The 2016 Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame induction ceremony has already had its share of highlights. It started with Yao Ming, who kicked things off with a great quip about Allen Iverson’s infamous practice rant. Iverson himself followed that up with an emotional and wide-ranging acceptance speech that exemplified him to the core.
But the headliner of the evening was always going to steal the show. The witty, loquacious Shaquille O’Neal and his magnetic personality held court on Friday night, as he always does, regaling the audience with funny stories, and getting in his own fair share of jabs. Inevitably, former teammate Kobe Bryant came up, and after Shaq expressed his gratitude for their time and success together, you know the Big Diesel had to needle him a little bit for their tumultuous relationship that eventually ended his departure to the Heat.
“Kobe Bryant, a guy that would push me and help me win three titles in a row…but also help me get pushed off the team and traded to Miami.”
Bryant was not in attendance at the festivities, but the two have grown much more cordial over the years. Shaq spoke in depth about the end of his tenure in “The Big Conversation,” an hour-long sit-down with TNT co-host Ernie Johnson that aired on NBA TV earlier this week, during which he hilariously compared their feud to a classic mafia movie trope.
