ESPN: Shaq says Kobe feud was just hype...

[VF21]

Shaquille O'Neal, the newly minted All-Star for the Western Conference, has claimed Kobe Bryant and Phil Jackson as new allies, saying the longtime rivalry between himself and the Lakers forward was simply a marketing gimmick.

"We helped you hype it up," the Suns center said late Thursday night in an interview with ESPN's Stephen A. Smith. "I know what I'm doing, brother. I'm the smartest player in the world."

O'Neal and Bryant have shared an off-the-court history of bickering through the media that was fueled during O'Neal's last season with the Lakers in 2004, when the duo jockeyed for position as the franchise's next cornerstone.

O'Neal said Thursday the feud with Bryant was nothing more than fodder for driving revenue. "I always did love Kobe," O'Neal said. "It was all marketing."

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=3873700

 

[Elise10]

Wasn't it just 2-3 months ago where Shaq blamed Phil for the whole feud?

People are over it, why does Shaq keeping bringing it up, or the more important question....why does the media keep asking about it?

 

[AriesMar27]

its probably true, i dont care but its probably true...

 

[VF21]

I remember vividly some of Shaq's comments, especially when Kobe was throwing him under the bus during the Colorado fiasco. I also remember the movies Shaq was in...

It wasn't all hype; Shaq is NOT that good an actor.

 

[AriesMar27]

shazaam was a great movie.... genie of the boombox, genius.... and steel had its momments.

some of it was real but for the most part i doubt it was that big of a deal between the 2 of them.

 

[Mr. S£im Citrus]

shazaam was a great movie.... genie of the boombox, genius.... and steel had its momments.

Clearly you and I are working with different definitions of the words "good" and "genius."

 

[AriesMar27]

yeah... who am i kidding? he was, is a horrible actor...

 

[Ryan]

It was not hype. Just watch the Lakers 2001 championship DVD.

 

[est.1999]

when you get caught for adultery and you say "shaq does it all the time, he just pays the girls off to not say anything", then no shaq it's not hype.

 

[Superman]

So, Shaq and Kobe ruined what could have been the greatest NBA duo of all time (had they stayed together), and they did this for marketing?

Stop it.

 

[NoBonus]

Wasn't it just 2-3 months ago where Shaq blamed Phil for the whole feud?

People are over it, why does Shaq keeping bringing it up, or the more important question....why does the media keep asking about it?

Marketing.

 

[Elise10]

Marketing.

And I (whom btw is no fan of the Lakers) supposed to take that seriously.

It's beating a dead horse after it's already been euthanized. It's the All-Star game. It's not as if there is any "real" coaching involved

 

[Peter_Gibbons]

Shaq is just saying that because he realize the media was making him out to be the bad guy after the "RAP" that he did of kobe. I mean, its not the first time he dissed kobe in a rap song. He released an actual song right after he got traded.

Shaq is calling it hype so he can clean up his image again and get ready for his many potential business deals in LA after his bball career.

But for sure they really hated each other and most likely still do. I'm sure kobe still hates Shaq, especially after the freestyle diss.

 

[Gargamel]

Shaq is just saying that because he realize the media was making him out to be the bad guy after the "RAP" that he did of kobe. I mean, its not the first time he dissed kobe in a rap song. He released an actual song right after he got traded.

He wants to come back to the Lakers in a hurry is what it is. Look for the simplest answer when trying to figure out Shaq, trust.