"I trust my teammates. I just trust myself more" - Kobe's epic clapback at Phil Jackson after he told him to pass the ball

The Kobe Bryant - Shaquille O'Neal feud commenced in the middle of the championship run. Phil Jackson's triangle offense was predicated on feeding the ball to Shaq and letting him go to work.

Even though Bryant acceded to the system in several games, there were times when he took matters into his own hands. There were times it worked, but there were games in which Kobe fell flat.

Early stages of the Shaq and KB feud

A week into the 2000-01 season and fresh off their first NBA Championship, the Zen Master told the guard to calm down and play within the system. The Black Mamba wasn't pleased with Jackson's directive.

"Tone my game down? I need to turn it up," Kobe replied , per the New York Times. "I've improved. How are you going to bottle me up? I'd be better off playing somewhere else."

"I trust my teammates. I just trust myself more," Bryant said.

Various analysts noticed KB's increased role in the triangle offense. While this was great for Bryant, the Lakers were losing games they were expected to win, such as a blowout loss to the Los Angeles Clippers, then a bottom-feeding squad.

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"I'm not Luc Longley"

Shaq was not pleased that his role in the offense was diminishing. The big guy wanted to return to the initial plan, which was to let him operate in the paint. If that didn't work, that's the only time others — including Kobe — would have their turn.

"When you feed the big dog, the dog will be happy," O'Neal said. "I'm not Luc Longley. I'm not Dikembe Mutombo. I can't run 13 minutes in a game without touching the ball. I'm not used to that. I wasn't brought here to rebound and do that stuff. Jerry West brought me in here because he wanted me to play."

The Zen Master echoed O'Neal's sentiments, saying that the Big Diesel's role in the offense will never change. If the Black Mamba decided to bring the ball down and then heave a 3-pointer, the Zen Master claims he would have to talk to Kobe.

Interestingly, even after all the tense exchanges between Shaquille, Kobe, and Phil, the Purple and Gold succeeded in defending their title. They even completed the three-peat in 2002.

However, there were clear signs of the rift that led to an inevitable divorce. It was just an unfortunate incident because many believe it could've been avoided. If Bryant and O'Neal let their egos go, the Lakers would've won more NBA Championships.

Related: "Don't insult my intelligence" - Kobe Bryant on the one thing he wanted from Phil Jackson during his feud with Shaquille O'Neal