Shaquille O'Neal Comments on Kobe Bryant's Retirement Tour
NBA legend Shaquille O'Neal won three championships alongside Kobe Bryant with the Los Angeles Lakers, but he didn't get the treatment at the end of his career that the Black Mamba is receiving in his final year.
This Bryant retirement-tour phenomenon is making O'Neal envious. He explained how he felt in a segment from The Big Podcast with Shaq released on Tuesday, per PodcastOne.com (h/t USA Today's Andrew Joseph):
"I'm super jealous. I wanted a Shaq tour, man. I did. Like, I never said this but this is killing me. It did. So, you know, I had two years in Boston. I got hurt my first year, but the second year, we were going to plan a whole Shaq tour. I'm super jealous. I wanted a Shaq tour. ...
... But still, I wanted to just go to the city, and people see me play my last game. I did. I'm like – at first I tried to suck it up, but I can't. It's killing me.
"
Bryant has spent all 19 of his seasons in the NBA with the Lakers, whereas O'Neal began his career with the Orlando Magic before becoming part of a dynamic duo that lifted L.A. to three NBA titles.
Had he returned to either the Magic or the Lakers to finish his playing days, perhaps O'Neal would have received different treatment. Instead, he spent 2008 to 2011 playing for the Miami Heat, Phoenix Suns, Cleveland Cavaliers and Boston Celtics, respectively.
The latter franchise would have especially made for an odd farewell tour for O'Neal had he chosen to make it more of a publicized affair, considering his history as a Laker.
O'Neal also departed L.A. on bad terms and clashed often with Bryant, though the two did reunite as co-MVPs at the 2009 All-Star Game. That essentially opened the door for a brief second stint in L.A. to conclude his time on the court if he'd wanted it.
A testament to Bryant's impact and enduring Lakers legacy is how much attention he's attracting despite a poor season (16.9 points per game on 35.6 percent shooting) by his all-time great standards.
L.A. is having an abysmal 2015-16 campaign as it tries to rebuild, but Bryant's epic send-off is at least easing the pain for some fans. His monstrous contract will also be off the books next season, allowing the Lakers to chase prized free agents with a raised salary cap in addition to welcoming aboard a new lottery draft pick.
