Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal together was one of the greatest tandems in basketball history.  Things however got sour between the two and after the Lakers three-peat, Shaq demanded a trade.  He was ultimately moved to the Miami Heat where he won a championship with Dwyane Wade.  Even today there’s still discussions about how many more championships the Lakers could’ve won had the two stayed together.  Following the Lakers 126-115 loss to the Chicago Bulls, Kobe discussed the multiple championships he felt he left on the table which led a reporter to ask him about Shaq.

Kobe was asked if there were any regrets he had or anything else he could’ve done to have kept them together.  He then revealed what many have thought, he wanted to prove he could win without the Diesel.

“It was always the challenge of, ‘Kobe can’t win without Shaq,’ right? If I had went my whole career and we had won championships, God bless you guys, but guys would be saying at the Hall of Fame, ‘He won with Shaq.’ I didn’t want to hear that. I didn’t want to hear it,” Bryant said. “Because I knew I had the determination to do it and it was either sink or swim. At some point I was going to take that challenge, and it was either you guys are right or I’m right. I had to take that challenge.”

He’s totally right, many would’ve questioned his greatness had he not won without Shaq.  In fact some still do it now because he won with Pau Gasol.  LeBron James is currently facing this issue.  He won his two rings with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh which many considered a super team and now he has Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love if he wins another.  At the end of the day, no star no matter how great can win alone.

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