"Would’ve been off that team so fast if I laid a hand on that man" - When Isaiah Rider recalled Shaquille O'Neal offering him $10,000 to fight Kobe Bryant

Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal had a long-running conflict during their time in Los Angeles despite leading the Lakers to a historic three-peat. This conflict eventually led the LA Lakers to trade O'Neal.

In 2020, Isaiah Rider, a teammate of the pair, spoke about their feud on the "All The Smoke" podcast. Rider recalled an incident in 2000 when Shaquille O'Neal offered him $10,000 in cash to fight Kobe Bryant in a Lakers practice.

Rider had just joined the Lakers and this offer came just three days after he had joined. Here is what Rider had to say:

“When I first get to the Lakers, Shaq tells me, if you and Kobe get into it, it’s 10 G’s in the locker. This is three days into practice… I’m like, ‘Man, come on, you playing, man.'

"'There’s 10 G’s in one-dollar bills, if you ever get into it and you handle your business, grab that.' I couldn’t believe it, I’m like ‘Man, these boys are crazy, bro’…

"But this is my thing: I would’ve been off that team so fast if I laid a hand on that man.”

He turned down Shaquille O’Neal's offer, which was probably a smart decision on his end.

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When Shaquille O'Neal slapped Kobe Bryant

Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant were two of the greatest players to ever play the game. However, note everyone knows the extent to which they didn't get on. One of their worst fights came during the 1998 NBA lockout in a pick-up game where the two were on different teams.

NBA veteran Olden Polynice recalled that players would often congregate to hold pick-up games to stay in shape and compete during the lockout season. Polynice was guarding Shaquille O'Neal in this particular pickup game where the fight broke out. Here's how Polynice described the incident in Jeff Pearlman’s “Three-Ring Circus: Kobe, Shaq, Phil, and the Crazy Years of the Lakers Dynasty”:

"It was just another run, until it was no longer just another run. As he was prone to do in pickup, O'Neal called a series of iffy fouls whenever he missed a shot."

"I'm tired of this s---," Bryant finally said. "Just play."

"One more comment like that," O'Neal snapped, "and I slap the s--- out of you."

"A few possessions later, Bryant drove toward the rim, leaned into O'Neal's body, and scooped the ball beneath his raised arm and into the hoop. It was a pretty move, but nothing otherworldly.

"F--- you!" he screamed at O'Neal. "This is my team! My motherf---ing team!"

"It felt edgy. Everything stopped. "He wasn't talking about the pickup team," Polynice recalled. "He was talking about the Lakers."

"O'Neal wasn't having it. "No, motherf---er!" he screamed. "This is my team!"

"F--- you!" Bryant replied. "Seriously -- f--- you! You're not a leader. You're nothing!"

"I will get your a** traded," O'Neal said. "Not a problem."

"Several of the participants stepped in to separate the two, and the game eventually continued. But it no longer felt even slightly relaxed or friendly. "We probably went up and down the court two more times," Polynice said. "Kobe goes to the basket, scores, screams at Shaq, 'Yeah, motherf---er! That s--- ain't gonna stop me!'"

"O'Neal grabbed the ball in order to freeze action. "Say another motherf---ing word," he said, staring directly at Bryant.

"Aw, f--- you," Bryant said. "You don't kn--"

"Smack! O'Neal slapped Bryant across the face. Hard."

At this point, players came between the two. However, several punches were still thrown out although none of them landed.

The Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant pairing was probably one of the most toxic duos we have ever seen in NBA history. Fortunately, on this particular day, it ended before things escalated to an even higher level.