"Just got one more than Shaq": When Kobe Bryant riled up Shaquille O'Neal, leading to a rampage in his own house after clinching 5th NBA title

The love-hate relationship between Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal has been well documented and their story is just fascinating to look back on. Both were arguably the best duo in NBA history, resulting in a three-peat for the Los Angeles Lakers in the early 2000s.

But once Kobe and Shaq had an ugly divorce during their time together in LA, both went on a race on who would win more championships without each other.

Shaquille O'Neal got ahead of the competition by winning a championship with the Miami Heat back in 2006 along with Dwyane Wade, Alonzo Mourning, Jason Williams, Antonie Walker and Udonis Haslem after beating the Dallas Mavericks in six games.

The four-time NBA champion celebrated his edge over Bryant and was even seen with a diss track gloating about his success.

But that would soon change as Kobe Bryant won his first championship without Shaq in 2009 when the Lakers beat the Boston Celtics in seven games. Their personal rivalry was now tied at 4-4 with Bryant still at 30 years old with more chances of getting ahead of the competition.

In 2010, Bryant would get another championship after the Lakers swept the Orlando Magic in the NBA Finals. In the post-finals press conference, Kobe was asked what winning the title meant for him individually that year:

"I just got one more than Shaq. You can take that to the bank," said Bryant with a grin and smile.

Years later as Kobe and Shaq tied up loose ends, Shaq bore his reaction upon hearing Bryant's quote on getting more championships than him:

"I tore my house up," Shaq said to Bryant.

Watch: Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant talk about their gold rush in the 2000s

Kobe Bryant was joyous to hear Shaquille O'Neal admitting defeat to their championship rivalry

The sit-down interview between Shaq and Kobe was something special as basketball fans got to know what was going on with their favorite star's heads during their personal rivalry.

After hearing Kobe Bryant celebrate getting more championships than O'Neal, the big man admitted that he does not have much more in the tank to even up the score:

"Days later I said I'm never going to get five. I'm 38, hips and bad knees, I just got a call from Steve Kerr, they traded me to Cleveland, Cleveland trade me to Boston, I'm like it might be over so this is something I had to live with, Kobe has five, Shaq has four," Shaq said.

Hearing this coming from Shaq himself and just a few feet in front of him, Bryant didn't hold back on the moment:

"That brings me so much joy," said Bryant.

This sit-down interview happened in 2018 and Shaq even joked that he may return to just chase another NBA title:

"You know I may want to do next week, I may sign with Golden State so I can get another one," Shaq joked.

Along with their dominance and individual records, Kobe Bryant was a shoo-in in the NBA 75th Anniversary Team joining Shaquille O'Neal in 2023.