In New Book, Shaq Explains How Kobe

[RRR3]

The Lakers with Kobe and Shaq and Phil Jackson has movie written all over it.

[Deuce Bigalow]

Kobe didnt invite any of his teammates to his wedding

[eldanielfire]

Kobe didnt invite any of his teammates to his wedding

What a douche!

[9erEmpire]

who invites co-workers to their wedding anyways.

nobody likes their co-workers.

[Deuce Bigalow]

who invites co-workers to their wedding anyways.

nobody likes their co-workers.

were talking about teammates
That was a big time dick move by Kobe

[Deuce Bigalow]

The Lakers with Kobe and Shaq and Phil Jackson has movie written all over it.

they need to make a 30 for 30 on it or something

[Dave3]

I don't think Kobe is socially awkward. I've seen him on Jimmy Kimmel and George Lopez. Dude is pretty sociable.

I actually agree. When he was on Kimmel he seemed like a really cool guy talking about his teammates (after the 2010 championship). Seems to be a lot of conflicting reports though. He may be friendly just with low social awareness. I know a few people like that where they don't mean anything wrong but end up making a douche move. But yeah, from that interview he seemed very sociable actually.

[Jasper]

The fued between Shaq and Kobe ... might be one of the worst cases in NBA history ... for the simple fact if they would of got along they could of possibly had 6 straight championships.

I am not picking sides , but I saw many a dumb plays on the court , when someone was standing open on the low block or when coaches were beyond their selves in regards to team unity.

It's history. who really cares

[catch24]

Can anyone here imagine being on a basketball team and not inviting other players to your wedding?

Yeah, the whole beef is just weird. While I can see Shaquille's pov (kobe snitching on him, dude being totally distant not going to any of his invites and/or social events, etc), he really needs to move on. They already 'squashed' this years ago..and now, here we are again, talking about the same crap (and a bit of revisionist history at that).

There's always two sides though (I encourage everyone to read the quotes, especially the bolded):

“What surprised me about Shaquille during our early days in Los Angeles was how frustrated he got,” said former Lakers GM Jerry West. “He was not fun to be around. The shortcomings of our team and his teammates made him angry because he knew he was going to be judged on how much we won.”

How angry? Just months before Jackson arrived, O’Neal had slapped Bryant during a pickup game at the Laker practice facility.

“It would not be forgotten,” former Laker guard Derek Fisher said of the incident. When Jackson and his coaching staff began work in Los Angeles, they were caught off guard by O’Neal’s level of animosity toward Bryant. “There was a lot of hatred in his heart,” Tex Winter said of O’Neal. “he would speak his mind in our team meetings. He was saying really hateful things. Kobe just took it and kept going.

We don’t think it’s any secret that Shaq can be extremely petty, especially when it comes to Kobe. That said, we’re sure Kobe deserved the slapping. Having witnessed the unfolding behind-the-scenes drama over five years, Lakers owner Jerry Buss [told Coach Phil Jackson] his services would no longer be needed.

Stunned, Jackson abruptly changed his approach with Bryant. Suddenly, the coach began trying to have a relationship with Bryant, Winter said. And Bryant responded in kind.

“But it was too late,” Winter said. Buss had made up his mind. Jackson had to go. And the owner had no desire to meet O’Neal’s demands for a lengthy extension on his $30 million plus a year contract. So the Lakers traded him to Miami (where O’Neal would later meekly agree to play for $20 million a season). As he was cleaning out his office, a jilted Jackson did his best to portray Bryant as the villain in the breakup of the team, and soon that perception became the reality, simply because so many people believed it. Jackson made sure of it, phoning reporters as he drove from Los Angeles to his summer home in Montana. He dialed up columnists and radio talk shows to offer his version of events. Sports columnists everywhere who had no idea why the Lakers had fallen apart simply began reporting as fact that Bryant had schemed to make it happen.

Despite the blame game Jackson was playing so deftly, he would later admit the truth. Despite all his success in Los Angeles, he had failed in his handling of Bryant. And that was one of several factors in the breakup of a very successful team.

“in the final analysis, it’s the coach’s responsibility to manage the team in the proper manner and not have those things happen,” Winter said.

It was simply a huge mistake to not keep Bryant in the loop, Winter said. “I think Phil realizes that now.” We don’t think anyone has ever painted Phil Jackson as being totally innocent – the man makes a show of manipulating his players through the media often. This level of deception, though? Simply to cover his own ass? Jackson and Bryant finally had that first serious meeting at Laker offices in July. According to Winter, Bryant wasted no time in making his feelings known about certain things Jackson had done to him. It was first step in the two trying to re-establish some sort of trust.

Jackson had endured a similar meeting several years earlier. In 1991, Jackson had served as an anonymous source for Sam Smith’s explosive expose, The Jordan Rules, a book that infuriated both Bulls GM Jerry Krause and Jordan for its unflattering portrait of them.

Seeing their anger, Jackson blamed the anonymous leak on his mentor and assistant coach, Johnny Bach, a sweet old guy and basketball lifer. Eventually, Krause, Jackson and the Bulls fired Bach for “leaking” the Jordan Rules info, although they never explained that. He had a heart attack in the weeks after his devastating release. In 1998, Jackson’s treachery became known, and sometime later Bach and Jackson had a meeting. Bach wouldn’t reveal what he said to Jackson in the meeting that day, although the elderly coach said he made it clear what he thought of Jackson’s lowdown ways

http://www.yaysports.com/nba/2005/09..._but_good.html
http://www.amazon.com/Show-Inside-Sp...0102028&sr=8-2

Some interesting stuff. Most of the excerpts are from the book, 'The Show' (published during the 2005-2006 season). A lot of testimonials from West, Buss and Tex Winter...people who don't have an agenda.

[talkingconch]

The transcript of Kobe Bryant's interview with ESPN's Jim Gray:

GRAY: What was your reaction to Shaq saying the Lakers are his team, and everybody knows it?

BRYANT: It doesn't matter whose team it is. Nobody cares. I don't, Karl [Malone] doesn't, Gary [Payton] doesn't, and our teammates and the fans don't either. There's more to life than whose team this is. But this is his team, so it's time for him to act like it. That means no more coming into camp fat and out of shape, when your team is relying on your leadership on and off the court. It also means no more blaming others for our team's failure, or blaming staff members for not overdramatizing your injuries so that you avoid blame for your lack of conditioning. Also, "my team" doesn't mean only when we win; it means carrying the burden of defeat just as gracefully as you carry a championship trophy.

GRAY: Do you consider Shaq to be a leader?
BRYANT: Leaders don't beg for a contract extension and negotiate some 30 million [dollars] plus per year deal in the media when we have two future Hall of Famers playing here pretty much for free. A leader would not demand the ball every time down the floor when you have the three of us [Malone, Payton, Bryant] playing beside you, not to mention the teammates you have gone to war with for years -- and, by the way, then threaten not to play defense and rebound if you don't get the ball every time down the floor.



Years later its still burning Shaq's soul.

lmfao where is this gif from

[Mr. I'm So Rad]

lmfao where is this gif from

[B]

Need to find a schedule but I think the reason no Lakers were at his wedding was because the playoffs started the next day or the season just ended and they had a short turnaround. Jackson had ripped Kobe up and down in front of everyone for having his wedding at that time. Don't know if that's true but I read that in one of the books covering the Lakers in that time period. Kobe's parents were also not at the wedding because they didn't approve of Vanessa

[Deuce Bigalow]

[QUOTE=B

[The_Yearning]

Lmao Kobe went and told Jerry West how the team was hazing him... c'mon man. Doesn't matter how much street hunger you have, that was straight b!tchmade!

[9erEmpire]

Lmao Kobe went and told Jerry West how the team was hazing him... c'mon man. Doesn't matter how much street hunger you have, that was straight b!tchmade!

you think Michael Jordan, Wilt, kareem, magic and bird would take that crap too?

Alphas don't take that nonsense.