Kobe Bryant: Lakers Star Should Discuss Shaq Feud Now That Robert Horry Has

Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal have a well-known feud that they rarely publicly speak about. That hasn’t stopped Robert Horry from bringing it back into discussion today and throwing a conspiracy theory involving Phil Jackson into play.

When asked if it were possible to avoid the Kobe-and-Shaq split when all three were members of the Los Angeles Lakers, Horry told Russian sports website Sports.Ru (translation by Alexander Chernykh),

"

I think Phil Jackson started that feud. It happened many times that after team practice he would say, "Kobe said this about Shaq, and Shaq said that about Kobe…" We couldn’t believe how could that happen, because just the day before we saw them together, jumping on one another. Phil liked it when there was conflict of some sort.

"

This is an interesting revelation and one could certainly picture the 11-time NBA Championship-winning coach causing some drama in order to get both players motivated.

Obviously, if true, this backfired and the trio went down in flames, but that still doesn't mean the Zen Master did not try the tactic.

The question now becomes, why doesn’t Kobe just admit what happened now that he is no longer personally involved with Jackson or O’Neal?

During the lockout, he criticized Shaq’s work ethic in practice by telling an Italian radio station: "I like players who work out. I used to do that six-seven hours per day. I cannot stand players who practice for 30 minutes.”

But he never divulged details about whether or not his former coach had anything to do with the rift that eventually forced Shaq out of town and Jackson to not be offered a new contract after the 2004 Finals.

With Horry’s story grabbing headlines, Kobe needs to address the issue before Wednesday night’s game against the Los Angeles Clippers.

The spotlight will be on this matchup between two powerhouses in the second-largest market, so Bryant has a perfect opportunity.

He can finally get the truth out there about what really sparked the feud between O’Neal and himself.