Forgive Shaquille O’Neal for changing his opinions. The big fella enjoys a little sport of fantasy team lineups. Certain names are a permanent fixture in his dream roster. However, he made a glaring omission in his most recent one. He recently showed he truly misses Kobe Bryant and their courtside hangouts. Yet he skipped him in his team of dreams.

Shaq and Kobe had an intense rivalry even as teammates. But their friendship of mutual respect had its unique moments.

Shaquille O’Neal lists new starting lineup

There are many instances of Shaquille O’Neal sharing his lineup of his fantasy NBA team. Cancha had to ask him what’s his latest “ideal historic team” while he was promoting his new business venture in Mexico.

“I would put Earvin ‘Magic’ Johnson on guard, Michael Jordan number two, Dr. J number three, Karl Malone as four, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as five,” the big man said without counting himself. But someone was glaringly missing.

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Most times when Shaq has named his dream team, Kobe Bryant was a staple along with Magic Johnson and Michael Jordan. Knowing his fantasy team is always cause for debate, he prefaced it with an explanation about the ones he skipped.

“I don’t like to say that very much, because there have been great players throughout history, but come on, ok,” he said before naming the above lineup.

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In August, O’Neal stirred up more than a few NBA fans with his lineup. It included himself, Black Mamba, Magic, MJ, and LeBron James as the starters. Stephen Curry, Allen Iverson, Tim Duncan, Malone, and Isiah Thomas rounded his top 10. He wanted to include Kareem and Charles Barkley but had no room for them. Once again, social media users would discuss the snubs on this list then too.

Kobe Bryant is special to Shaq

Leaving Bryant out of his latest dream lineup could be an off-the-cuff moment for Shaq. He had a famous moment snubbing Michael Jordan too.

He’s said on the record that the Bean was his favorite player despite the bitterness of their feud between them. They had an intense rivalry which also made Shaq mad when Bryant won one more ring than him. Despite that, he spoke with fondness about their courtside escapades. It included smack-talking other teams, particularly the Sacramento players.

READ MORE: Shaquille O’Neal’s Texan History Leads to Mexican Observation About Viability of NBA Franchise

A Kobe-less Shaq fantasy team is just a glitch in time. He’s simply picturing different scenarios with his faves. How would you rate Shaq’s newest team?