In the late 1990s and early 2000s, Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant formed perhaps the NBA’s most talented duo ever, and together they won three straight world championships.
But their chemistry was tenuous, and when O’Neal demanded and was granted a trade in 2004, everyone and their mother blamed Bryant.
The Los Angeles Lakers were certifiably mediocre for the next three seasons, and it looked like he would never win another ring.
