SHAQ SAID KOBE HAD ROOM TO OPERATE CAUSE HE WASNT GETTING TRIPLE TEAMED LIKE HIM …
Shaqsaying Kobe had room to operate because he wasn’t triple-teamed like him is only part of the story. Yes, Shaq was a dominant force who demanded constant double and triple teams—but let’s not act like Kobe was just chilling out there with single coverage. There are plenty of examples where Kobe drew intense defensive attention, especially in the triangle offense where spacing and movement were key. That iconic dunk by Shaq on the Nets? It happened because the defense collapsed on Kobe during a strong drive—that’s real basketball IQ at work.
The idea that Kobe only thrived because of Shaq falls apart when you look at what Kobe did post-Shaq. Let’s not forget: 35.4 PPG in 2006, 81 points vs. the Raptors, 62 in three quarters vs. Dallas, and a streak of 50, 60, 65-point games. He did all this without another star, often surrounded by Smush Parker, Kwame Brown, and Luke Walton—who, let’s be real, weren’t drawing double-teams from anyone.
Bottom line: Shaq was dominant, no doubt. But so was Kobe—with or without Shaq. Trying to downplay that is just lazy revisionist history. If you watched the games, you’d know.
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