SHAQ IS A BIG BABY
Kobe has Issues, but Shaq Just Sucks

This recent feud between Kobe and Shaq reveals more of Shaq true colors. I never was a fan and never will be. He’s just a big baby that cries whenever he doesn’t get his way or the spotlight shines on someone else. Why do you think he left Orlando and Penny for LA? You can say it was the money and a bigger market, or that it was his emerging entertainment career. Bottomline was that his ego couldn’t handle sharing the spotlight with Penny, who was getting more of the hype and praise during those days. If Shaq for some reason couldn’t leave Orlando, I honestly believe he would be loving it that Penny’s knee and body broke down in his latter years.

In an article discussing this recent fight, Ric Bucher wrote:

“Let's put that aside for the moment. Shaq has been a grouch ever since Phil suggested he's not in shape and he's wrong that Gary Payton and Karl Malone came to play with him. Gary and Karl came to win rings, period -- and that is only happening with both Shaq and Kobe healthy and whole.”

It’s amazing what goes through that tiny brain of his. You have probably the greatest power forward ever and one of the best point guards in NBA history, and he thinks they are coming to Los Angeles to pay homage to him? Pleeeasse… did he take more stupid pills before he made those comments? Probably not because he just can't get any dumber.

Kobe is not completely innocent in this argument because he does hog the ball and sometimes isn’t the best team player. You can argue which is better for the team, but I believe most people will agree that they need each other to succeed. During those Shaq-less games, Kobe showed that he doesn’t have the ability to take the double or triple teaming consistently especially since he doesn’t have anyone else to go to. Shaq by himself couldn’t carry the Lakers all those years, especially with his horrid free throw shooting. They definitely wouldn’t have beaten Portland without Kobe during their first year run and history would have painted a picture of Shaq whining at home ringless throughout his career.

Anyway, this interview posted below that Kobe has with Jim Gray (who probably is the dorkiest sportscaster ever, and not just because of his Pete Rose interview a few years back. this guy is a weasel.) shows his maturity and pose in this whole matter. He is an ego-maniac, but far less selfish than Shaq. Over the years, Kobe has proven that he doesn’t need or want the limelight that Shaq so craves. “His team”? Grow up, Shaq.


Kobe Critical of Shaq’s Leadership
Monday, October 27, 2003

The transcript of Kobe Bryant's interview with ESPN's Jim Gray


GRAY: What was your reaction to Shaq saying the Lakers are his team, and everybody knows it?

BRYANT: It doesn't matter whose team it is. Nobody cares. I don't, Karl [Malone] doesn't, Gary [Payton] doesn't, and our teammates and the fans don't either. There's more to life than whose team this is. But this is his team, so it's time for him to act like it. That means no more coming into camp fat and out of shape, when your team is relying on your leadership on and off the court. It also means no more blaming others for our team's failure, or blaming staff members for not overdramatizing your injuries so that you avoid blame for your lack of conditioning. Also, "my team" doesn't mean only when we win; it means carrying the burden of defeat just as gracefully as you carry a championship trophy.

GRAY: Do you consider Shaq to be a leader?

BRYANT: Leaders don't beg for a contract extension and negotiate some 30 million [dollars] plus per year deal in the media when we have two future Hall of Famers playing here pretty much for free. A leader would not demand the ball every time down the floor when you have the three of us [Malone, Payton, Bryant] playing beside you, not to mention the teammates you have gone to war with for years -- and, by the way, then threaten not to play defense and rebound if you don't get the ball every time down the floor.

GRAY: Shaq says that you have not been a team player. Is he right?

BRYANT: That's ridiculous. I have been successfully sacrificing my game for years for Shaq. That's what Phil [Jackson] wanted me to do, so I did it. Last year Phil told me Shaq was not in physical condition to carry the trust of our offense, so he asked me to do it. But then he saw Shaq was getting upset that the team wasn't running through him, so Phil asked me to pull back and I did. This year is no different; my role is whatever Phil wants it to be. Period.

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GRAY: Kobe, Shaq said if you didn't like what he had to say you can opt out and leave next season. Will you leave the Lakers?

BRYANT: I won't make that decision until the end of the season. I told Shaq last year that I was planning on opting out. He knew before anyone. I told him out of respect for what we have been through together. I thought he should be the first to know. The fact that he acts like this is such a big shock is a mystery to me. If leaving the Lakers at the end of the season is what I decide, a major reason for that will be Shaq's childlike selfishness and jealousy.

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