Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal - Inside the NBA's most dynamic/dysfunctional duo's feud

#6 Post-breakup barbs and conciliation

The two have since mended their friendship

The rivalry wasn't over after they separated. Shaq's Heat defeated Kobe's Lakers the two times they met in the regular season next year. And when Kobe lost to the Celtics in the NBA Finals in 2008, Shaq rapped "Kobe, how's my a** taste?", and blamed Kobe for his divorce as he pointed fingers at Shaq's extra-marital affairs.

Finally, Shaq and Kobe made up publically at the 2008-09 All Star game, when they were teammates and co-MVPs. Shaq asked Kobe to keep the trophy, but Kobe gave it to Shaq's son.

All wasn't said and done, though. In 2009-10 when Kobe won the second of his two rings without Shaq, he said “I got one more than Shaq now, and you can take that to the bank.”

Recently, however, Kobe and Shaq have made up. They appeared on a podcast together to clear the air, and both took back a lot of the biting criticisms they made of the other. In Kobe’s final game, Shaq challenged him to score fifty points, and Kobe got 60 instead.

What could have happened if Kobe and Shaq stayed together? Multiple championships, for one. And the two could have probably climbed the ladder to become the top scorers of all time in the league.

Kobe Bryant made a valiant attempt to scale that peak, but the load of carrying the franchise broke his body down. Shaq could have been right up there if he had perhaps listened to Rick Barry and thrown his free throws underhanded!