Shaq says he 'will definitely be there' for Kobe's last game
The NBA careers of Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant will be forever linked, thanks to the three straight titles they won together with the Lakers before egos forced a parting of ways.
The relationship wasn't all that great between the two Hall of Famers in subsequent seasons, but things may have been permanently smoothed over once they were named co-MVPs of the 2009 All-Star Game. And now, with Bryant's career coming to a close, O'Neal made it clear that he will be there in person for Kobe's last game on April 13 at Staples Center against the Utah Jazz.
"Of course I'll be there," O'Neal said on ESPN's "Mike & Mike" on Tuesday. "I will definitely be there for the last game."
Shaq also acknowledged that he still thinks about just how many rings he and Kobe could have won had they stayed together, and also mentioned that he thinks about his time with Anfernee Hardaway and Dwyane Wade in much the same way.
"All the time," O'Neal said. "I think about the same thing with Penny, think about the same thing with D-Wade, and definitely the same thing with Kobe.
"In a perfect world, I'd have seven rings. Lost the one in Orlando with Penny. When I first got to Miami, we could have beat Detroit in that Game 7 when Stan Van Gundy was coaching. That was supposed to be a ring. And then I went to the Finals with the Lakers, what, four out of five times? So, five plus two is seven, baby. I'm supposed to have seven."
