Most hoops fans know the breakup of the Los Angeles Lakers in 2004. Shaquille O'Neal was traded to the Miami Heat while Phil Jackson stepped down as head coach. Only Kobe Bryant remained, and most pinned the blame on the 13th overall pick of the 1996 Draft.
The Kobe-Shaq feud was well-documented as both stars' egos got out of hand. According to Jackson, Bryant was tired of playing behind O'Neal. The Black Mamba wanted to be the top dog, and there was no way that "The Diesel" would slide down and let the guard be the main man.
"In my meeting with Kobe, he said he was tired of being Shaq's sidekick," Jackson said in a postseason exit interview via the New York Times. "He didn't say he was tired of playing with Shaq. He was tired of the sidekick aspect."
No longer tolerable
With O'Neal gone, it wouldn't be long until Phil followed. The 1996 Coach of the Year explained that he could no longer get through to Bryant at the time. As all of this was going on, the 6'6" guard was checking out free agency and appeared close to moving to the Los Angeles Clippers.
Bryant would end up staying with Purple and Gold. This was after O'Neal was dealt to the Heat. Jackson tried to intervene, standing up for the All-Star center. However, as he conversed with Jerry Buss on the matter, he got a shocking revelation in the end, as per his successor, Jeanie Buss.
"Phil (Jackson) went to meet my father. He went in and said, 'you can't trade Shaq, he's the most dominant player in the league. You can't trade him.' My dad said, 'well, I am gonna trade him and it won't matter to you because you're not coming back as coach either. That's not your problem," she stated .
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Jackson's had a soft spot for Kobe
Despite all that, Phil still had a soft spot for Bryant . When he caught that interview in which the 1997 NBA Slam Dunk Contest champion shed light on the soured relationship with Shaq, Jackson admitted feeling bad for the Lakers star.
"I thought it was an attempt by Kobe to break through that noncommunication barrier he had kind of built up around him," Jackson said. "It ended up backfiring on him. I felt badly for him. It came out negative."
Of course, Jackson conspicuously returned as coach of the Lakers in 2005. Bryant was now the top dog, and somehow, both were able to mend fences. Kobe and Phil worked it out and delivered two championships for the Lakers (2009 and 2010).
That partnership ended in 2011 after LA was swept in the Western Conference semifinals by the Dallas Mavericks. Another tour of duty could have happened in the 2012-13 season, but LA squad ended up hiring Mike D'Antoni instead which close the door on the collaboration for the famous player-coach duo.
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