Kobe Bryant on why Jerry Buss picked him over Shaq in 2004: "You got to bet on the horse that you know is obsessive about what they do"

The Los Angeles Lakers drafted Kobe Bryant in 1996 to pair him with Shaquille O'Neal . The move paid off as the Lakers won three straight NBA championships from 2000 to 2002.

But just as they reached the top, even the City of Angels was too small for two big egos. After failing to win the title in 2002-03 and 2003-04, the Lakers traded Shaq to the Miami Heat and gave Kobe the keys to the franchise.

During a 2016 interview, ESPN's Ramona Shelburne asked Bryant what it felt like the late Lakers owner Dr. Jerry Buss chose to keep him over O'Neal, and the Black Mamba gave a definitive answer.

"Of course he chose me," said Kobe. "That's the right decision to make."

Kobe and Shaq looked like the perfect pair in L.A.

Kobe and Shaq were building the next dynasty in the NBA. However, behind the scenes, the Lakers' two superstars could no longer get along. They've always had their differences from Day 1, but while they could play through it and win in the past, it was no longer starting to work.

Critics called Kobe a ball hog who wanted to replace Shaq as the Lakers' best player. Meanwhile, Shaq was criticized for laziness, and even Kobe called him out for his lack of work ethic. Bryant said that difference in drive made Buss pick him over O'Neal.

"I look at it from a business perspective, " he added. "I would have made the same call. If you're going to bet, you got to bet on the horse that you know is obsessive about what they do, day in and day out, and is going to be hell-bent on trying to win a championship. If you're going to bet on a horse, you always bet on the one that eats, sleeps, and breathes the craft."

Shaq always got the job done

O'Neal never denied that he didn't work as hard as Kobe did. In fact, he once claimed that he never came to any camp in shape . But The Diesel also reminded Kobe and his detractors that no matter what shape he was in at the start of the season, he always got the job done.

"Tell you something, I get beat up all year. Did I come to camp in shape? I never did. Right. One because I had to rest and I gotta pay my family back. I missed school plays, I missed this and that. They don't want to hear when the season's over, you gotta go work out. It don't matter how you start, It matters how you finish." said Shaq.

Before Kobe passed away, he and Shaq cleared the air on their issues. O'Neal refused to call it a feud and said it was a mere 'work beef.' But it was one where the Lakers picked Kobe over him. Perhaps Buss was right because Kobe gave the Purple and Gold two more on his own, while Shaq gave the other one without Kobe.

Related: Shaquille O'Neal goes over how he and Kobe Bryant made it work: "I had to sacrifice and say, 'You know what, go on, young fella, you take it'"