“I prefer to not be with him” – Kobe Bryant gave Isiah Thomas COLD answer when Pistons legend claimed he doubted Lakers star would win without Shaquille O’Neal

Former Piston reveals how much Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal hated each other in their primes.

“I prefer to not be with him” – Kobe Bryant gave Isiah Thomas COLD answer when Pistons legend claimed he doubted Lakers star would win without Shaquille O’Neal

Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal (courtesy - Imago)

Kobe Bryant, widely considered one of the greatest players in basketball history, secured five NBA championships with the Los Angeles Lakers, three of which he won alongside teammate Shaquille O’Neal.

During their tenure with the Lakers from 1996 to 2004, Kobe and Shaq, who had a well-known feud, clinched three consecutive NBA championships (2000-2002). The trade that sent O’Neal to the Miami Heat arose from personal differences and disputes over their roles on the team.

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Former Piston player Isaiah Thomas, in an interview with Icons Club, asserted that he engaged in a conversation with the late Lakers star, Bryant, discussing his relationship with the media and O’Neal.

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I'll never forget I said this to him, 'You have to play to the right audience. And the audience is not the media critics.' My audience at that time, I was playing to satisfy the Bill Russells, the Kareem Abdul Jabbars.

Zeke further said:

I said, 'I'm not sure if you can win without Shaq, though.' That dude looked me straight in the eye, and he goes, 'Whether I'm with Shaq or not because I prefer to not be with him because I want to win it on my own.

Following his earlier successes, the late Kobe Bryant secured two more championships with the Lakers. He boasts career averages of 25 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 4.7 assists per game. Bryant is widely considered as one of the most complete players in the game

Kobe Bryant’s career in perspective

Described by NBA Commissioner Adam Silver as “one of the greatest players in the history of our game,” Kobe Bryant holds the fourth position in league history as the leading scorer with an impressive 33,643 points. He stands out as the first player to achieve the milestone of at least 30,000 career points and 6,000 career assists.

Kobe Bryant and Gerald Wallace
Kobe Bryant and Gerald Wallace (via X)

His remarkable 81-point performance against the Toronto Raptors in 2006 stands as the second-highest in NBA history. Throughout his illustrious career, Kobe Bryant achieved scoring at least 50 points an impressive 24 times.

As an 18-time All-Star and four-time All-Star MVP, he showcased his exceptional skills. Throughout his career, Bryant scored 40-plus points in 121 games and recorded 21 triple-doubles.

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