The Warriors’ Draymond Green spelled out exactly why Kobe Bryant keeps getting disrespected in the greatest of all time debates.
When basketball fans debate who is the greatest player in NBA history, it usually comes down to two people: Michael Jordan and LeBron James.
For years, it seemed as if Jordan was the consensus winner of that debate, but in recent times, James has gradually gained more and more support.
At the same time, there are a few who have pointed out the late Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant is never mentioned in such debates despite being recognized as one of the greatest ever and an absolute icon of the game.
On his podcast “The Big Podcast,” Bryant’s former Lakers superstar teammate Shaquille O’Neal asked Draymond Green why Bryant isn’t in the greatest of all time debate. Green said Bryant should be in the conversation, and he gave a very thoughtful and truthful explanation about why the Hall of Famer isn’t (at 34:18).
“Here’s why I think he’s not (in the conversation),” Green said. “Because, No. 1, he played with you and people hold that against him. No. 2, I think Kobe kind of fell in a weird time. And what I mean by that is Mike (Michael Jordan) left the league. When Mike left the league, y’all were dominating. And then you left the Lakers. When you left the Lakers, they had a few rough years, it wasn’t great.
“… They didn’t have great roster. Rudy Tomjanovich, that was that was an epic fail, like it just wasn’t great. And while it wasn’t going great, there was a young guy in Cleveland starting to make his hay. And so, in the years where Kob could have been dominating, which he was from a number’s standpoint, but they weren’t winning. In those years, Bron (James) was making his hay and starting to make his name, and is he the best player.”
O’Neal then said that he agreed with Green’s assessment and that he would like to hear Bryant’s name put in that conversation.
When Jordan retired from the Chicago Bulls in 1999, O’Neal took over as the league’s most dominant player. By the 2000-01 season, Bryant was being called the best all-around player by people around the league, but he also became widely hated because of his perceived dourness and egotism, as well as his feud with O’Neal.
The two superstars won three straight NBA championships from 2000 to 2002, but O’Neal received the lion’s share of the credit. There is still a lingering misperception that Bryant merely rode O’Neal’s coattails and that L.A. would’ve been just as successful with any other All-Star guard in his place.
When James stormed into the league in 2003, the media instantly pushed the narrative that he was the greatest thing since sliced bread, even as his Cleveland Cavaliers teams didn’t come close to winning it all year after year. Even though Bryant upped his game after O’Neal left the Lakers in 2004 and eventually continued to win championships, many refused to give him his due.
These debates come down to much more than numbers. The raw numbers and analytics alone strongly favor James over Bryant, but many purists and students of the game will point out how clutch Bryant was and the fact that he needed to win in order to be OK with himself.
It is up for debate whether Bryant or James is the better player. But Bryant absolutely belongs on the highest pantheon of NBA greats alongside Jordan, James, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Magic Johnson and Larry Bird, even if he was the worst player in that group.
Shaquille O’Neal and Draymond Green got into a debate about who would win a matchup between two of the greatest teams in recent years.
Perhaps the two greatest NBA teams of the 21st century so far have been the early 2000s Los Angeles Lakers and the Golden State Warriors from several years ago.
Both squads won multiple world championships in succession, and, of course, those Lakers took home three Larry O’Brien Trophies in a row from 2000 to 2002.
Many have compared those early 2000s Lakers teams to other great squads that came before and after them. Shaquille O’Neal, who led them along with Kobe Bryant, engaged in a spirited debate with Draymond Green while on “The Big Podcast” about which team would win in a hypothetical matchup between O’Neal’s Lakers and Green’s Warriors (at 26:57).
While Green admitted no one on his team could’ve guarded O’Neal, he did outline a defensive scheme they could’ve used to play ball denial against the dominant center. That scheme would consist of Green fronting O’Neal just outside of the paint and Andrew Bogut guarding O’Neal from behind.
O’Neal pointed out that the 2000 Portland Trail Blazers, as well as the Sacramento Kings, employed that type of scheme. But Green believes it would’ve been more effective with him, something that O’Neal didn’t want to hear.
The Hall of Fame center then asked Green who would guard Bryant, and Green said Klay Thompson, who was a strong defender prior to his ACL and Achilles injuries. O’Neal responded with an awkward silence.
Such a matchup would be a contrast of styles. O’Neal’s Lakers played slowdown basketball, while the Warriors popularized modern-day up-tempo, pace-and-space basketball.
Perhaps it would at least somewhat resemble the 2002 Western Conference finals, in which Los Angeles barely beat a Kings team that was the first to play today’s variety of fast, 3-point heavy ball.
“Music and sports have always been intertwined and probably always will be.”
Shaquille O’Neal and Kenny Smith had no idea what was coming next. Neither did Charles Barkley and Ernie Johnson, though neither would have recognized it even if they did.
As TNT’s Inside the NBA welcomed fans to halftime between the Mavericks and Clippers on May 1, the hosts of the beloved basketball talk show were met with a clip from “Euphoria” by rapper Kendrick Lamar, which was perhaps the most vicious of Lamar’s many diss tracks against Drake.
Johnson, unaware of the context of the music, introduced his co-hosts as the song continued to play. It took some time for Smith to realize what was happening but once he did, he couldn’t help but laugh.
“Why y’all putting us in the middle of the rap beef, man?” Smith said on the broadcast. “Come on, man!”
Once he caught on, O’Neal laughed wholeheartedly at the absurdity of the situation. Barkley looked disgruntled and couldn’t believe “grown [expletive] men” would involve themselves in such petty drama as a rap beef. Johnson tried his darnedest to bring it back home and get the crew to talk about basketball, asking his co-hosts about the Mavericks to no avail.
Clever audio programming like this has become one of the many secret ingredients that leads to the continued success of Inside the NBA. Music is typically the first part of the halftime studio show and sets up whatever the crew is going to talk about for the next 15 minutes. None of this happens by accident.
“We’re just trying to throw as much stuff in front of Shaq, Charles, Kenny and Ernie that’s going to get a reaction out of them,” Keith Robinson, a TNT Sports studio producer for Inside the NBA, told For The Win. “It created a moment.”
Within seconds, fans on the internet went wild for the “Euphoria” clip. It was especially captivating because the song had only been released the previous day. The “Euphoria” lead-in was also a perfect encapsulation of the show that has aired since 1989, which has now spanned more than a decade with this unique cast of characters.
Robinson works directly alongside Donzell Floyd, a senior associate producer and director for TNT Sports, on these choices.
“Every now and then, our talent will have input but very rarely will they know what song is coming in,” Floyd said. “That’s why you saw the reaction you saw when we played the Kendrick record. They had no idea. They usually don’t know.”
For example, they knew when they played Kendrick Lamar, it could have gone one of several ways. That includes the cast potentially not even hearing it or having any reaction whatsoever.
“Or maybe Shaq is going to hear it and jump up and do something that is so crazy that it’s going to have to make us play an extra minute or a minute and a half,” Floyd said. “All of those things are on the table at that point.”
Multiple record labels have reached out to the folks at TNT Sports with a list of new releases they can potentially play on the broadcast.
It isn’t just the studio show that uses music to keep the audience engaged, though. During games on TNT’s broadcast, associate producer Erron Banks is also intentional with his music decisions.
Banks picks between 12-to-15 pre-cut songs when he is fading in music on the game broadcast. For the studio show, meanwhile, Floyd said that he will actually have somewhere between 60-to-100 songs queued up at any given moment.
TNT is under an ephemeral clause, which means they are allowed a courtesy one-time use only. When the game does re-air, they substitute their TNT theme music where those songs played.
TNT Sports
Whether it’s something as obscure as “Game Over” by Houston rapper Lil’ Flip during a Rockets victory or a popular throwback like nWo’s Wolfpac theme during a Timberwolves win, these choices can lead to viral moments online as well.
“Sometimes we have played music like Lil’ Flip and I haven’t thought of him in ages and we’ll see he’s trending on Twitter because people are tagging him that he was on NBA on TNT.” Robinson said. “I always wonder what guys like Lil’ Flip are thinking of when that happens. Did he even hear it or see it himself? Why am I trending right now?”
Music is genuinely one of the characters on TNT for the live broadcast and the studio shows. But if people are starting to notice that more now, that’s only because there are more people tuning in this time of year.
“It’s basically a part of the show just as much as we show fan tweets and posts talking about the guys, the music is a part of our overall coverage,” Robinson said “It’s just amplified now because people are watching the playoffs and more eyes are tuned in.”
“Music and sports have always been intertwined and probably always will be,” Floyd added. “It feels like it may be a little bigger recently but we have been doing music for years now because it’s a part of our DNA at this point.”
The cast will sometimes sing songs when they’re creating a mood on the set, even when they’re not on the air. But while the reactions are often beautifully spontaneous and improvised, the audio programming is not.
“It’s not just to play music,” Robinson said. “It’s all thoughtful and looking for the right moment for the right song at that moment to not only have an impact with the guys in the studio but for stuff to catch online.”
Inside the NBA producers are often thinking of location and demographic for the game they are assigned when they make their needle drops. Perhaps the halftime highlights lead with Anthony Edwards, then TNT may choose a musician from Edwards’ hometown of Atlanta.
Or if the game is in Indianapolis, Floyd is likely to have his headphones on midway through the second quarter to find the perfect track to play at the break. Even if people do not realize TNT chose to play Babyface during a Pacers game because the rapper is from Indiana, there was an intentionality to the process.
“It depends on where we are and then I start digging through the crates,” Floyd said.
Last season, for example, they had a Warriors game in the Bay Area and used it as an excuse to play Oakland-native MC Hammer.
O’Neal heard the song and brilliantly challenged Barkley to do MC Hammer’s typewriter dance, which immediately derailed all attempts at analysis for the remainder of the segment.
It wasn’t ideal to spark high-level basketball analysis but it was wildly entertaining for fans.
Similarly, a few years ago, the crew was providing halftime analysis when the Heat played the Bucks. The studio played Rick Ross because he is from Miami and O’Neal had a joking moment with Johnson, assuming he didn’t know who that was.
Johnson correctly identified the song as one by “The Boss” Rick Ross and hilariously shouted out “M.I. Yayo”, a signature catchphrase of the rapper. It is all a part of the magic that keeps this show so engaging.
“That’s just another way to have fun with them and give the audience a peek behind the curtain with not just basketball but part of the culture,” Robinson said.
Even though the future of TNT’s NBA rights are up in the air, it is this sort of careful attention to detail that makes Inside the NBA such a defining part of the basketball ethos.
“We have the best show going and we’re going to continue to do what we do.” Floyd said. “We hope that it impacts and affects someone and it makes your day feel that much better because we’re in the business of entertainment.”
Does late Lakers legend Kobe Bryant get disrespected when people debate the greatest players in NBA history?
The debate of who is the greatest player in NBA history is supposed to be nuanced. However, in recent years, it has boiled down to two men: Michael Jordan and LeBron James.
For many years, Jordan was considered the consensus pick because he won six world championships and 10 scoring titles while never losing in the NBA Finals. But an increasing number of people believe James is the greatest player, as shown by two recent polls done by HoopsHype and The Athletic.
However, one incredible legend who always gets disrespected in this debate is the late great Kobe Bryant. He drove the Los Angeles Lakers to five rings and had an array of individual accomplishments, and no one will ever forget his legacy or impact.
Shaquille O’Neal, his Lakers teammate on three of those championship squads, said on his podcast “The Big Podcast” that Bryant should be right there in the GOAT debate along with Jordan and James.
“The only thing I don’t like about the (GOAT) conversation is that they don’t put my boy’s name (Kobe) in it. If you’re gonna be throwing names around, you gotta have my boy’s name in it. That’s like saying, ‘What are the best luxury cars out there: Lexus or Beemer? You gotta put the Mercedes in there, too. Mike, LeBron, or Kobe, now y’all debate.”
Many of today’s NBA stars cite Bryant as a big influence or even a mentor. When he and eight others were killed in a tragic helicopter crash in 2020, there was a massive outpouring of bereavement, not to mention a massive tribute to his accomplishments and the mark he left on sports.
“I just want to say: you know how I feel about you. I love you. I’m so proud of you. Good luck in your new endeavor. And I appreciate our friendship very much and I’m so proud of you,” O’Neal said.
Parker replied, thanking O’Neal for being a role model.
“I’m trying to be a businesswoman, like you, so thank you for raising the bar and continuing to be a great friend and partner for me,” Parker said.
Parker is hanging it up after 16 seasons in the WNBA. The former first-overall pick from Tennessee averaged 16 points and 8.5 rebounds per game over her lengthy career.
She won MVP twice and finished top five in voting 10 times.
Shaq played three seasons with LSU from 1989-92. He was one of the nation’s most dominant players throughout his time in Baton Rouge, averaging 21.6 points per game.
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Shaquille O’Neal’s awkward interview with Nikola Jokic went viral for all the wrong reasons — he told the now-three-time MVP and said he thought Shai Gilgeous-Alexander should have won. Jokic took it in stride, but it wasn’t the best.
Shannon Sharpe proceeded to go in on Shaq on The Nightcap podcast, talking all about how O’Neal was envious of a big man getting that many MVPs and discussing why the former center isn’t in the GOAT conversation.
That triggered O’Neal, who took to Instagram with a lengthy rebuttal, and WHEW.
He started off singing Hail to the Chief and then talked about how he appreciated their friendship and that he loves her and appreciates their friendship. And then she explained why she was leaving the game behind.
After Lamar dropped Euphoria, the diss track that had the world buzzing about how badly he ripped on Drake, the folks at Inside the NBA decided to play it on Wednesday night as halftime started between the Los Angeles Clippers and Dallas Mavericks in their playoff game.
The reaction?
“Y’all putting us in the middle of the rap beef!” remarked Kenny Smith.
Charles Barkley simply added, “Grown-[butt] men.” LOL!
NBA fans noticed and had a bit of a laugh over it on X (formerly Twitter):
“You sure you wanna play Euphoria during the Clippers-Mavs game… what if Drake hears it?”
We all know Shaquille O’Neal, a.k.a. Shaq, as one of the most recognizable basketball personalities. We also understood he got to this point because he was one of the most dominant big men in NBA history.
What we didn’t know was that Shaq wasn’t always SHAQ.
In the latest episode of The Big Podcast, O’Neal and former NBA player and current analyst and podcaster JJ Redick touched on their beginnings as basketball players. The conversation eventually reaches a point about when both first dunked a ball. Redick admitted that he hit a big growth spurt as a teenager and could then dunk with two hands. O’Neal, meanwhile, didn’t believe it. He said he couldn’t dunk until he was 17, despite being 6-foot-11.
Uh, what?
Naturally, this reveal caught Redick off guard, who inadvertently roasted the Hall of Famer with a shocked comment:
JJ Redick: “In 8th grade, I hit this growth spurt. 5’6 to 6’3. Being able to dunk with two hands at 13.”
Shaq: “You’re not f*cking dunking at 13. I wasn’t dunking till 17.”
JJ: “There was something physically wrong with you then.” 😅
Look, it all worked out for O’Neal in the end, anyway. After growing into the game, he eventually helped his high school team in San Antonio win a state championship. He then parlayed that into becoming a two-time All-American and 1991 Men’s National Player of the Year honors at LSU.
After that, well, you know the rest.
O’Neal went on to become an all-time dominant big man in the NBA, qualifying for 15 All-Star teams while winning four championships with the Los Angeles Lakers (3) and the Miami Heat (1). And he did a lot of that while dunking the heck out of the basketball on so many defenders who had no business guarding him.
Which … is kinda funny when you think about a very tall, inexperienced, and young O’Neal not actually being able to dunk. I guess we truly all gotta somewhere, folks.
Charles Barkley and Shaq quickly put Kendrick Perkins in his place.
Note to self: Never question the professionalism or acumen of two Hall of Famers on any sort of nationally syndicated program. (Especially if it just seems like you’re pandering to a major media market.)
This is an important lesson ESPN’s Kendrick Perkins apparently needs to learn.
On Monday, the former NBA big man hopped on the Michael Kay Show to discuss the New York Knicks’ upcoming playoff prospects. During his conversation, Perkins called out TNT’s Charles Barkley and Shaquille O’Neal for only watching NBA basketball when their network is broadcasting games. As it pertains to the Knicks specifically, who, again, play in New York, Perkins isn’t convinced the TNT duo has seen much of them:
“It’s obvious (that) they don’t watch basketball,” Perkins said on the Michael Kay Show. “I’m serious. They can’t watch basketball on a consistent basis. The only time they actually probably watch the Knicks is when they’re covering the Knicks on their game nights.”
Hoo boy. That is probably not something Perkins should’ve said about his peers on a public platform. Needless to say, Barkley and O’Neal caught wind of his critique and blasted the former role-player center during TNT’s first broadcast of the 2024 NBA Play-In Tournament.
How? They used the news of Blake Griffin retiring from the league to showcase one of his more famous dunks… on Perkins. Then they quickly made reference to Perkins punching up to two all-time greats out of the blue:
Shaq & Chuck respond to Kendrick Perkins who said their Knicks takes show "they obviously don't watch basketball":
TNT shows Perk getting dunked on
Shaq:"We don't watch Knicks games…but I watched that game"
If Perkins’ intent was to ruffle some feathers of fellow national NBA broadcasters, he clearly succeeded. He probably should’ve kept his thoughts to the Knicks, though.
