The NBA's Greatest Duo That HATED Each Other

They were the most dysfunctional successful team of all time. Brian to Shaq. The story of the Los Angeles Lakers during the Shaq and Kobe era was a fascinating clash of egos filled with insults, media wars, and physical altercations. And despite wanting to kill each other half the time, Shaq and Kobe made it work on the court with four

finals appearances, and three NBA championships. But how good were Shaq and Kobe's Lakers actually? Before Shaq and Kobe became teammates, the LA Lakers were stuck in mediocrity. Since Magic Johnson retired in 1991, the Lakers won only one playoff series in the next 5 years, lacking the very thing that used to define them, superstars. Even though

the 199596 team won 53 games and had some solid players, none of them was a true number one option that could lead the team to a championship. After a quick and painful exit in the first round of the 96 playoffs, Houston takes on Los Angeles three games to one. The president of basketball operations,

Jerry West, knew that he needed to make a big splash. And 3 days before the Lakers ended their season, a brash 17-year-old high school kid held one of the most famous press conferences in basketball history. I Kobe Bryant have decided to take my talents to uh [Applause] No, I have decided to skip college and

take my time to the NBA. At the time, Jerry West didn't know much about Bryant, despite Kobe being the best high school player in the country and scoring a $ 48 million endorsement deal with Adidas. But when Kobe worked out for the Lakers and destroyed former defensive player of the year, Michael Cooper,

Jerry West quickly realized what all the other general managers didn't. That Kobe was the best player in a stacked 96 draft. To watch him work out, it was like ridiculous. Okay. I mean, like a man playing against kindergarten people. That's how advanced he was. Mhm. He was versatile, but he was a furious,