Shaq v. Kobe - Part 72340986.4346987

[VF21]

http://www.sacbee.com/24hour/sports/story/1696564p-9484959c.html

O'Neal takes shot at Bryant as feud escalates



The Associated Press
Last Updated 5:03 pm PDT Wednesday, September 29, 2004


NEW YORK (AP) - Separating Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal on different teams on different coasts has done nothing to lessen the animosity between the one-time Los Angeles Laker teammates. If anything, the feud is escalating.
On Wednesday, O'Neal dismissed as "ridiculous" Bryant's allegations that O'Neal had paid up to $1 million in hush money to various women and then took his own shot by saying, "I'm not the one buying love."

O'Neal made the remark over the telephone to a staffer at ESPN, the network said, after the Los Angeles Times quoted a police report as saying Bryant told detectives in Eagle, Colo., "he should have done what Shaq does ... that Shaq would pay his women not to say anything" and already had paid up to $1 million "for situations like this."


The statement came near the end of a lengthy interrogation about a hotel employee's complaint that Bryant had raped her.

The Times said it was unclear precisely what Bryant meant by his remarks.

Prosecutors dropped criminal charges against Bryant earlier this month at the accuser's request, but the woman has filed a federal civil suit against him in Denver, seeking unspecified damages for pain and suffering since the case began.

O'Neal was informed of Bryant's allegation last September, and the relationship between the two was cool throughout the 2003-04 season. O'Neal was subsequently traded to the Miami Heat.

"This whole situation is ridiculous," O'Neal told ESPN. "I never hang out with Kobe, I never hung around him. In the seven or eight years we were together, we were never together. So how this guy can think he knows anything about me or my business is funny. And one last thing - I'm not the one buying love. He's the one buying love."

O'Neal's latter comment was an apparent reference to a ring - reportedly costing several million dollars - that Bryant gave his wife, Vanessa, after he was charged with felony sexual assault last summer.
There have been no published reports of O'Neal ever being accused of any sex crimes. He was charged with misdemeanor battery in Orange County, Fla., in 1998 after a 23-year-old Walt Disney World employee claimed he grabbed her neck, but the case was dismissed in 2000.

You know, all of a sudden, I'm looking forward to the first Heat-Lakers game.

 

[C Diddy]

I read all the transcripts available from the 75 minute interview Kobe had with the detectives last June and to me Kobe seemed extremely candid and honest. He gave very clear details to the detectives and didn't seem to be holding anything back. There is likely some truth to Shaq having paid off women in the past. Whether or not Kobe has first hand knowledge of the events or got the information from heresay, is unknown, but there is truth to Kobe's allegations. I'm sure of it.

 

[VF21]

Without going too far down the path of discussing allegations, etc. I think this whole thing just isn't going to go away any time soon.

For one thing, Shaquille O'Neal can no more keep his mouth shut than he can fit in the kid's seats at McDonalds. I think there may be some shred of truth that could be made public, simply because at one time or another a LOT of professional athletes have made nuisance settlements to people to avoid long, drawn-out (even if non-substantiated) media feeding frenzies.

 

[gina]

Shaq had absolutely nothing to do with Kobe's case and the fact that Kobe would try to drag him down just cause he got busted being a back-door bandit proves what a punk he is.

 

[HndsmCelt]

You know those LA Miami games ought to be fun to watch...

 

[Elise10]

Sometimes I swear these two make the whole Chris-Peja situation look like peas compared to watermelons.

Sometimes I also swear that they should go to Jerry Springer and really air out their problems.

It's gotten to the point where it's beyond embarrassing for both sides. In between the players taking swipes towards each other before games or after practices, having family members calling up radio stations to dish dirt or making supposedly references to other's improprieties at a time you're in the "worst ****ing situation"......where will it end?

 

[PejaFanatic]

Dr. Phil could help...

 

[iheartBrad]

this is all just really unfortunate...::sigh::

if this is all officially true....ive OFFICIALLY wiped my hands of Kobe Bryant...there was always a part of me that was clinging on to this "nice guy Kobe" persona he had when he first entered the league and he was my favorite player...but over the years that title has slowly dewindled until if eventually disappeared...and even through the whole rape situation....i was still giving him the benefit of the doubt....but after all these allegations...im done...whether or not Shaq did say it or if the allegations are true...he broke the code of life...you don't tell other peoples business like that...ESPECIALLY since it wasn't at all relevant to the Kobes own situation at hand....i totally see why Shaq didn't like him all season (more than usual..ya know)

im done with the Kobe subject.

 

[Gargamel]

Without going too far down the path of discussing allegations, etc. I think this whole thing just isn't going to go away any time soon.

For one thing, Shaquille O'Neal can no more keep his mouth shut than he can fit in the kid's seats at McDonalds. I think there may be some shred of truth that could be made public, simply because at one time or another a LOT of professional athletes have made nuisance settlements to people to avoid long, drawn-out (even if non-substantiated) media feeding frenzies.

Oh, hell no, this fued will never end. The media won't let it, it's been too good to them sales and ratings wise since they first learned of their initial spat in Winter 2000. You noticed how Shaq has been barking for 3-4 months now at Kobe (and Kupchak) to which neither have responded. That doesn't stop the media from trying to make it sound like a mutual fued.

As far as Shaq goes, most of the people who don't like that Kobe put Shaq's name out there probably believe that the allegation is true anyway (if Kobe really said it). There's a little moral hypocrisy going on here. Many of the media parasites who bashed Kobe for adultery and having an allegation of a sexual nature lodged against him are focusing NOT on the fact that Shaq could also have similar skeletons in his closet, but they're focusing on the "Kobe is a snitch" angle and they're trying to rattle Shaq's cage so he'll comment.

 

[Gargamel]

Shaq had absolutely nothing to do with Kobe's case and the fact that Kobe would try to drag him down just cause he got busted being a back-door bandit proves what a punk he is.

Here's an example. The most common assumption is that Kobe willfully tried to get Shaq in trouble when what happened was that he mentioned Shaq's name in regards to a specific line of questioning. What gain did Kobe really have by saying that Shaq paid women off to keep them quiet? Was saying that going to have his case swept under the rug? No.

Btw, welcome back.

 

[Gargamel]

but after all these allegations...im done...whether or not Shaq did say it or if the allegations are true...he broke the code of life...you don't tell other peoples business like that...

Here's another example.

 

[VF21]

Shaq had absolutely nothing to do with Kobe's case and the fact that Kobe would try to drag him down just cause he got busted being a back-door bandit proves what a punk he is.

I think you're getting the wrong impression, gina. I've read all 75 pages of the transcripts. The whole thing about Shaq didn't come up until quite late, and then it was like "I should have done what Shaq did..."

Kobe had been talking with the cops for quite a while. I don't think his intention was to try and drag Shaq down.

Regardless, I think people should look at what's happening. Those transripts have been out for a while. It was the LA TIMES that fueled the fire, and then ESPN who asked Shaq about it.

It hasn't been Kobe doing the fueling. It has been the media, knowing full well they could get a sound bite from Shaq if they phrased the question properly.

 

[Kev.in]

Kobe needs to keep Shaq's name out of his mouth.

That Christmas game is going to be pretty crazy. This is years of animosty built up and you know how Shaq plays when he's mad? He doesn't like Kobe, he doesn't like Vlade, he's got something to prove and a chip on his shoulder.

 

[Geoff]

it's like a train wreck, so horrifying yet you can't look away...

who wants to bet that Shaq's gonna ask SVG to let him play shooting guard for the heat in both LA games?

 

[vladetomiller]

Its at times like these when i like charles oakley. That man had lots of things to say about the nba players, but nobody listens to him

 

[Gargamel]

Kobe needs to keep Shaq's name out of his mouth.

This happened in July 2003, not yesterday.

That Christmas game is going to be pretty crazy. This is years of animosty built up and you know how Shaq plays when he's mad? He doesn't like Kobe, he doesn't like Vlade, he's got something to prove and a chip on his shoulder.

F Shaq.

 

[Gargamel]

It was the LA TIMES that fueled the fire

I'll trade you your Voison for our Plaschke. Deal?

 

[HndsmCelt]

Dr. Phil could help...

Your saying Dr. Phil would succed where Zen Master Phil failed.

 

[VF21]

I'll trade you your Voison for our Plaschke. Deal?

Hmmmmmm. Let me think....

After giving it careful consideration, I'll have to go with ...










No thanks.

 

[gina]

Here's an example. The most common assumption is that Kobe willfully tried to get Shaq in trouble when what happened was that he mentioned Shaq's name in regards to a specific line of questioning. What gain did Kobe really have by saying that Shaq paid women off to keep them quiet? Was saying that going to have his case swept under the rug? No.

Btw, welcome back.

Well that's what I'm saying. Shaq had absolutely nothing to do with Kobe's case so why bring him into it? That's what bugs me, and not that Shaq may have similar skeletons because in all honesty I couldn't care less about his private life (or Kobe's).

Anyway, thanks for the welcome back dude!

 

[Bricklayer]

No idea what Kobe had to gain, but it does cast some new light onto the Laker silliness from training camp onward last year. I have no use for Shaq, but if he knew going into the season what Kobe had told the police...well, if I had Shaq's size I would have knocked the scrawny twerp into the 15th row at first opportunity.

 

[Gargamel]

No idea what Kobe had to gain, but it does cast some new light onto the Laker silliness from training camp onward last year. I have no use for Shaq, but if he knew going into the season what Kobe had told the police...well, if I had Shaq's size I would have knocked the scrawny twerp into the 15th row at first opportunity.

Hard to differentiate between Shaq's episodes of silliness. Don't know for sure if Shaq knew about this prior to last year since he's previously mumbled so many times about Kobe "not feeding the Big Dog". However, the comment, "The team is all here," when Kobe wasn't there is pointed enough to make me think that he might've known. At this point, I think Shaq doth protest too much, just like he protested about being a scapegoated after he successfully orchestrated a trade.

 

[KingKong]

Shaq vs Kobe - Part 72340986.4346988

Shaq: Kobe a 'clown' and 'weirdo'

By Chris Perkins

Palm Beach Post Staff Writer

Friday, October 01, 2004

MIAMI — On this hot, spectacularly sunny day it was best to just let Heat center Shaquille O'Neal flow.

Did he ever.

In his first one-on-one interviews with South Florida media, the Miami Heat center unloaded on former Los Angeles Lakers teammate Kobe Bryant. This was mostly in response to a media report that Bryant, after being arrested in Eagle, Colo., on a sexual-assault charge that later was dropped, told police that O'Neal had paid women as much as $1 million to keep quiet about adulterous affairs.


Shaquille O'Neal (left) and Kobe Bryant
exchanged playful jabs during the 2000
playoffs, but now the gloves are off.


O'Neal, in an expletive-laced response, said he apparently is more important to Bryant than Bryant is to him.

"He (messed) up in Colorado doing what he did, and what's the first name that comes out of his mouth? My name," O'Neal said Thursday. "That should tell you I'm important to this cat.

"A lot of people ask me, 'What do you think about him?' This dude's a clown. He's a... clown. You're out there (messing) up and you're saying, 'He did it.' He did what? You don't even know me. I promise you we never hung out. We were never in any clubs together. He never did nothing with the team. I don't even know this kid. But I knew he was a weirdo."O'Neal said Bryant's recent troubles revealed the man behind the image.

"There's fairy-tale life and there's real life," O'Neal said. "He just showed his colors in real life."

O'Neal, who often refers to himself as Diesel, at one time considered himself a mentor to Bryant, who entered the NBA directly from high school.

"But he's a... child.... Just like I told (ESPN), he's the only one buying love right now, the (stuff) he has to do to get out of a jam. Diesel don't do that."

O'Neal, in describing Bryant "buying love," was referring to the $4 million diamond ring Bryant bought for his wife after being charged with sexual assault.

In the wide-ranging interview Thursday, O'Neal also repeated his previous complaints about his former team, saying the Lakers used "unfair practices" and that he was made into a "scapegoat" for the team's failures.

O'Neal initially addressed lighter topics during the media session at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel on Miami's Brickell Key. He also referred to himself as "the Halle Berry of the NBA — everybody wants me."

The 7-1, 335-pound O'Neal was chatty, volunteering long-winded answers to questions about his new physique (he's dropped 20 pounds in two months), his new teammates and his old teammates.

What became most obvious is O'Neal has taken a liking to Dwyane Wade, the Heat's dynamic second-year guard.

"The mistakes I made with my other two pupils, Penny (Hardaway) and the other cat (Bryant), I won't make those mistakes here," O'Neal said.

The rant against Bryant was a 180-degree turn from the rest of the 20-minute interview.

Before that started O'Neal had to get out of the swimming pool at the hotel. He also had to get out of his Heat uniform, which he was wearing in the pool during a photo shoot for Sports Illustrated.

Once away from the pool and inside the hotel O'Neal couldn't immediately locate a place to change clothes so he ducked into a corner, had people surround him, and changed right there.

Wet uniform off, dry clothes on.

"It's OK," said a grinning hotel employee standing with his back to O'Neal, shielding him.

Riding in the elevator that overlooks the pool, a middle-aged woman asked why all the photo equipment was there.

"For my sexy photo shoot," O'Neal said with a devilish grin.

"Oh, your sexy photo shoot," the woman replied with a smile, seemingly unaware O'Neal is a celebrity.

Now more comfortable, O'Neal hit a range of topics but clearly the ones that got him going most were Wade and Bryant, and not necessarily in that order.

When the Heat visits the Lakers in Los Angeles on Christmas Day it'll be the biggest NBA regular-season game of the year, and the O'Neal-Bryant feud will be a big reason.

O'Neal, however, said Christmas for him will be about delivering toys to kids in poor Los Angeles neighborhoods, something he's done for years.

"I understand what you're going to be talking about," O'Neal said, "but I don't have to worry about him and he doesn't have to worry about me. He's got to worry about D. Wade and those guys. I don't have to worry about him coming up my way.

"But you know marketing and media-wise that's what they're going to do and that's what they should do. Make it the highest-rated game. But this game is not going to make to break me. It's not going to make or break me. I'm going to go through the 'hood and kids that don't have a daddy, or daddy is away, I'm going to get them a Nintendo or get them some shoes, and I'm straight for that day. Nothing else matters."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Source: http://www.palmbeachpost.com/sports/content/sports/epaper/2004/10/01/a1b_shaq_1001.html

 

[VF21]

You just couldn't make this stuff up...

This is better than daytime soaps!!

 

[quick dog]

For several years, Vlade Divac and Peja Stojakovic have given their time, and I assume significant sums of money, to Serbian kids that don't have much.

And Kobe Bryant?

O'Neal, in describing Bryant "buying love," was referring to the $4 million diamond ring Bryant bought for his wife after being charged with sexual assault.

 

[Gargamel]

God forbid Kobe spend his money on himself or his wife.

 

[HndsmCelt]

God forbid Kobe spend his money on himself or his wife.

Although I am not impressed by acts of selfishness, I don't think much at all one way or another about the peopel who do little or nothing to help thse less fortuante than themselves. But I did find it Ironic that one of the few NBA palyers that grew up in privlige, attending private schools and seeing the world has never found it worth while to involve him self in social or political causes, can't even spell NAACP but plays the race card the second his little head gets him into the predictable jam that thinking with it will cause.

 

[Gargamel]

Although I am not impressed by acts of selfishness, I don't think much at all one way or another about the peopel who do little or nothing to help thse less fortuante than themselves. But I did find it Ironic that one of the few NBA palyers that grew up in privlige, attending private schools and seeing the world has never found it worth while to involve him self in social or political causes, can't even spell NAACP but plays the race card the second his little head gets him into the predictable jam that thinking with it will cause.

Bryant has donated money and time to charity before. I guess with him, the question is how much is enough, right?

We can't go into trial particulars, but fliers and t-shirts warranted some questions along racial lines, imo.

 

[Elise10]

"the Halle Berry of the NBA— everybody wants me."

Can I be

now or later?

O'Neal, in an expletive-laced response, said he apparently is more important to Bryant than Bryant is to him.

We all know that's not true......Shaq hasn't stop talking about Kobe since even before he got traded.

 

[Bricklayer]

Found this an amusing take on the whole incident:



Phil Sheridan | Bryant misfiring in his war with O'NealBy Phil Sheridan, Inquirer
Columnist


The bright light was in his eyes. They beat it out of him. They gave him the
third degree. They played good cop/bad cop. They made him stand on a box
with a hood over his head. It wasn't his fault.


Somehow, the investigators got Kobe Bryant to crack.


Somehow, they broke his will. Got him to do the unthinkable.


Faced with a threat to his career and his freedom, worn down by
interrogation, Bryant looked deep within his soul and...


He gave up Shaq.


Sorry, Big Fella. Force of habit. When the going gets tough, the tough blame
Shaq.


Earlier this week, the Los Angeles Times published notes taken by the police
officers who conducted the initial interview with Bryant after he was accused
of rape in Eagle, Colo.


"Bryant stated he should have done what Shaq [Shaquille O'Neal] does," Det.
Doug Winters wrote in his incident report, according to the Times. "Bryant
stated that Shaq would pay his women not to say anything. He stated Shaq
has paid up to a million dollars already for situations like this."


This gives a whole new meaning to the phrase "pay-to-play."


It was Lennon and McCartney who wrote, "Can't Buy Me Love." Now Bryant and O'Neal are here to suggest that, well, maybe you come close.


The Big Wallet replied to the allegation, telling ESPN it was "ridiculous."


O'Neal pointed out that he and Bryant never socialized during their years as
teammates with the Lakers.


"So how this guy can think he knows anything about me or my business is
funny," the Big Roll of Benjamins said.


You have to appreciate this feud. It is a gift that just keeps on giving. Bryant
and O'Neal managed to win three NBA championships together while
apparently hating the very sight of each other. They were always pretty open
about it, but now it appears the final chapter of their mutual story was a lot
more complicated than anyone knew.


According to the Times story, the police approached O'Neal for their Bryant
investigation last year, a couple of weeks before the opening of training
camp. That means O'Neal knew Bryant sold him out to the coppers long before
the season ever started.


Sort of casts a different light on things, huh? O'Neal probably deserves
teammate-of-the-year honors for not snapping Bryant's neck at any point in the long NBA season.


It also casts a different light on the way things played out. When the season ended with that miserable performance against Detroit in the NBA Finals,
Lakers management knew changes had to be made.


Shaq? Traded to Miami.


Phil Jackson? Out as head coach.


Kobe? Handed a long-term, $136 million contract.


The Lakers signed that deal while Bryant's criminal case was still alive. They're
off the hook on that front, just as Bryant is. But what message are we to
decode from their actions? Given the choice between O'Neal and Bryant, they
sided with the guy who turned an appointment with a knee surgeon into a
nightmare for everyone involved, who humiliated his wife and family, who
apparently refused to shoot during one regular-season game last year to send
a message about how important he was, and who dropped a dime on his most
important teammate.


Actually, if Bryant's seven-figure estimate is close to accurate, that's more
like 10 million dimes.


So does Shaq put those down as "business expenses" on his 1040?


That's a joke, of course. There is no evidence the Big ATM Machine has done
anything of the kind. Just Bryant's words, uttered under more desperate
circumstances than most of us are likely ever to face.


In reality, it probably isn't all that uncommon for famous athletes and
entertainers to exchange money for sex - or at least for a little discretion. We
are living in the era of tabloid news and drop-of-a-hat (or other garment)
litigation. It's not a reach to believe that some of the rich and famous figure
it's better to pay upfront.


The real laugh came in the last sentence the L.A. Times used from the
detective's report:


"He stated he, Bryant, treats a woman with respect, therefore they shouldn't say anything," the detective said.


Bryant must be quite the time-management whiz if he was able to treat the
young woman in Eagle with respect during their 20-minute acquaintance.


O'Neal gets the last word. That's only fair, since Bryant fired the first shot.


"I'm not the one buying love," O'Neal said.


Maybe he meant the civil suit that is still pending. Maybe he meant the ring,
reportedly worth $4 million, that Bryant gave his wife after his arrest.


Even if Bryant is right about Shaq, The Big Economist still looks better. And
smarter. And more like someone you'd want as a teammate.

Contact columnist Phil Sheridan at 215-854-2844 or psheridan@phillynews.com. Read his recent
work at http://go.philly.com/philsheridan.