A nostalgia trip to Kobe-Shaq drama
KO B E B RYA N T ’ S death on Jan. 26 in a helicopter crash that killed eight others, including his daughter, Gianna, sent shockwaves through the sports world and far beyond. In the immediate aftermath, it felt like it could be the defining story of 2020.
But life moves fast, as it did for Jeff Pearlman. There is no way the Sports Illustrated writer could have known what was to come when he started working a few years ago on his spirited new book, “Three-Ring Circus: Kobe, Shaq, Phil, and the Crazy Years of the Lakers Dynasty.”
Coming out as LeBron James tries to lead the Lakers to their 17th championship — from inside a masked-up Mickey Mouse bubble — “Three-Ring Circus” is a welcome nostalgia trip to the days when the ongoing squabble between an uberconfident “I got this” teenager and a gentle “No, I got this” giant was front-page news.
It isn’t all fun and games, particularly when it comes to Bryant, but it is a respite. Pearlman spoke with the Times about Kobe’s petulance, Shaq’s generosity, Phil Jackson’s puppet-mastering and his gnawing dread of the Mamba troll army.
Was your experience writing “Showtime,” about the KareemMagic-era Lakers, the impetus for tackling the Shaq-Kobe years?
Not exactly. I moved to Southern California in between the books and, living here, you’d still hear so much about Shaq and Kobe, Kobe and Shaq, even though they hadn’t played together in more than a decade. It’s a fascinating era with clashing personalities and dynamics. Publishers always ask:Who can you hang a book on? Including Phil Jackson, the Lakers had three riveting characters.
I always thought the relationship between Kobe and Shaq deteriorated over time, but you make it clear there were problems from the jump.
Kobe skipped a couple of social NBA steps, the main one being: Pay deference to veteran teammates. He knew how good Shaq was, but he walked into the NBA believing he was better than most of the guys on the team. As a rookie. It rubbed guys the wrong way. Shaq was taken aback for sure.
Doesn’t the locker room intrigue begin with Kobe not caring about having a relationship with Shaq?
Shaq is the one who wanted the big brother-little brother type of relationship. Watching from afar, you would assume Kobe would be the more immature, more emotionally vulnerable of the two, because he came straight out of high school. It wasn’t the case. Shaq is a fun-loving guy and was hurt Kobe didn’t care about anything but basketball. I think Kobe had the better overall career, but I’d rather have Shaq’s. He enjoyed it a million times more.
Kobe was right about Shaq’s lack of off-season dedication, wasn’t he?
Yeah, but weirdly, I still think Shaq lived it the right way. At Sports Illustrated we would talk about which athletes were “in on the joke.” Barry Bonds never saw how ludicrous it was he got paid millions to swing a wooden stick at a ball in his pajamas. Shaq was in on the joke, so he spent his off-seasons having fun. Partying on a boat, traveling the world, living large and enjoying the spoils of all he worked for.
Kobe just viewed the whole thing as: You either kill or get killed, and I want to be the killer. He dedicated his life to trying to be the best player in NBA history in a way Shaq never did. To be clear, I’m only talking about ’96-’04, but I wouldn’t want my kids to see the world in terms of winning being the only thing that matters. Youth is always wasted on the young.
I don’t think Kobe was inherently mean, but in the early years he was taking on different roles, trying on different suits of “this is how I’m supposed to be.” Don’t forget, he gave himself the Black Mamba nickname. He grew up in Italy, a foreigner in a foreign land, then returns to America, a foreigner in a familiar land, and jumps straight from high school to the NBA, a teenager in a league of adults. It was the heyday of Allen Iverson, Stephon Marbury, ’90s hip-hop, cornrows and baggy pants. He wasn’t a natural fit with the era.
Shaq has his moments of darkness — smacking Kobe at one point — but on the whole, he really is that dude, right?
I can’t tell you how many guys called him “the best teammate I’ve ever had.” Here’s a story that isn’t in the book: I met with him at the Turner Studios in Atlanta, and his daughter FaceTimed him. Shaq excused himself, but I heard his daughter talking about a friend’s mother who died. Shaq said he had to get back to the interview but to let her friend know he would pay every funeral expense. It wasn’t for show. Shaq has shortcomings and insecurities, but
I’ve never covered or read about a superstar who treats people better.
For all of the friction between Kobe and Phil Jackson, the breakup was short-lived, one season to be exact.
There is a great book to be written about the maturation of Kobe Bryant, from the 2004-05 season to his horrific death. I don’t think Kobe liked playing with Shaq all that much — a supernova being forced to dump the ball into the big man. The style of basketball in the second championship go-round with Pau Gasol and Lamar Odom was much more to Kobe’s liking, but he was also not an immature kid anymore.
The book thoroughly covers the Kobe Bryant rape case. One wrinkle you note is that not one announcer mentioned it during the 2009 NBA Finals, but it certainly didn’t get whitewashed from his obituaries. Curious how you think it was handled?
To be honest, I have mixed feelings. Kobe is the only one who didn’t talk to me for the book; I reached out multiple times. This is conjecture, but I imagine some of it has to do with not wanting to revisit it. It certainly belongs in his obituary; it’s part of his life story, and an obit is a news account. Right after his death, though, some in the media wanted a reckoning over whether Kobe was a rapist right now. People had the right to feel sad and process his death however they needed to. He was a towering icon in Los Angeles. A man who died in a terrifying crash with one of his daughters, leaving behind a wife and his three other young girls. Maybe give it a few days before hopping on Twitter and demanding people pick a side.
Are you concerned about how Kobe’s legion of fans will respond to “Three-Ring Circus?”
The book is about a frozen capsule in time, and I’m generally amazed by Kobe’s growth on and off the court after 2004. I was crushed when he died. Intellectually, I hope fans understand I wrote it before he died, but given the social media buzz saw, I’m definitely nervous about it.