Jerry West On Kobe-Shaq Feud: ‘Had To Clash Somewhere Along The Way’

Kobe Bryant and Shaq

As general manager of the Los Angeles Lakers, Jerry West constructed some of the winningest rosters in franchise history. West help assemble the Showtime-era Lakers that dominated the 1980’s and laid down the framework for the 2000-02 championship teams.

— Think You Know Everything About Kobe Bryant? Take The Ultimate Kobe Quiz! —

During the summer of 1996, West obtained the draft rights to Kobe Bryant while also clearing enough cap space to make a run at free-agent center Shaquille O’Neal. While the duo won three titles in a row alongside one another, their public feud prevented them from winning another Larry O’Brien trophy after their third consecutive championship.

West sat down on In Depth with Graham Bensinger for an interview and discussed bringing Bryant and O’Neal together among other topics. He explained how he felt the conflict between the two was inevitable:

I think those two different personalities had to clash somewhere along the way. I didn’t think they’d ever clash to the extent they did.”

Although having the foresight to pair Bryant and O’Neal, the Lakers failed to win a championship until West hired Phil Jackson as head coach. West stepped down as general manager after the first title in 2000 and has since helped the Memphis Grizzlies and Golden State Warriors turn into contenders.

Here is the video of West talking about the Kobe-Shaq feud:

[H/T to SLAM] [divide]


Please enable Javascript to watch this video

You May Also Like

Lakers Comeback Falls Short Against Clippers; 107-102

The Los Angeles Lakers played their cross-town rivals tonight in the latest…

Lakers News: Ronda Rousey On If Kobe Bryant Should Retire After 20th Season

A hot topic of discussion involving the Los Angeles Lakers over the…

Charles Barkley Does Not Believe Kobe Can Return to Dominant Player

Whenever a player faces a season ending injury there is growing concern…

Lakers News: Shaquille O’Neal Reflects On 2000 NBA Finals Against Pacers

Shaquille O’Neal famously makes up half of perhaps the greatest duo in NBA history. He and Kobe Bryant wreaked havoc…