Gary Payton reveals “tragic” truth from 2003-04 Lakers Campaign with Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal »FirstSportz
Gary Payton joined the Los Angeles Lakers for the 2003-04 season after the Lakers finished third in the peat with Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal at the helm, everything after their three-peat win went downhill. and Gary Payton give an in-depth look at how and what led to the Lakers’ demise.
Gary Payton on Los Angeles Lakers’ decline
After the Los Angeles Lakers ended 3 seasons of domination in the NBA with 3 beaks behind, things looked even brighter at the start of the 2003-04 season, the Lakers signed a contract. Gary Payton and Karl Malone to bolster an already strong team with a great roster, however, despite reaching the Finals, they were unable to win, being defeated by the Detroit Pistons in the NBA Finals.
Gary Payton, who was on the Lakers team that lost the NBA Finals revealed in an interview., “We knew we could win. We knew we were going to be a great team. But things started going to the left. The firsts were when Kobe was in trouble, which was one of our first signs that it was going to be tragic. ” He continued and also bluntly stated the feud that Shaquille O’Neal and Dr. Buss had., “Shaq told Dr. Buss about the contract. He wanted a contract and Dr. Buss didn’t want him to give him a new one. So they started feuding with each other, back and forth. Then it was like, Shaq didn’t want to play. “
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Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal collide
The feud between Kobe and Shaq began during the Three-peat run, even after it seemed the two had amazing chemistry with each other like normal people have problems with each other. Shaquille O’Neal in a press conference said that if the Lakers lose, it will all be because of Kobe. tried playing as a team and went unnoticed by O’Neal. It was in the 2000-01 season that the official feud between the two, the following season, it was resolved and not many problems were created. They went on to win another championship.
In 2003, Kobe and Shaq played their final season together and Shaquille left the Los Angeles Lakers for the Miami Heats, Kobe was thrown around allegations of rape in 2003, and during this time he said that If Shaquille O’Neal wanted to say something, he wouldn’t let it slip away silently. However, the Lakers won the season by limiting themselves to three peat, but Kobe was fined for speaking to the press. After the season ended, the band officially disbanded, which saw Shaquille O’Neal parting ways with the Los Angeles Lakers and Kobe Bryant.
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https://firstsportz.com/nba-gary-payton-reveals-tragic-facts-from-the-2003-04-lakers-campaign-with-kobe-bryant-and-shaquille-oneal/ Gary Payton reveals “tragic” truth from 2003-04 Lakers Campaign with Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal »FirstSportz