Kobe Bryant claims that the Lakers would have won 12 championships during his tenure if Shaquille O'Neal had his work ethic.Â
Bryant laid out his ultimate "what-if" scenario in an interview with Patrick Bet-David at the PHP Agency Convention in Las Vegas. While this all sounds like Kobe big-upping himself, Bryant was quick to say that Shaq would have been the better of the two players in this hypothetical. Bryant shared that Shaq could have been the GOAT if he had committed to it.
"He'd be the greatest of all time," Bryant said of a gym-focused Shaq. "He'd be the first to tell you that!"
Bryant said that his desire to see the best possible Shaq wasn't merely as a friend, noting how much more hardware would have found its way to Los Angeles.
"I wish he was in the gym!" he said. "I would've had 12 f*cking rings!"
Bryant said that he's not stating anything that he's afraid to say to the player-turned-host's face. Bryant said that he's brought the idea of more championships up many times while talking to O'Neal.
"Me and Shaq sit down all the time and I say, 'Dude if your lazy ass was in shape...'" he shared. But Shaq didn't seem too pleased with Kobe's comments, and voiced his displeasure via some Instagram comments.
Kobe then responded on Twitter, calling Shaq the "most dominant ever."
He added that despite what some might want to believe, there's no beef between him and his former teammate.Â
Shaq then responded with a tweet that seems to put this little flare-up to rest, and added a playful jab aimed at his frequent target, Dwight Howard, for good measure.Â
Take a look at the whole interview up top to hear more about Shaq and Kobe's occasionally contentious time together on the Lakers.
