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Published 18:29 IST, April 13th 2020

Shaquille O'Neal offered Isaiah Rider $10,000 to fight Kobe Bryant during Lakers stint

During an interview on for a podcast, Isaiah Rider recalled the incident where Shaquille O'Neal offered him $10,000 dollars in cash to fight Kobe Bryant.

Reported by: Devika Pawar
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Shaquille O'Neal
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Though late Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal won three back-to-back championships for the Lakers, both Bryant and O'Neal were known to not get along well. In 2004, O'Neal left for the Miami Heat and Bryant continued to play for the Lakers till his retirement in 2016. In a recent episode of the All the Smoke Podcast, Isaiah Rider spoke about the two NBA stars and their relationship together. 

Also read | Kobe Bryant & Shaquille O’Neal's Twitter chat about 81-point game has NBA fans in splits

Isaiah Rider Kobe fight: Isaiah Rider reveals that Shaquille O'Neal once offered him $10,000 to fight Kobe 

Also read | Kobe Bryant dead: Shaquille O'Neal 'IN PAIN' after learning about Kobe and Gianna's death

Isaiah Rider Kobe fight: Isaiah Rider recalls the time when Shaq offered him $10k to fight Bryant

During an interview on Stephen Jackson and Matt Barnes' podcast, Rider recalled the incident where O'Neal offered him $10,000 dollars in cash to fight Bryant. According to Rider, O'Neal wanted him to fight the Lakers star during their team practices. Rider revealed that he was offered the money three days after joining the team, and Shaq said there would be $10,000 in his locker if he did so. Rider never acted on that offer as he felt attacking Kobe Bryant would result in him being off the team. He even referred to both of them as 'crazy'. Though O'Neal and Bryant managed to get over their differences after their retirement, their fights were extremely tense while they played for the Lakers. 

Also read | Kobe Bryant dead: Shaquille O'Neal's son reveals Lakers legend's final text message before crash

Kobe Bryant, his daughter Gianna and seven others lost their lives in a tragic helicopter crash on January 26. O'Neal spoke days after Bryant's demise, expressing that he feels like he has lost a brother, and does not know how he will get over the pain. On February 24, O'Neal gave a speech during Bryant's memorial at Staples Center, recalling some of their memories together. 

Also read | Shaquille O’Neal draws laughter during Kobe Bryant Lakers memorial, talks about 'Mamba mentality'

18:29 IST, April 13th 2020