[“You know how I be, last week Kobe couldn’t do without me.”](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6lQW-FWMcBo)
After the Lakers lost to the Boston Celtics in the NBA Finals, in one of the most influential (but not reported due to profanity) moments in modern NBA history, Shaquille O’Neal got up on stage at club in New York City and unleashed a freestyle rap mocking Kobe Bryant for being unable to win the NBA Finals without him.
There are of course many things that led to the modern era, but Shaq’s diss, including firing strays at Patrick Ewing for having no rings as well, and leading the entire club in a chorus of “Kobe, tell me how my ass tastes,” led to Kobe obsessively chasing his next two rings without Shaq, which he did indeed win (though he did need the return of Phil Jackson and others).
Some have said that this era of battling between Shaq and Kobe to win without each other influenced the media to focus excessively on championship rings, and indirectly led to an entire generation of players desperately hopping teams to avoid the taste of Shaq’s ass.
In all seriousness though, if you haven’t seen the video, it’s hilariously epic pettiness.
by EGarrett
11 Comments
Pao Gasol doesn’t get enough credit. Should have been finals MVP.
Lol at your number 2 eventually winning back to back titles without you.
Imagine if that happened today
Just got one more than Shaq. You can take that to the bank. You know how I am. āI donāt forget anything.” Kobe
Shaqās music is impossibly bad and he is to this day a sensitive little bitch, but āTell me how my ass tastesā is still one of the funniest things Iāve ever heard in my life
Ewing strays are wild when you remember Shaq had tears in his eyes talking about Ewing one day on NBA TV https://youtu.be/HdssQMCrbZc
Ring culture existed before this.
Shaq lost his Sheriff’s badge because of this rap:
Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio said the Phoenix Suns center’s use of a racially derogatory word and other foul language left him no choice. Arpaio made Shaq a special deputy in 2006 and promoted him to colonel of his largely ceremonial posse later that year. “I want his two badges back,” Arpaio told The Associated Press on Tuesday. “Because if any one of my deputies did something like this, they’re fired. I don’t condone this type of racial conduct.” Shaq was seen in a video posted on the celebrity news and gossip Web site TMZ.com rapping that “Kobe couldn’t do without me.” O’Neal skewers the Lakers’ star, with whom he won three straight NBA titles from 2000-2002 while with Los Angeles, for not being able to win a championship without him. “I was freestyling. That’s all. It was all done in fun. Nothing serious whatsoever,” O’Neal told ESPN.com Monday. A call to the Suns on Tuesday seeking comment from O’Neal was referred to his public relations firm, which didn’t immediately respond. Arpaio, who describes himself as “America’s Toughest Sheriff” and is best known for feeding jail inmates green bologna, clothing them in pink underwear, and making them work on chain gangs, said he didn’t expect his actions would teach Shaq a lesson. But he hoped he learns that as a role model who wants to someday be a full-time sheriff, he needs to know his words matter. “Maybe I’m old fashioned, but I don’t think that either conduct should be out there publicly, even if media wasn’t there,” Arpaio said. O’Neal previously served as a reserve officer with the Miami Beach Police Department while playing for the Miami Heat. He also volunteered with the Tempe Police Department after being traded to the Suns in February.
Honestly Kobe proved in years after Shaq that he was better and main player in Lakers
There was never any merit in championships before this bar dropped. In 2008.
this was so funny back in the day. iām still convinced david stern sat down with kobe and shaq the morning of the 09 all star game and said, āight guys, just pretend to be cool at the game. weāll give the fans a nice feel good story and make you both co mvpsā. shit was so forced
always cracked me up how shaq insisted him and kobeās beef wasnāt real and was all marketingā¦ okay big fella ākobe snitched on me, said i gave a bitch a milā riggght
I’m glad Pau let him hop on his shoulders so Kobe would get the next two. Pau and the voters even giftwrapped the second FMVP to the Mamba after Kobe had that perfect 6-24 and 0-6 from 3 that really exemplifies the Mamba mentality.