dedication Kobe put into winning. Kobe put in the work. He didn’t just rely on his God given size and refuse to stay in shape like Shaq.
Lakers fans love Shaq lol. Him getting traded divided the fan base in some ways. My cousin stopped being a Lakers fan. Real fans when the trade went down hated that the duo was broken up but realized Shaq wasn’t taking care of himself, putting in the work, etc.
My cousins and I (all huge Lakers fans) were split when Shaq left. We had some heated debates about who mattered more to the Lakers between Kobe and Shaq.
Shaq really made this about himself and lied lol
nah, we loved Shaq
That’s not true at all. Shaq continues to show that he’s one of the most insecure NBA legends.
People nowadays have an insatiable appetite to hear words come out of the mouth of athletes, celebrities, politicians, etc.
So much is just pure nonsense and meaningless, like this. Just something to throw at people that are chomping at the bits.
Such revisionist history. He also went on to play for the Celtics lol. The funny thing is if shaq spoke well of the lakers in his commentator career then laker fans would still love him. But he seems to take any opportunity to speak ill of the team. I think he’s feeling the annoyance from fans in more recent life and claiming it’s always been like that.
Shaq is such a selfish idiot and liar. I had many friends who were Laker fans at the time, and they loved Shaq. Yes, they loved Kobe, too, but Shaq’s out here saying that they hated him like LeBron - which just isn’t true.
My brother, the neighbor kid, and I would always talk about how much we loved both Kobe AND Shaq. Until he went to Miami and then we started calling him old, fat, and slow. But I still love you Shaq.
Nah Shaq, they loved you
Lakers fans loved Shaq. But he left and Kobe stayed, so they’re gonna have their loyalty.
With Kobe we got to see him grow,from a high schooler kid to a family man, we got to see it from start to end
Lakers fans love Shaq, just don’t appreciate when he talks down on Kobe and acted like a bitch towards the end of their run
There’s a huge statue of shaq gtfo with this “they didn’t love me” shit
They didn’t love you when you went to Miami, and then worst of all BOSTON. HE WENT TO OUR BIGGEST RIVALS, yeah shaq it’s not appreciated
Laker fans love/loved Shaq, he hurts his own case though when he shits on the franchise or let’s others shit on the franchise. Look at someone like Metta, Fisher, Fox, Pau, or Barnes. Lakers fans love them too, but they don’t shit on the franchise. Hell, look at the love they’ve had for Dwight since he returned in 2020 versus before. He bought in and stopped talking shit, and they love him like crazy now.
Younger people can’t understand how crazy was reading the news that Lebron was going to be a laker, so joining the team that had probably the highest amount of his haters.
For years Lakers had the fanbase who hated lebron the most (along with boston maybe) and still he decided to join that team. Even after winning a title with them you could see that lakers fans were kinda split into kobe fansboys who still hated lebron no matter what and lakers fans who accepted him.
And here we go, so now it’s Shaq’s turn…so the monster that he was from 96-04 in LA was 2nd fiddle to the homegrown star he watched Kobe become and nobody liked him? ENOUGH IS ENOUGH WITH THIS SHIT!!!!
Goofball can’t figure out that he was loved
I’d feel some kinda way if I won 3 finals mvps as the best player on the court every series just for people to like the r*pist second option more
Has everything to do with 8 years as a Laker vs 20 years as a Laker. I’m sure if it was reversed it would be a different story. But Shaq still always gets shown love and is respected as a Laker legend in LA. LeBron also will get shown love and respect and a retired jersey and statue in LA. So will Luka when he retires/leaves (though his statue is still ring dependent). But Kobe is Kobe. 7 finals/5 rings/20 years a Laker. It is what it is until the generation that watched Kobe play is gone.
We loved Shaq… Until he left!
Can’t believe I’m saying this. But shaq is completely off the mark.
Laker fans LOVED shaq and hated Kobe when shaq was traded. (Outside kids like I was)
Fans immediately turned around when Kobe was putting in performance they never seen before while Shaq fell out of his prime.
You watch 06 Kobe, you think fans could help but cheer? Just sheer dominance in every faucet scoring the ball
Kobe earned every bit of love he received from LA. Shaq continuously talking shit while playing for the Celtics severed a lot of love as well.
What i see is him trying to fit in that car
Can we stop this discourse already. Lakers fans appreciate LeBron and what he did for the franchise. Especially helping us through the passing of Kobe & being there for the fanbase. Won a ring for us.
LeBron might be the best player to play for the Lakers, but Kobe is the best laker ever. That’s because he stayed with this franchise throughout & won 5 rings. And more, but this is just the surface.
Shaq shits/hates on the Lakers at every given opportunity especially with Inside the NBA. Despite his antics, like ring chasing & wearing the Celtics jersey, the Lakers gave him a statue because he did amazing things for the Lakers.
The fans appreciated him when he was around, with most being sad when he was traded. Had he acted like he cared, he would’ve been loved more.
Is this big dummy pea brained. Laker fans loved Shaq, he brought 3 championships and a lot of joy to our city. We just love Kobe more. 20 years with the same franchise, countless memories, 81 points. 5rings. 7 finals appearances etc etc
Yeah because Kobe didn’t joke around about winning. He put his blood, sweat and tears into it EVERY game. Crazy how a fanbase can fall in love with someone like that
Dude like 60 and never says anything of value. He literally just using bron as an opportunity to get some attention.
Laker fan here…loved Shaq. Wasn’t a fan of Kobe’s during this time. Kobe had an attitude and wasn’t a very good teammate to many when with the Lakers early on.
Well, the Lakers and their fans loved him enough to build him a statue and retire his number. lol
But seriously though, the Lakers fans loved Kobe more than Shaq because Kobe took no days off, had work ethic, showed grit and toughness, and genuinely strove his way to be better than his talents.
Shaq, as dominant as he was (and man did he domimated the NBA!), he coasted thru the regular season, did not always took care of his body, felt unmotivated at times, wanted the spotlight and seemed to always butt heads with co-stars and management (see Penny Hardaway, Kobe, Pat Riley, Steve Nash), not to mention his bullying (see Dwight Howard, Javale McGee, Charles Barlley, and many stories told by ex teammates)
No wonder Lakers fans see through him and preferred Kobe, flaws and all.
What? We still love shaq but we kept it real with him. We knew he was all about the money and we understood why he did that to KOBE(rip) he should’ve never mentioned you in that room but let’s be honest no Lakers fan will ever kiss your ass.
I don’t want to hear the rest of this, I just want to have one time in my life where Shaq said something mature and intelligent without ruining it with the rest of his thoughts. It’s perfect.
FWIW, LeBron and Shaq both wrote their own fucking tickets out of town and I’m still not sure either one realizes it.
How did LeBron? Through getting Westbrook in here?
Ddrjdfjsh DD fksi
That’s definitely not true lol Shaq was more beloved during the 00s run and became more split toward the end
Shaqs first game here he got cheers and Kobe even got some boos
Shaq is an asshole that’s why they didn’t love you
I don’t understand you guys with Kobe chasing Shaq out when you guys Kevin Durant shit for joining Steph and 73.
Kobe literally took the hardest road by chasing away a top 10 player to make his own path for 3 finals in a row.
I loved Shaq and I felt so betrayed when he went to Miami. He was my favorite player and it was the first time I’d seen such a big player I loved switch teams. And back then players were loyal to their teams — you didn’t see that type of movement a lot.
Philly will always be AI then
Shaq we did love you. You and Kobe just couldn’t get along and the way you left, NOT that you left, is what pissed off some Lakers fans. Kobe was not loved the way he is now back then, especially since some blamed his attitude (we all know Kobe wasn’t the most social or nice dude to other players, especially if they didn’t have his work ethic) for why Shaq left in the first place.
I was still a Shaq fan even when he joined the Heat. It was the Celtics stint I couldn’t tolerate 😂🤬