Oct. 28, 2003 SportsLine.com wire reports EL SEGUNDO, Calif. -- Kobe Bryant was fined Tuesday by the Los Angeles Lakers for critical comments he made of teammate Shaquille O'Neal, and was listed as doubtful for their season opener against Dallas. Bryant's remarks Monday exposed the degree of rift between the two superstars. The amount of the fine wasn't disclosed. The Lakers held a 20-minute team meeting in their locker room before their shootaround Tuesday morning. Teammates said Bryant, O'Neal, Karl Malone and coach Phil Jackson were the only ones who spoke. Bryant played in two exhibition games last week. He was expected to be ready for the season opener Tuesday night, but surprised the organization by saying on TV a day earlier that he did not expect to play because of pain in his surgically-repaired knee. Bryant and O'Neal didn't speak to reporters after the shootaround. http://www.sportsline.com/nba/story/6786866
It is weak. What we have here is just like the kid at school getting in trouble for standing up to the school yard bully.
That was the right thing to do. Kobe just came out and overreacted to Shaq's criticisms. Was Shaq being a baby? Yes. But that doesn't give Kobe the excuse to have a total meltdown.
Shaq was just telling the truth. Kobe's role should be reduced to passing as evidence by his inability to even play in game 1.
I actually think Kobe is the one with the most credibility on this issue. Shaq is always picking at Kobe in the media and the kid has always bit his tongue and taken it. This time Kobe just said the truth. Shaq needs to play defense and get over himself and deal with the $30 million contract extension at a later time.
What I meant by that is just speaking as teamates, kobe has no friends on the team, at least no one stood up for him when he was arrested. Kobe is selfish, which was Shaq's initial criticism.
I want to see how much they fined him for........$20,000?.....these boys make big money.....If I were Kobe I would run up $100,000 in fines and still stand up for myself against Shaq's fat ass.....screw the Lakers.
Shaq epitomizes selfishness, himself. Big boy is just mad the Lake show won't give in to his contract demands while at the same time quivering in fear that Kobe might leave. Shaq needs to stop with the public finger pointing. He did the same crap when Elden Campbell, Eddie Jones and Nick Van Exel were on the squad. (Remember all that "get me a shooter" BS?) He always manages to find fault with this teammates before he finds fault with himself. Neither guy is in the right in this case. They should both shut the hell up and play team ball. I just think it is not surprising that--in light of the changes in Kobe's life-- after years of putting up with Shaq's BS, Kobe would finally say something to the media. No one should "stand up" for Kobe for this alleged crime. They should do just what everyone but Shaq did: offer moral support. But I agree that Kobe is the odd man out on that team--his own doing or not.
As a bandwagon Lakers fan (I hopped on in 2000), the Big Aristotle aka Shaq Diesel is always right. Kobe needs to shut up, the street cred he earned during the summer is worthless
I don't know how many have read this yet but it is definitely worth the read. Kobe fires off some major cannon balls at Shaq. http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=1648431 Monday, October 27, 2003 Updated: October 28, 4:04 PM ET ESPN.com news services The transcript of Kobe Bryant's interview with ESPN's Jim Gray: GRAY: What was your reaction to Shaq saying the Lakers are his team, and everybody knows it? BRYANT: It doesn't matter whose team it is. Nobody cares. I don't, Karl [Malone] doesn't, Gary [Payton] doesn't, and our teammates and the fans don't either. There's more to life than whose team this is. But this is his team, so it's time for him to act like it. That means no more coming into camp fat and out of shape, when your team is relying on your leadership on and off the court. It also means no more blaming others for our team's failure, or blaming staff members for not overdramatizing your injuries so that you avoid blame for your lack of conditioning. Also, "my team" doesn't mean only when we win; it means carrying the burden of defeat just as gracefully as you carry a championship trophy. Where do you expect Kobe Bryant to be a year from today? With the Lakers With another team In legal trouble GRAY: Do you consider Shaq to be a leader? BRYANT: Leaders don't beg for a contract extension and negotiate some 30 million [dollars] plus per year deal in the media when we have two future Hall of Famers playing here pretty much for free. A leader would not demand the ball every time down the floor when you have the three of us [Malone, Payton, Bryant] playing beside you, not to mention the teammates you have gone to war with for years -- and, by the way, then threaten not to play defense and rebound if you don't get the ball every time down the floor. GRAY: Shaq says that you have not been a team player. Is he right? BRYANT: That's ridiculous. I have been successfully sacrificing my game for years for Shaq. That's what Phil [Jackson] wanted me to do, so I did it. Last year Phil told me Shaq was not in physical condition to carry the trust of our offense, so he asked me to do it. But then he saw Shaq was getting upset that the team wasn't running through him, so Phil asked me to pull back and I did. This year is no different; my role is whatever Phil wants it to be. Period. GRAY: Through out the preseason, your leg and conditioning has been lagging. Are you in the proper shape to start the season? BRYANT: My knee is not strong enough to play yet. I know it. When it is I will play. GRAY: Does that mean you will miss the opener [Tuesday] night and other games? BRYANT: I probably won't play tomorrow night or until I'm ready. But I don't need Shaq's advice on how to play hurt. I've played with IVs before, during and after games. I've played with a broken hand, a sprained ankle, a torn shoulder, a fractured tooth, a severed lip, and a knee the size of a softball. I don't miss 15 games because of a toe injury that everybody knows wasn't that serious in the first place. GRAY: Kobe, Shaq said if you didn't like what he had to say you can opt out and leave next season. Will you leave the Lakers? BRYANT: I won't make that decision until the end of the season. I told Shaq last year that I was planning on opting out. He knew before anyone. I told him out of respect for what we have been through together. I thought he should be the first to know. The fact that he acts like this is such a big shock is a mystery to me. If leaving the Lakers at the end of the season is what I decide, a major reason for that will be Shaq's childlike selfishness and jealousy. GRAY: Do you feel Shaq has been supportive in regards to your legal situation? BRYANT: He is not my quote unquote "big brother." A big brother would have called to lend his support this summer. I heard absolutely nothing from him. I spoke to Devean [George], Rick [Fox], Mitch [Kupchak], Phil, and our owner Jerry Buss. And Shaq's own Uncle Jerome called and left three messages. Other teammates like Derek [Fisher], Mark [Madsen], and [Stanislav Medvedenko] left messages as well. Opponents called like [Chris] Webber, [Mike] Bibby, and many others. So did a lot of coaches. Michael Jordan, who didn't have my home phone, tracked it down to lend his support. So did Tiger Woods. But yet from my so-called big brother, I heard nothing. GRAY: Why not resolve this behind closed doors? Why is this so public? BRYANT: I asked Phil on Sunday [yesterday] to say something to calm this situation down before it boiled over. But he backed away, so now here we are. I have been a bigger person every time something happened with Shaq, and I don't expect this to be any different. But somebody in this organization had to speak up, because his unprofessionalism hurt us last year, and I don't want it to hurt us this year.
