Draymond Green and Shaquille O’Neal got into a controversial discussion where the former claimed that the Golden State Warriors in their prime would have successfully stopped Shaq and the mighty LA Lakers team led by him and Kobe Bryant.
During his recent appearance on O’Neal’s show “The Big Podcast,” the Warriors veteran talked about the scenario in a parallel reality. When the intrigued Lakers center asked who would’ve guarded him, Green stated that they would require two players to perform the job one of them being the former DPOY winner himself and the other, former player Andrew Bogut.
Shaq clearly wasn’t impressed with Green’s strategy of acting as the back center to stop him. The 15-time All-Star then raised an interesting question about who would’ve defended the legendary Kobe Bryant, Green took a moment and answered, “Klay.” Visibly disappointed, the Lakers’ No. 34 ended the debate.
However, he mentioned that they would continue from there on Green’s podcast. Klay Thompson is undoubtedly a great player, but standing tall with Kobe is no easy task and who would know this more than Shaq, as he shared a strong love-hate bond with the 5-time champion.
Looking Back at Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal’s Feud
Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant’s rivalry dates back to their early days in the Purple and Gold, and it came out openly in the public eye in the 2000-2001 season. As O’Neal went out of shape, Kobe asked for a new roster, while Shaq wanted to get the ball more. However, their rift didn’t cost them on the court, and they won the championship trophy.
Three seasons later, when Kobe was accused of a rape case, Shaq didn’t stand with him and rather said, “the full team is here,” despite the Black Mamba being absent at the training camp. Then Shaq went on to state that Bryant plays selfishly while his focus should be more on dishing out assists. To this, a furious Kobe said that Big Diesel should focus on his duties.
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This went on back and forth for years until Shaq left the Lakers to join the Miami Heat, and from there, they never looked back. Kobe’s demise in 2020 deeply hurt O’Neal, who had grown very close to him, just like “a little brother,” as they were in touch until the final day of the five-time NBA Champion walking the earth.
