When Shaquille O'Neal took shots at Jerry Buss for siding with Kobe Bryant in their feud: "Everybody knows what that is really about"

Shaquille O’Neal had a legendary run with the Los Angeles Lakers. Debuting for the Purple and Gold in 1996, he eventually formed an iconic tandem with Kobe Bryant. The duo went on to achieve amazing success together, including three championships in three years and four visits to the Finals.

After a three-peat from 2000 and 2002, things began to go downhill for the Lakers duo. Reports of friction between O’Neal and Bryant made regular headlines, with the two publicly throwing shade at each other. Eventually, the franchise had to make a choice between them.

Following their 2004 Finals loss to the Pistons, the Lakers traded O’Neal to the Miami Heat. That bold move wasn’t approved by everybody, but the late Dr. Jerry Buss remained convinced going with a younger Kobe was a better choice.

Irked by the sequence of events, Shaq lashed out at the former owner for curtailing facts.

“Everybody knows what that is really about. He (Buss) had to make a choice: the young guy (Bryant) or the old guy. He made his choice, and good luck with his choice… How many years was Phil there? And how many years we went to the Finals? And how many points did I average, and how many times was I the MVP?” stated Shaq.

He refuted stories about Buss trying to reach out to him after the trade and was not inclined to speak with him. Although O’Neal said he did not take the trade personally, he did express his displeasure regarding all the false media narratives surrounding him.

The various speculations around Shaq’s trade

After winning his third chip in 2002, several stories emerged in the media about O’Neal skipping practices and being out of shape. His laid-back approach led to tensions between him and Bryant, who was basically living in the gym, which only worsened over time.

As years passed, O’Neal became more prone to injuries, especially when it came to his toe. The four-time champion suffered from hallux rigidus, which was a form of degenerative arthritis. Nevertheless, things would not have reached this far had he followed the rehab procedure.

Despite having lost a step, O’Neal refused to budge during his contract negotiations with the front office in 2004. After conducting a thorough analysis of the situation, management decided it was better to let him go, shifting their focus to building around Bryant.

O’Neal paid his respects to Dr. Buss in 2013

As years passed, both O’Neal and Buss expressed regret over how things had ended. While the former Lakers owner had been critical of Shaq’s discipline, he always admired his talent. On the other hand, O’Neal felt that he could have been more flexible with his demands and ego.

At the memorial of Dr. Buss in 2013, O’Neal finally opened up about their relationship.

“He gave me everything I wanted. I wanted one extension, so he gave it to me. I wanted a second extension; he gave it to me. I wanted a third extension – he traded me,” said O’Neal, leading to a light moment among those present.

Though the relationship between O’Neal and the Lakers did hit a rough patch in the middle, things are back to normal today. A notable example of this was the Buss family honoring the veteran center with a statue outside of Staples Center (now Crypto Arena) in 2017.

This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Sep 3, 2025, where it first appeared in the Old School section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

When Shaquille O’Neal took shots at Jerry Buss for siding with Kobe Bryant in their feud: “Everybody knows what that is really about”

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