For a good number of years when he was still actively playing for the Los Angeles Lakers, Shaquille O’Neal has seen Kobe Bryant grow and develop into the person he is today, on-court that is. That is why for Shaq, Kobe’s original jersey number should be retired.
People have been asking and inquiring which jersey number of The Black Mamba should be retired in his honor. Fans are all aware that after winning a number of titles with jersey number 8, Kobe shifted to 24.
For Shaquille though, the number 8, which also symbolizes infinity, should be the one to be hanged. It seemed like, Shaquille chose this number mainly because, when they were teammates and when they won titles together with the Lakers, the two-time MVP was still sporting that number.
In a video recording by TMZ.com, the crew caught up with O’neal but he seems not that interested to talk about it. He felt that, a one word answer will suffice.
Bryant and O’Neal may have dealt with differences in the past, but with the recent developments, it seems that all is well between the two.
Kobe’s retirement announcement shook the basketball world. Every now and then, left and right, he’s been receiving farewell gifts according to Bleacher Report. This does not really get Kobe’s approval as he wants the focus to be on the game and actually wants a “no retirement ceremony.” On-court and on-cam presentation of gifts is definitely a no-no for Kobe. However, giving him tokens off the court, and away from the limelight might be appreciated. After all, he wants a fitting finish to his NBA career in his last season as a Pro.
The Los Angeles Lakers’ next game will be against the Toronto Raptors at the Air Canada Centre. The Raptors almost beat the streaking Golden State Warriors, but just fell short by three points. Lowry had a 41-point outburst in that outing.
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