“It’s just 2 brothers going at it… It’s a million mother*******rs in the arena who jumps in my arms first?” - Shaquille O’Neal believes him and Kobe Bryant will be the most enigmatic and controversial duo ever

Shaquille O’Neal recently spoke about how he believes him and Kobe Bryant will be remembered as a duo. The legendary Lakers big joined “The Pivot Podcast” for Tuesday’s episode, wherein he reflected upon some petty rifts that happened between the pair.

Shaq opened up about his relationship with Kobe, saying:

“All the shit that we went through, we could have shook hands and put that aside because people think it was worse than was. It’s just two brothers going at it … It’s a million mother*****rs in the arena, who jumps in my arms first?”

O’Neal and Bryant played for eight seasons together in the NBA. Their reign together started in 1996. It was the year Kobe was draftedand the year Shaq left Orlando to sign with the Lakers.

The legendary duo would then go onto win three NBA championships in a row together from 1999-2002, in an aggressive, stylistic fashion. The pair were noted not only for winning, but for doing so with absolute flair and arrogance. O’Neal, or "The Big Diesel" was named the NBA Finals MVP for each championship.

O'Neal gave his opinion on how he and Kobe will be remembered:

“We will always, forever, go down as the most enigmatic, most dominant, controversial, one-two punch big-little ever. … Did we get along all the time o the court? No, but we know in sports that’s how it is.”

O’Neal continues to explain that the relationship troubles between him and Kobe appeared much larger than they were simply because they did not address them. The duo were solely focused on playing basketball and winning, rather than ironing out petty squabbles. It just so happened that their dominance was long-standing, and their issues continued to push back.

"The Big Diesel" explains:

“That’s how it is in the locker room. You give me a team where guys like each other, we’re going to bust their ass every time because you’re too nice. As a leader, you either focus on the task or you focus on the relationship. I had to focus on the task, and the task was to win. So I’m the big brother, [Kobe] little brother, you may not like my ways.”

Shaq and Kobe’s time together would come to an end in 2004, when O’Neal was traded. Bryant was offered a contract from the Los Angeles Clippers for $100 million but declined it and went on to accept a $122 million contract extension from the Lakers instead.

Many assumed that O’Neal wanted out of Los Angeles because of the rift opening between him and Kobe. However, Shaq asked for a contract extension. It’s just that he asked the Lakers to pay him more than they thought he was worth. While the organization wanted to move forward from him, he was still worth a lot.

The rift would start to open after the trade happened, and O'Neal started to question why Kobe neglected to do more to keep him.

Shaq said:

"When it came to my leaving, [Kobe] could have spoken up. He could have said something. He didn't say anything."

When Kobe was offered an extension, and Shaquille O’Neal was denied one, problems arose between the two. At the time it was political business decisions from a top office that neither player really had an influence on. But, Kobe not sticking up for his brother Shaq and trying harder to push the organization towards making a deal was what hit for O’Neal.

Kobe Bryant explained that there was nothing he could do about the matter. In the past, he reported that he spoke to Jerry Buss about the matter, who explained:

"I am not going to re-sign Shaq. I am not about to pay him $30 million a year or $80 million over three years ... His body is breaking down, and I don't want to pay that money to him when I can get value for him right now rather than wait ... It doesn't matter to me what you do in free agency because I do not want to pay [Shaq], period."

The rift between the two ended up settling as the years passed, though the true reunion happened in 2009.

At the 2009 NBA All-Star Game, "The Big Diesel", Bryant, and Phil Jackson were all reunited on the Western Conference squad. O'Neal and Bryant were both named co-MVPs for the game and were shown laughing and hugging during the game. O'Neal told Bryant to keep the MVP trophy, but Kobe instead gave it to O'Neal's son. For O'Neal, Bryant's gesture marked a turning point in their relationship.

The icing on the cake came after the Lakers won Game 7 of the 2010 Finals. Bryant was asked what it meant to him personally. He responded:

"Just one more than Shaq ... I can take that to the bank."