who went to the lakers first shaq or kobe
Shaq–Kobe feud In 1996, the Los Angeles Lakers acquired the draft rights to high school player Kobe Bryant from the Charlotte Hornets by trading established center Vlade Divac.[2] No NBA team had previously drafted a guard straight from high school.[3] After freeing up salary by parting with other veteran players, they signed free agent All-Star center Shaquille O'Neal later that year. The two sparred in their first three seasons playing together from 1996–1999.[4] Bryant kept his teammates at a distance, answering non-basketball questions with one- or two-word responses. O'Neal told the Lakers when Bryant arrived, "I'm not gonna be babysitting."[5] Bryant had extreme confidence in his ability, which was unusual for an 18-year-old. Some teammates interpreted Bryant's confidence as arrogance.[6] O'Neal was wary of Bryant, as a rookie, boasting that he would lead the Lakers in scoring and be the best player in the league.[7] Lakers general manager Jerry West criticized O'Neal's leadership for hazing Bryant that season.[8] While O'Neal's personality was good-humored, Bryant's demeanor was all-business and was interpreted by some teammates as selfishness.[9] O'Neal began calling Bryant showboat because of his flashy offensive moves.[10] In an overtime playoff loss to the Utah Jazz that eliminated the Lakers, O'Neal fouled out with two minutes remaining in regulation. Lakers coach Del Harris had designed the Laker offense around the rookie Bryant, who went on to shoot four air balls. Harris explained that Bryant's one-on-one skills made him the best choice.[11] After the game, O'Neal put his arm around Bryant and told him there would be other opportunities.[12] West said the team's shortcoming made O'Neal angry since he was going to be judged by the team's success.[13]
Celtics–Lakers rivalry The rivalry had been less intense since the retirements of Larry Bird and Magic Johnson in the early 1990s, but in 2008 it was renewed as the Celtics, led by the big three of Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen, and the Lakers, led by NBA MVP Kobe Bryant met in the Finals for the first time since 1987, with the Celtics winning the series 4â€“2. They met again in the 2010 NBA Finals, which the Lakers won in 7 games. The two teams have won the two highest numbers of championships, the Celtics 17, the Lakers 16 (11 as the L.A. Lakers and 5 as the Minneapolis Lakers); together, they account for 33 of the 72 championships in NBA history. The rivalry was renewed again on July 1, 2018 when LeBron James signed with the Lakers and when his former teammate Kyrie Irving was traded to the Celtics the previous year. The two played for the Cleveland Cavaliers from 2014 to 2017 and won the Cavs their first championship title in 2016.