“There’s a lot of hatred toward the purple and gold around here.”
Let’s see, could that be Boston? Sacramento? San Antonio?
Pick an NBA city and you’re apt to find animosity for the Lakers. It’s natural when a team has enjoyed the success the Lakers have had throughout their history.
This time, though, it was Phoenix coach Terry Porter, who spoke about the Lakers-Suns rivalry that carries, not only the usual Western Conference rivalry, but several subplots co-authored by Shaquille O’Neal.
Starting off will be how Kobe interacts with his former teammate after Shaq’s June freestyle rap at a New York club last June panned Bryant for not winning a title since he left Los Angeles. Asked if they talked since then, O’Neal said, “We always talk.”
“To tell you the truth, me and him really never had problems on the court or at practice. It was just you guys, just writing a story and then me and him going back and forth. For me, it was all marketing. It was all fun. But, personally, it was nothing.”
Shaq also denied that he said Phil Jackson “designed” the feud.
“Phil has always done right by me,” O’Neal said Wednesday. “We had a great relationship. … It would be idiotic for me to say something bad about him.”
Be real. Since when has Shaq ever worried about what he said? This week Big Fella actually denied saying several things, such as his desire to return to the Lakers, until he was told who quoted him (Sac Bee writer Scott-Howard Cooper, whom Shaq has known for years, wrote it). He then backed down.
What will the NBA world do without him? Be quieter for starters.
Recent headlines …
- Gasol is quick to the point
- LeBron passes Kobe for youngest title
- Bryant and Odom just laugh after Ariza cries about Vujacic
- Sun Yue an All-Star? Get real
- Jackson calls Ariza vs. Vujacic “unfortunate”
Chameleon has more consistent colors than Shaq..
btw, that link had nothing to do about the Suns-Lakers rivalry.
i apologize. the link now is about tonight’s game.
Nobody cares about the Kobe and Shaq history anymore. It’s been beaten to death. Lets move on already.
I wish then both the best but Kobe will be playing long after Shaq retires, which should be at the end of this season if he has any sense. Shaq is still among the top 5 or 6 centers in the league but it’s time for the legend to move on.
I’m pretty sick and tired of Shaq’s antics already. He left L.A. looking like the victim of Kobe vileness and all he’s done since then is prove to the fans that he was the problem. I really liked Shaq and thought he had some class but after the way he’s thrown formerteams and teammates under the bus, I lost all respect.
Act like the grown man you are and just drop it. Enjoy the end of your career and move on. The Lakers are history to you and Laker fans feel the same way about you. Like a previous poster said, Kobe will be playing long after Shaq’s gone.