Former NBA player recalls a fight between Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal
Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant made up one of the greatest and most successful superstar duos in NBA history. In eight seasons together, they led the Los Angeles Lakers to three straight NBA championships and resurrected their mystique after a rough rebuilding process during the 1990s.
They represented a blend of O'Neal's brute force and power and Bryant's creativity, athleticism, sublime scoring skills and incredible clutch ability. Perhaps no other duo in basketball history was as talented as this one.
But of course, the two butted heads at times. Olden Polynice, a former NBA big man, was present when the Hall of Famers actually went at it during a practice session, and he recalled what happened during an episode of former Lakers star Byron Scott's "Fast Break" podcast.
'So, we're at Southwest College, right, playing,' Polynice said. 'I'm trying to get — I'm a Laker fan. I wanna be on the Lakers. I gotta be around the Lakers. So, I'm working — we working out. I'm guarding Shaq, blah, blah, blah. Basket, 'Yeah, this is my team, [expletive].' Basket down there, 'Yeah, naw, naw, this is my team.'
'It's going back and forth between the two of 'em. Okay, no problem. I mean, that's us. We're ballers. Mitch Kupchak's sitting over there chilling with Laker brass, and all of a sudden, there's a dead ball.
'They just going back and forth, but I'm thinking it's still part of the crap that we do. 'Nah, [expletive], I'll kick your [expletive].' I'm like, 'Oh [expletive], okay. Are they about to fight?''
In Jeff Pearlman's book "Three-Ring Circus: Kobe, Shaq, Phil, and the Crazy Years of the Lakers Dynasty," a fight between O'Neal and Bryant from just prior to the 1999 season was recounted. It appears that was the fight Polynice was referring to.
During his podcast appearance, Polynice said that O'Neal attempted to throw a punch at Bryant, but he grabbed Bryant and prevented the punch from landing. O'Neal then chased the guard, and Polynice grabbed the big man to try to diffuse the situation.
In retrospect, given the problems the two superstars had at times, and given that both were alpha males who were perhaps better suited to leading their own individual teams, it's amazing that their partnership lasted as long as it did and was as fruitful as it was.
Lakers fans will never forget the sweet memories the two provided during those turbulent but exciting days back in the early days of the 21st century.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
USA Today
17 minutes ago
- USA Today
Is 2025 NBA Sixth Man of the Year Payton Pritchard ready to start for the Boston Celtics?
Is 2025 NBA Sixth Man of the Year Payton Pritchard ready to start for the Boston Celtics next season? There have been reports out there suggesting that the Celtics floor general has garnered the role this coming 2025-26 NBA regular season, edging out new arrival Anfernee Simons for the job, despite Simons having that role in his former home with the Portland Trail Blazers. Does it make sense for Pritchard to start for Boston next season, or would it make more sense to showcase a player the Celtics are reportedly trying to trade before the 2026 deadline. One person who knows what it is like to man the point for Boston is Celtics floor general alum Jeff Teague, who took some time on a recent episode of his "Club 520" podcast to talk over whether he thinks Fast PP is up for the challenge. Take a look at the clip embedded below to hear what he had to say about Pritchard at the point in a starting role next season. Listen to "Havlicek Stole the Pod" on: Spotify: iTunes: YouTube:
USA Today
an hour ago
- USA Today
'NBA 2K' has a fascinating WNBA integration coming
The upcoming version of NBA 2K will try something for the first time and it is incredibly exciting for folks who are fans of men's and women's hoops. For fans who play MyTEAM on NBA 2K26 when it comes out, they'll have the opportunity to collect WNBA Player Cards for the first time. They can pair both current and historic WNBA stars with current and historic NBA players on the same team. The press release announced that players can "mix and match" stars from both league and gave examples like pairing Paige Bueckers and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander or throwing a lob from Sheryl Swoopes to Shaquille O'Neal. 'MyTEAM is where competition meets a basketball fan's wildest imagination,' said Erick Boenisch, VP of NBA Development at Visual Concepts. 'By integrating the WNBA into one of our most popular modes, we're not only giving players the opportunity to customize their all-time dream rosters but shining a spotlight on some of the game's most iconic hoopers. We're looking forward to giving our players a new and deeper way to engage with the WNBA. But there is so much more coming to MyTEAM this year - from All-Star Team-Up to new weekly cash prizes in King of the Court, there have never been more ways to compete with friends and win big.' Per the release, attributes and badges function identically for WNBA and NBA players to ensure "balanced, consistent" gameplay. More: NBA 2K26 new rebound timer is an example of the game's larger problem You can watch the trailer, narrated by Buckers, above. Her avatar is wearing a Dallas Mavericks jersey and later, she is featured playing alongside Cooper Flagg. The trailer also features Reese and Shaq, who both played for LSU, wearing WNBA's Chicago Sky uniforms. Luka Dončić is seen playing alongside Brittney Griner. This is a lot of fun, and while it is currently only part of MyTEAM and not Play Now, it is still a really cool idea that should make for some awesome moments.
NBC Sports
an hour ago
- NBC Sports
Grizzlies' Jaren Jackson Jr. opens up about his switch to No. 8 for next season
After seven seasons playing as No. 13 in Memphis — and winning Defensive Player of the Year, being a two-time All-Star — Jaren Jackson Jr. wanted a change. That's why he is switching to the No. 8 for this season, and he talked to Rohan Nadkarni of NBC News and Mary Omatiga of NBC Sports (the video above) about it. 'It's super personal to me. It's super personal to my family,' Jackson Jr. told NBC News about the switch. 'I'm connected with 8 in a real way. It reaches into the territory of new beginnings. It's infinite. It's just a good place to draw energy from.' Jackson's new number also comes with the new contract he signed this offseason, a five-year, $240 million max contract for a player that is at the heart of everything the Grizzlies do — he was second on the team in scoring at 22.2 points a game and is their defensive anchor. He was an All-Star, made an All-Defense team, and was just a couple of spots out of making All-NBA. Jackson's new number isn't the biggest change in Memphis this season — Desmond Bane left the team for Orlando. That's going to be a blow on the court, where he was a steadying two-way impact player for the Grizzlies. 'I wasn't too much surprised,' Jackson said of Bane's departure. 'I mean, when your brothers leave, you are still going to hurt, just because you're a human being. But at the end of the day, it's a business. And we're grown.' Jackson feels he's grown into the No. 8 and is ready for it.
