Although Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant were one of the greatest and most successful duos in NBA history, their relationship was always tenuous.
When they were winning three straight world championships, they seemed to be friends, at least on the surface. At other times, they seemed to be at each other’s throats.
By the 2003-04 season, the tension had reached a breaking point. With Bryant nearing free agency, then-owner Dr. Jerry Buss decided it was time to pull the plug and retool around Bryant.
Weeks after the Lakers lost the 2004 NBA Finals in disastrous fashion to the Detroit Pistons, they sent O’Neal to the Miami Heat for Brian Grant, Lamar Odom, Caron Butler, a future first-round pick that became Jordan Farmar and a future second-round pick.
At the time, many Lakers fans were disgusted at the deal, and just about everyone around the league believed L.A. lost the trade and would regret it for many years.
The aftermath was ugly, and it started right away.
For the next three seasons, Bryant was left to wallow with a very weak supporting cast. Somehow, he willed the Lakers to the playoffs in 2006 and 2007, but he was public enemy No. 1. Most believed he ran O’Neal out of town as part of an egotistical power grab.
But the trade was justified when, in February 2008, L.A. landed All-Star big man Pau Gasol in a trade with the Memphis Grizzlies.
The team was instantly a title contender again, and it reached the championship series three straight times right away, winning back-to-back titles in 2009 and 2010.
Dr. Buss, being a real estate magnate and standout poker player, clearly knew what he was doing in the summer of 2004.
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