Shaquille O’Neal gives an interesting take on his feud with Kobe Bryant: “No, that's not how you win championships”

Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant had an up-and-down relationship. At their best, they were one of the most dominant duos in NBA history. At their worst, they were rivals who struggled to coexist with one another. Fortunately, they reconnected and buried the hatchet before Bryant's untimely death.

Bryant criticized Shaq for coming into training camp out of shape. Shaquille O’Neal never prioritized his conditioning. He knew that he could get away with slacking given that he had Bryant as a teammate.

During a recent interview with Esquire, the Hall of Famer touched on everything from his childhood to his feud with Bryant. It was one of Shaquille O’Neal's most candid interviews in recent memory. He went into detail about his relationship with Bryant.

"So, yeah we had fights. I got a little brother, we fight all the time. But the key word you must understand is the respect was always there. When I get doubled, I'm looking for him. When I wasn't having a good game, I'm looking for him. And when he went to the hole and tried to do all that and he got doubled, he looking for me. That's all we needed, was respect."

He admits that his stubbornness played a role in his feud with Bryant. But it wasn't in his nature to coddle the two-time NBA Finals MVP.

"Everybody from the outside thinks it should be, "Oh, hello honey.” No, that's not how you win championships. So I'm not one of those guys, 'It's the media’s fault.' I knew exactly what I was doing."

Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant's first championship

When it came to his relationship-turned-feud with Bryant, Shaquille O'Neal explained that the two had totally different mindsets. Regardless, they had an incredibly special and unique bond. He recalled the moment they won their first championship together, saying:

"Google right now, “Shaq's first championship.” You'll see Reggie Miller, [Pacers] down by five or whatever, shoot the three. Miss it. Somebody gets the rebound, throw it up in the air. 30,000 people going crazy. It's about 1,500 people on the floor."

Through all the chaos, Shaquille O’Neal and Bryant found one another.

"My family's on the floor, his family, fans on the floor. Who's the first person to jump in my arms? Look at it. Every championship, who's the first guy to run to my arms? (Kobe)"

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Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant were a legendary duo

The pair, of course, went on a legendary run where they won three straight championships from 2000-2002. Two years after their last championship, Shaquille O’Neal signed with the Miami Heat. He won a championship with the team in 2006.

Regardless of any animosity that existed between the two, all that matters is that they buried the hatchet. They will be remembered as a legendary duo that dominated the early 2000's.

Below you can see a recap of their entire relationship, from their beef on the LA Lakers to through their reconciliation years later.

Make sure to tune in Wednesday night for the final episode of Shaquille O’Neal's docuseries on HBO.