When the Los Angeles Lakers acquired Shaquille O'Neal in 1996, expectations rose on how far the team would go in the postseason. The Purple and Gold were trying to rebuild with new stars, and taking in a future Hall of Famer center was a good start.
However, Shaq still needed a partner who could feed him the ball. Nick Van Exel could have been that guy; however, the Cincinnati product seemed more like a shooting guard than a playmaker. Moreover, "Nick the Quick" was a loose cannon and had a well-documented feud with then-coach Del Harris.
The Blame Game
Given his persona, it would have been easy to blame Van Exel or even Harris. But aware he had to do something, Shaq stepped up and declared that the Lakers' failure for the 1996-97 season was on him.
"Blame me," O'Neal said after the Lakers were eliminated in the first round of the 1997 playoffs via the New York Times . " It's my fault. I can live with the blame all summer. It wasn't Del's fault or Nick's fault. It's the leader's fault, and I'm the leader of this team," the 7-foot-1 giant added.
It was senseless to point fingers at one specific player for that disappointing finish. Looking back at that run, Van Exel felt that he, Shaq, and the rest were too young and trying to find their way.
"We was just young. Young and dumb and just trying to find our way through it," the All-Star guard said in 2012.
A rare Shaq-Kobe moment
With the Lakers searching for someone who can work well with O'Neal, the closest LA had was a young player named Kobe Bryant. Only 18 at the time, the 13th overall pick of the 1996 Draft was still finding his way in the league.
Unfortunately, the 1997 NBA playoffs were a rude awakening for the 6-foot-6 guard-forward. In that decisive Game 5, Bryant shot four air balls in the last five minutes of the game. The fans ridiculed the Pennsylvania native, although Shaq would come to the defense of his rookie teammate.
"Look at all these people laughing at you. One day we're gonna get them back," Jack MacMullan said while recalling O'Neal's message to Bryant on the ' The Icons Club .' "Don't worry, someday everyone is gonna be screaming your name. Take this and learn from it."
After a couple of years, Shaq and Kobe made it work, with Phil Jackson guiding them and the Lakers to the 2000, 2001, and 2002 titles. However, along with success came personal issues, especially between the top stars of a team. O'Neal and Bryant would end up feuding, ending a storied run by the Purple and Gold in the early 2000s.
Related: “Having one championship is like having one car; it's not enough for me” – When Shaq promised to win more championships with the Lakers in 2000
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