The Los Angeles Lakers are one of the most influential teams in the NBA. The Lakers have won 17 championship rings since the team’s establishment in 1947. However, the team struggled to leave a mark in the 90s after the end of the Showtime era. With the retirement of legends like Kareem Abdul Jabbar, Magic Johnson, and Byron Scott, the Lakers found it really hard to get close to a championship victory. 

Things began to take a turn with the arrival of head coach Phil Jackson in 1999. LA won three back-to-back championships with Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal between 1999-2002. However, things changed quickly in 2004 as the Lakers had to let go of their head coach and trade O’Neal due to their differences with Kobe Bryant.

The Lakers legend Kareem Abdul Jabbar shed some light on the whole fiasco involving Kobe Bryant in the sixth episode of the docuseries, Legacy: The True Story of the LA Lakers. The six-time NBA champ revealed how Kobe Bryant convinced the Lakers to trade Shaq and fire the league’s most successful coach Phil Jackson. 

Kobe Bryant wanted the Lakers to trade Shaquille O’Neal

The 19-time All-Star disclosed that Shaq wanted Kobe to pass more to him. However, Kobe did not listen to what O’Neal wanted, resulting in a constant media tussle between the two. As a result, the Lakers team became dysfunctional and lacked stability. The Lakers lost their flow due to the lack of chemistry between the team’s two best players.

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Abdul-Jabbar revealed that Kobe Bryant was not happy about Shaq losing his shape during the off-season and barely getting fit for a new season. Meanwhile, Kobe’s work ethic allowed him to stay fit all year. Kobe saw it as Shaq’s lack of commitment to the game and the team and lost respect for him.

On top of that, Bryant had some issues with Phil Jackson as well. Jackson reckoned that the five-time NBA champ was uncoachable, resulting in a difference of opinion between the two. Eventually, the Lakers were compelled to make the necessary changes to keep Kobe Bryant happy.

Abdul-Jabbar reveals why the Lakers traded O’Neal & fired Phil

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar stated, “Phil had gotten them four championships in five years. And Shaq was still an irresistible force as well as an unmovable object. But the turmoil did not bode well for the future of the Lakers and that’s what the decision was all about.”

Moreover, Abdul-Jabbar suggested that Phil Jackson turned out to be the collateral damage due to his closeness with Shaq. Unfortunately, Kobe had a tough time leading the Lakers to a championship after Shaq’s exit. The 18-time All-Star had to wait until 2009 to get his first NBA ring since Shaq’s exit in 2004.

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Fortunately, the duo reconciled after being against each other for a long time. It took Kobe Bryant quite some time to win after Shaq was traded as he lacked the support from his team. However, Kobe finally managed to imbibe a team mindset which finally brought a victory for the Lakers in 2009.