Shaquille O’Neal

Kobe Bryant isn’t known for his leadership. He’s known for his shooting, his scoring and even his missing, but never for constructive leadership. Until now. There’s a prevailing misconception that gets tossed around far too often when it comes to the Black Mamba. The belief that he is selfish just isn’t accurate. He has a [...]

Gary Payton’s election to the Basketball Hall of Fame is a fitting final chapter for one of the greatest guards in NBA history. A product of Oakland, California, Payton was maybe the grittiest defender and greatest trash-talking point guard of all-time. During his 17-year career (1990-2007), Payton, also known as “GP” and “The Glove,” averaged: [...]

If you wanted the Los Angeles Lakers to sign Mike D’Antoni over Phil Jackson, you were like me. Together, we were also two of the few. But that’s neither he nor there anymore. Choosing Jackson over D’Antoni wouldn’t have been a bad decision. I was (and still am) just of the mind that the organization [...]

It’s time we followed in Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal’s footsteps, and just let it all go. There’s something I never thought I’d write. After three championships worth of animosity, the Los Angeles Lakers mercifully split these two up when Shaq was traded to the Miami Heat in 2004. Perhaps “mercifully” isn’t the right word, [...]

Kobe Bryant would have won championships without Shaquille O’Neal and the Los Angeles Lakers. Or at least, that’s what the Black Mamba believes. As the Lakers prepare to retire Shaq’s jersey, Kobe has revealed a personal respect for his former teammate and arch nemesis. The feud is essentially behind both players. That rift which culminated [...]

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Kobe Bryant has only ever known the Los Angeles Lakers. We’ve only known him as a Laker. Could he conceivably wind up playing anywhere else? With one more year left on his current deal, it’s a fair question. The Black Mamba, despite what he says, appears to have plenty of gas left in the tank, [...]

Prior to the Los Angeles Lakers’ victory over the Chicago Bulls, Kobe Bryant dropped a steaming pile of truth. In his never-ending quest to be completely honest, Bryant admitted that he and Dwight Howard are not “best friends” (via Dave McMenamin of ESPNLosAngeles.com): Kobe Bryant to Michael Wilbon on his relationship with Dwight: “It’s not [...]

During a difficult season for the L.A. Lakers, the chanting Staples Center crowd has pleaded with Lakers management to, “Bring back Phil!” While I admire Jackson as a coach, probably as much as anyone, you don’t have to fly to Montana to figure out why he won’t come back to the Lakers, not this season. [...]

NBA TV’s Open Court is a great platform for ridiculously interesting opinions and “did you know…” moments. Last season, Charles Barkley talked about how his mother would take his sneakers away after every game, “because they had to last the whole season.”, said Barkley. We also heard guys like Steve Smith talk about who was [...]