Shaquille O’Neal’s History With DJ Vlad Began With Kobe Bryant Diss

Published 02/24/2024, 6:00 AM EST

There was a time when Shaquille O’Neal was known as the baller who freestyles and cracks jokes. And it is no secret that he shared some bad blood with the Black Mamba Kobe Bryant. However, not many know that the diss freestyle tape Shaq dropped was with DJ Vlad. While Shaq is a very friendly person, this was how he met and grew closer to the then-freestyling DJ. Years after the incident, DJ Vlad talked about it all while interviewing the former Los Angeles Lakers guard, Smush Parker.

Parker asked Vlad about meeting the Olympic gold medalist. He quickly responded, “Yes. Shaq reached out to me because I used to be a mixtape DJ. I met his cousin or something at a club and he goes ‘Oh Shaq is a big fan of your mixtapes and wants to do something with you.'”

He continued by telling his first experience being in the vicinity of the 4x NBA champion. “So we do a mixtape together and in the mixtape, Shaq disses Kobe. It was something like, ‘You remind me of Kobe trying to get as high as me. But even if you get me traded and something something something.'”

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He also mentioned how Shaquille O’Neal made it to the ESPN news. Vlad added, “This was the first time Shaq actually spoke against Kobe because Kobe got him traded. Shaq was not a big fan of Kobe at that time.”

However, Shaquille O’Neal contradicted Vlad when he told Stephen A. Smith that there were no hard feelings between the two. History seems to suggest otherwise, though.

Shaquille O’Neal’s rivalry with Bryant

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While Kobe Bryant and Shaq were the duo that got the Lakers three consecutive championship trophies, the two had a fall-out in the following years. They had several different opinions that resulted in arguments. Kobe re-signing with the Lakers when Shaq got traded only escalated the feud. However, O’Neal has always dismissed any such claims and still remembers the good times with the NBA giant.

NBA Champ Spared Kobe Bryant From His Wrath Only for One Reason: “Tried to Hurt…”

Clearly, Shaq was not exactly a fan of Kobe during their years with the Lakers or even after that. Nevertheless, even a conflict brought Shaq close to other people. However, such competitive rivalries are a part of extensive sports like basketball. In the end, the two were an incredible duo that left a memorable legacy for the Lakers.

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What are your thoughts on how DJ Vlad met Shaquille O’Neal?

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Written by:

Srashti Sharma is an NBA writer at EssentiallySports, known for her in-depth researching skills. From the very first time that she heard about Kobe Bryant, she herself cultivated a Mamba Mentality. She loves the competitive nature of the sport which fuels her inner sportswoman.

Edited by:

Pragya Vashisth

Shaquille O’Neal’s History With DJ Vlad Began With Kobe Bryant Diss

Shaquille O’Neal’s rivalry with Bryant

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