10 Greatest NBA What-Ifs in the 2000s

#7 What if Shaq never left the Lakers?

Their Lakers were one of the most dominant forces ever in the NBA

One of the biggest player feuds of NBA history was the one between former Lakers teammates Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant.

The two played together for Kobe's first eight seasons in the NBA, after Shaq joined the team in 1996.

One of the first instances of the beef between Shaq and Kobe came during the 1998-99 lockout. Shaq slapped Kobe, apparently because of his rough play in a friendly two-on-two game between teammates.

During the 2003 offseason, they started publically criticizing each other's game, but they agreed to put things behind them to help the team win a fourth title. After failing to do so, things eventually erupted.

O'Neal demanded to be traded after the team's decision to not extend Coach Phil Jackson's contract. It was later rumored that Jackson didn’t want to stay as a coach if Bryant, who was a free agent that summer, stayed.

Even though they both managed to win at least one more championship later in their careers, the team that ruled the league at the beginning of the century had the potential to have a much bigger legacy.