Shaq Reveals How Kobe Confronted Him Right Before His Death

My teammates, they all thought I was absolutely crazy, the day me and Shaq got in a fist fight. This big dude, he would've hurt Kobe. He really would've.

That's when he was grr. Oh, and there's a swing by O'Neal. Punching Brad Miller.

Shaq gone berserk. We were playing a pickup game, it was during lockout season. We're on opposite teams.

The Laker personnel over in the corner, you know, we just playing. And trash talking. "Yeah, take that little -, take that little - away.

" I'm looking around, "Oh - , he's talking to me. " I'm thinking it's kind of like just joking around. Next thing I know, it's getting real serious.

Nah, this is my team man. This is my team. And then they square up and I'm like, come on guys, break it up, break it up.

As I'm doing that, Kobe, I can't remember what he said or what he did? I said, "Well what you going to do about it? What you going to do about it?

" But Shaquille reeled back and threw it. So, I saw a big hand coming this way. And I grabbed him and part of the punch hit me right here.

And then the rest followed through on Kobe. And then all of a sudden I'm holding him, I'm like. You're holding Shaq?

I'm holding Shaq. I'm fighting for life right now, 'cause I'm like, I can't hold this big dude. I'm looking around somebody help Kobe's like you know, wanting to throw a couple old jabs.

Somebody came and grabbed Kobe and I'm still holding on Shaq. He's like, "Let me go, let me go. " Nah man, relax, relax.

And then they all just kind of broke us apart. Broke us up. When it happened, when it got physical, I really got scared.

They were two of the best players of the NBA, but they couldn't stand playing with each other, especially after suffering two big defeats in a row. It will end with a sweep. They've gotta get some sense that they need each other.

What does the future hold for the Lakers? This time they needed to prove to everyone that they could somehow win together. Game seven, we are down.

That day was a big turning point. We have to win. There's no other option.

My son Shareef, who was two years old at the time, and he came to me before the game, gave me a kiss. He said, "Daddy, I need you to win the game. " Well, for me, I was kind of nervous.

I didn't have one of those Shaq like games at all. Still no Shaquille O'Neal for the Lakers. When we were down 15, I was like, man, not only am I gonna lose, it's gonna be my fault.

I'm gonna let my first son down. Can't finish it. O'Neal.

Late in the fourth quarter I got rolling a little bit. I'm telling Kobe, “Hey man, I'm open. ” He crosses up Scottie Pippen and he catches eye contact with me.

Like, okay, this is the one you wanted. So Kobe throws a lob, super, super, super high. So I had to get up.

Shaq. I almost didn't jump because I didn't think he was gonna throw it. I knew how much it meant to you.

As brothers, you don't let your brothers down. I know we're gonna win. We're going to the Finals.

You see me running down the court, I'm pointing up at my son Shareef. And the Lakers are the 2000 NBA champions. After we win the championship, who jumps in my arm?

Kobe Bryant. Like a little, like a little 7-year-old, Dad went to the military and then he came home surprisingly, jumped in my arms. But even after their big win, they had no idea that their fighting would only get worse.

♪ You couldn't do without me ♪ ♪ Kobe you can't do without me ♪ ♪ And that's the difference between first and last place ♪ ♪ Kobe - tell me how my ass tastes ♪ ♪ You couldn't do without me ♪ ♪ Kobe you couldn't do without me ♪ After the championship, I'm happy. Matter of fact, in my mind I'm done. Now I can go do what I want to do.

I got some pounds on me, 'cause I'm eating chicken tenders and pizza and burger. I didn't come into camp ready. I was able to just chill out in the summer, filming movies, working on my rap album and rest.

So I would rest. I'm not working out in the summer. For what?

For who? The people that I've always had issues or problems with are the people that don't demand excellence from themselves. I won't tolerate that.

You want to be great at something, it's a choice that you have to make. The sacrifices that come along with making that decision. He felt that I didn't work hard or whatever.

I get in shape when I get in shape. By the time I run down on a fast break and run back and then run down, you're still coming down the first time. Like, what the hell do you want me to do?

You know and I told Shaq that, you gotta get ready, Did he like hearing it? But my job with the team is to make sure that that we're fully functional. I'm holding you accountable.

If we just played a back to back and we have practice the next day, your ass better be there, tape ready to go. We talking about practice. I'm not gonna get beat up in practice and I'm not gonna get beat up in the game.

I don't need to get ready for dunking. So I'm gonna chill out and practice and let these guys do what they do. I'll be ready in the game.

Don't worry about it. That sounds like excuses to me. I mean you, you gotta figure it out.

So I'm playing, I'm working out, my toe's messing up, I can't bend it. So now I go to the doctor and he was like, you need surgery. So when Shaq had an injury, we know it had something to do with his weight.

What to blame for the Lakers slow start this season? September toe surgery has made Shaquille O'Neal the popular choice. Shaq was out.

So Phil comes to me before the stretch says "Kobe, we need you to take over the offense. " I'm like, all right, cool. It was really my job to make sure the team was moving in the right direction and to really become more of a vocal leader, that literally started the streak of 40 straight game.

You know, 40 points in nine straight games. Shaq comes back from injury, I still continue to do it right. He didn't get his way.

Listen to this crowd celebrating along with Kobe Bryant getting the forties, has got nine to be tied with Michael Jordan. And Phil calls me to his office and goes, "Hey, you know we're starting to lose the big fella. " What do you mean?

Well he is not getting the attention. You know this, this 40 point streak is starting to kind of take away his fire to prove something. Right, so I need you to start dialing it back.

I'm like, what? Rein me back in for what? No, no, I'm not getting reined back in.

No. He says we're gonna lose him and we need him in June. Okay, all right.

We have a game against the Clippers, I think got like 38 or something like that. And that chance to score 40 again, it's a blowout game. And I dumped the ball in to Shaq instead of shooting a wide open shot.

The 40 point streak ended that night. Wow. That was it.

I think Shaq knew the truth of the situation. I wasn't some sidekick, when you see me every day, you know what I'm about. People wanted me to just kind of level off my play and not improve and just do the same thing I did last year.

And I'm not gonna do that. And I work too hard and I improve as a basketball player every day. And I want to show that I improve.

He felt I should play a certain way and give the ball to him. I said, "I'll give the ball into you if you work, you don't work, you don't get the ball. " He said "Throw me the ball.

" No, work. I ain't gotta do what you do. Right?

Especially I'm a big guy giving up to a little guy. I don't play that -. When everything went through me, the outcome was good.

The big dog ain't me, then the house won't get guarded. Period. Such as shame, you know the two great players can't get along.

Doesn't a situation like this divide a team in the locker room? Are these irreconcilable differences between these two? People on the team, pick sides.

Management pick sides. The fans pick sides. Everybody pick sides.

Got to a point, the rumblings created by him that, you know, Kobe can't win without me. And it was like, hold up, hold up. It's not true.

And I'm not gonna have people hold that over my head. I said no, let's find out. Kobe said, it doesn't matter whose team it is, nobody cares.

But since it is his team, no more coming into camp fat and out of shape. And when your team is relying on you for leadership on and off the court, no more blaming others for the team's failure. I don't miss 15 games because of a toe injury that everybody knows is not that serious in the first place.

If leaving the Lakers at the end of the season is what I decide to do, a major reason for that will be Shaq's childlike selfishness and jealousy. He is not my “big brother”. We lost to Detroit the last game.

We had like a team dinner. And the owner wasn't talking to me, he was talking to the other side. He didn't say anything to me.

I looked at my wife Shawnee and I was like uh-oh. And the very next day. In a shocking turn of events, the Lakers have traded Shaquille O'Neal choosing Kobe Bryant to take his place as team leader.

After Shaq moved to another team, he continued to lash out at Kobe in the media. Would it be possible for you to sit down, have a talk with Kobe Bryant? Who?

You know what, I'm not familiar with that name. I know a lot of names and I have a lot of names in my head, but I'm not, I'm not familiar with that name. Especially if there's nothing to talk about.

You didn't even look at your former teammate Kobe Bryant. Why not? You shook everybody else's hand.

But even as Shaq wanted to trash his teammate, a part of him couldn't forget the good times. What is your opinion of Kobe Bryant as a player? The day I arrived to LA, Jerry West brings me in The Forum and he says, "Young man, I want you to look up" and it's all the retired jerseys.

He said, by the end of your career, you are either gonna be up there with those guys or this whole thing is gonna be a bust. He showed me the contract and I've never seen so many zeroes in my life. Before, he gave me the pen, he puts his hand on my shoulder.

He said, let me tell you something, I just got this kid. I just got this kid. He said, in two or three years you and him are gonna win a lot of championships.

And he was talking about Kobe. I'm like, "Yeah, okay, whatever. " But I'm trying to sign because I'm looking at all them zeroes.

He said, "I know you like doing movies and your rap stuff, but at some point you're going to have to dial it down to where you're doing nothing but concentrating on winning championships. Now you gotta step it up. " He was a guy that wanted it right away.

A lot of guys don't have that when they come in. A lot of guys just like to go through the rope. But he wanted, he wanted it.

He wanted it. So his rookie year, we let him do what he do, make his mistakes. I didn't want to mess up, the janitor let me in the gym.

And I shot all day, all day, I mean all day. And this was right after that playoff game. We were playing Utah.

This has been a game for Los Angeles. So they need to win or else they're eliminated from the playoffs. And here we go.

Nobody wanted to take the last shots. I'm not taking the last shots. Y'all ain't gonna be talking about me, Shaq lost a game.

So he takes three shots. For an 18-year-old to take this shot when it's on the line. Air balls.

But eventually it's gonna happen. 15 seconds to go. A chance to tie.

You got a chance if it gets close to five. Bryant for the tie, another air ball. It's over.

I do believe it's over. I was the one that grabbed him and said "Hey man, don't worry about it. One day people gonna fear you.

" What is your opinion of Kobe Bryant as a player? I think he's a great player. What do you think of Kobe Bryant as a person?

Doesn't matter what I think about him as a person. When was the last time you talked to Kobe? I don't know and I don't care.

Shaq couldn't let go of his anger, even as it pushed everyone away. I was lost, 76,000 square foot house by yourself. Lost.

No kids. Go to the gym, nobody's playing in the gym. You go to their room, nobody's there.

In one of his darkest moments, Shaq had to face his old partner once again. Phoenix All-Star Game. I was a reserve on the All-Star.

Well one of your teammates is going to be Kobe Bryant. We're gonna reunite the two of you back together again on Valentine's Day. So at the end, when they co-announced the MVP, my boys are there with me.

All right guys, so who's mantle does this go on first? Kobe's League, I figured he'd take the trophy. He looks at Shareef, let me give him the trophy.

I'm like, "Nah, Kobe. " He said, "Nah, I'll get mine later. " And I realized now, I was like, I think I may have messed something up.

A lot of times that our beef was going on, I would keep it going. I just said to myself, I was like, I was an - to this guy. Shareef loved that moment.

That was the first time I was able, you know, to give him something. He was there. Yeah, it was, it was fun to kind of, you know, go back to memory lane.

You know, it felt like old times. Missed those times. So the other day, I'm downstairs working out with, my son Shakir and my nephew Columbus and my other nephew comes in crying.

And when I say crying, I'm talking my tears everywhere. So I'm like, my mom, okay? Your mom okay?

And he shows me his phone and I snapped at him. I said, "Man, get that out my face. " Just get it away from me.

I didn't want to believe it. So now I'm like, it gotta be a hoax, 'cause I was watching the game when Bron passed him up, probably just somebody messing around on the internet. And then the calls just kept coming in.

And then you go watch TV and it just hit. Pretty sad news to tell the sports world, The LA Times is reporting that retired Los Angeles Lakers basketball star Kobe Bryant has been killed in a helicopter crash. It happened this morning.

And then the final blow, his lovely daughter was with him on the helicopter. My spirit just left my body. Ever since Kobe died, I can't sleep.

I just, I can't, it's hard to move on because with Kobe on the phone, you see highlights every day. So if I see a highlight of Kobe, I'm done for the day. When was the last time you talked to Kobe?

What do you think of Kobe Bryant as a person? It put me in a, I shoulda mode. I don't know and I don't care.

I should have reached out to young fella. I should have just called to just check on him. If Kobe Bryant called you on your cell phone right now, what would you say to him?

I don't have a cell phone. I should have got in this DM. I just should have should shoulda, shoulda, shoulda.

There's people that I'm connected with, I'm connected with him. You know, things like that, you can never get back. Golden jersey baby.

A lot of times people worry about useless titles. It's his team. You see it's that ego.

I just should have been like, all right, I raised you enough, it's your team now. But I was like, nah, I was just being greedy. I could never imagine nothing like this.

Just I lost a little brother. The fact that we're not gonna be able to joke at his Hall of Fame ceremony, we’re not ggonna be able to say ha, I got five, you got four. The fact that we're not gonna be able to say, if we would stay together, we could have got 10.

Those are the things that you can't get back. And that's the only thing, I wish I could just say something to him again. And I think a lot of times we take stuff for granted and in life sometimes instead of holding back certain things we should just do.

But at Kobe's Memorial, Shaq finally got the opportunity to honor his partner. He now knew what he needed to say. As many of you know, Kobe and I had a very complex relationship throughout the years.

Sometimes like immature kids, we argue, we fought, we bantered or insulted each other, our feud, but now it's time for us to continue your legacy. You said yourself that everything negative, pressure, challenges is all the opportunity to rise. So we now take that sage advice to rise from anguish and begin with the healing.

Kobe you're Heaven's MVP, I love you, my man, until we meet again.