“That would be better for me”- Shaquille O’Neal’s response about iconic alley-oop dunk shows how much he misses Kobe Bryant

Sunday marked the 23rd anniversary of a remarkable moment in LA Lakers history, when basketball legends Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant executed one of the most memorable plays ever seen. It was O'Neal's thunderous alley-oop dunk, perfectly set up by Bryant, that sealed the victory in Game 7 of the 2000 Western Conference finals against the Portland Trail Blazers. The Lakers found themselves trailing by a daunting 15 points in the fourth quarter, but they mounted a sensational comeback to secure an 89-84 win.

This triumph not only propelled the Lakers to their first NBA Finals appearance in nearly a decade but also paved the way for an extraordinary three-year championship run from 2000 to 2002. Reflecting on the iconic moment on Sunday, O'Neal couldn't help but become emotional as he reminisced about his time playing alongside the late Kobe Bryant.

“No, it didn't,” O’Neal said when asked if the moment felt like it happened 23 years ago.

“I’m happy that happened, but every time I see my young fella, he’s not with us anymore, it kind of makes me sad. Shoutout to his mom and dad, we talk all of the time, his sisters (too).”

O’Neal then said that if he could, he would trade the moment to be able to still have Bryant with him today:

“Of course, it was a happy moment. But If I could trade that moment and have him sitting here with us or be able to text him and say, ‘Look, Kob, can you believe this happened 23 years ago?’ that would be better for me,” O’Neal said.

Shaquille O’Neal calls his and Kobe Bryant’s iconic alley-oop the defining moment of their run together

LA Lakers legend Shaquille O’Neal

Shaquille O’Neal also spoke about his and Kobe Bryant’s iconic alley-oop during the 20th anniversary of the play three years ago. At the time, O’Neal called it the defining moment of his and Bryant’s eight years playing together:

“That was the defining moment of our dominant run,” O’Neal said.

“That was the beginning of the great Laker three-peat, and that solidified us being the most enigmatic, most controversial, most dominant one-two punch ever created.”

O’Neal then spoke about his and Bryant’s relationship. O’Neal said that while the two didn’t always see eye-to-eye, they put their differences aside in order to be successful:

“People always ask about our relationship,” O’Neal said.

“You got two strong-minded people that are gonna get it done their way. The respect will never be lost. But when it comes to being inside the lines and winning, me and him, that’s what we did.”