“It took him 900 days to become Mamba,” Shaquille O’Neal praises underrated player who was ‘Kobe before Kobe Bryant’

Shaquille O'Neal and Anfernee "Penny" Hardaway played together for the Orlando Magic in the NBA.

“It took him 900 days to become Mamba,” Shaquille O’Neal praises underrated player who was ‘Kobe before Kobe Bryant’

Kobe Bryant, Shaquille O'Neal and Penny Hardaway

It is quite unusual for one of the best NBA players, Shaquille O’Neal to praise someone in the industry more than him. Interestingly, On the Big Podcast, O’Neal did exactly that as he was full of praise for his former teammate Anfernee “Penny” Hardaway, “giving him his flowers” and also claimed that he was the actual “Kobe” before Kobe Bryant turned into “Black Mamba.”

O’Neal claimed on the podcast that the new generation didn’t know about Penny Hardaway and how good he was. He also claimed that Hardaway was a regular and one of the best, unlike Bryant who took almost 600-900 days to come into the spotlight in the NBA. O’Neal concluded his conversation by giving Hardaway “his flowers” and ensuring the new generation knew how good he was.

YouTube video
They(the kids of this new generation) ask me who is better?  Penny or Kobe and I always say 'Penny was Kobe before Kobe'… Kobe first year: didn’t start. Second year: didn’t start… it took him 600 to 900 days to become the Black Mamba. Penny came in Penny.
On the Big Podcast, Shaquille O’Neal said

Interestingly, Hardaway is now an American college basketball coach who leads the Memphis Tigers men’s team in the American Athletic Conference (AAC). Hardaway played collegiate basketball at Memphis and spent fourteen years in the NBA, where he was a four-time All-Star and three-time All-NBA selection.

Shaquille O’Neal reveals he regrets “not calling” Kobe Bryant after 2024 feud

NBA’s finest duos Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant were once involved in a feud in 2004 at their time, at the Los Angeles Lakers. Notably, O’Neal opened up on this after years, also after the sad demise of the late Bryant, claiming that he regrets “not calling” Bryant after the feud to sort things out with his former teammate.

You put off [getting in touch], I’ll never get to see Kobe again, in real life, forever. And I just should have called. He should have called. We both should have called. But he’s working, I’m working, so it’s ‘I’ll see you when I see you.’
Shaquille O’Neal told People Magazine

O’Neal was traded to the Heat that year (2004), and both players went on to have individual success until their NBA careers ended. When time passed, the two began to mend their relationship, and O’Neal confessed he considered reuniting them when they grew older. However, that time did not come as Bryant tragically passed away in a helicopter incident.

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