Kobe covered numerous topics in interview aired on Monday night…
Los Angeles Lakers star Kobe Bryant opened up about his friendship with former teammate Shaquille O’Neal during his exclusive interview on NBA TV.
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The 37-year-old is currently sidelined with a torn rotator cuff in his right shoulder which has ruled him out for the rest of the season.
However, he has insisted that he will return next year, but it may well be his last in the NBA given that his current contract expires next summer.
Nevertheless, Bryant opened up on a number of topics in an interview aired on NBA TV on Monday night, including his relationship with O’Neal which was notably rocky at times despite the success that they enjoyed on the court together.
The pair led the Lakers to three consecutive championships during the Phil Jackson era at the franchise, but it wasn’t all positive as Bryant explained.
“I’m obsessive. I believe in working night and day to figure out how to win and he wanted to do it a different way,” he said in the NBA TV interview.
“So there was constantly a challenge to get that done. But I wasn’t going to back down and neither was he. He felt I should give the ball in to him, I said I would give the ball to you if you work. If you don’t work, you don’t get ball.
“He said throw me the ball. I said work. I never did pull any punches. Neither one of us were going to be smiley faces and all happy. We’d say stuff to each other [face to face] but that would be it. Let’s go out and get it.”
Bryant and O’Neal were able to put their differences aside for the most part and they enjoy a close relationship now with the pair describing the other as being “like a brother” in recent interviews.
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