June 12, 2002; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; (left to right) Los Angeles Lakers Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal hold trophies after winning the championship in Game 4 of the NBA Finals at The Meadowlands. Mandatory Credit: Robert Deutsch-Imagn Images Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY via Ima

Shaquille O'Neal Defends Kobe Bryant After Shocking Disrespect

Originally posted on Los Angeles Lakers on SI
By Nelson Espinal | Last updated Jul 15, 2025 8:00 PM ET

Los Angeles Lakers legend Shaquille O'Neal defended his former teammate and friend Kobe Bryant after getting ranked outside of the top 10 in Bleacher Report's Top 100 plays of all time.

Bleacher Report ranked the best basketball players of all time, a list which has brought a lot of conversation and controversy regarding the placement of some players.

The most talked-about player is Kobe Bryant, who features at No. 11, despite making 18 All-Star appearances, winning five titles, and two NBA Finals MVP awards.

O'Neal came to the defense of Bryant and responded to his spot on the list:

"Kobe at 11 is crimminal," the center wrote on X.

Kobe at 11 is criminal
— SHAQ (@SHAQ) July 14, 2025

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While many aspects of a ranking involve subjectivity, there are plenty of facts that make certain players deserving of more credit.

Bryant has a strong case to be ranked ahead of Stephen Curry, Tim Duncan, or Bill Russell. O'Neal and Larry Bird offer a stronger challenge, but Bryant has a case to go above them as well.

The Hall of Famer was always a polarizing player since he tortured several franchises and their fans during his career. He hit several clutch, devastating shots in his career that make him a villian for basketball fans outside of Los Angeles.

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The first half of Bryant's career featured a team filled with great players. He had an all-time talent as his running mate in O'Neal, along with amazing role players.

During that era, the narrative of Bryant was that he needed O'Neal to be successful, but in the second half of his career, the Black Mamba won two titles without him.

Bryant had a good team around him during the Lakers two-peat in 2009 and 2010, but he essentially willed the team to both titles with his all-around play and determination.

For some years in his career, Bryant was a low efficiency, high volume scorer, but he was still provided guranteed offense as a playmaker.

An underrated aspect of his game was his defense, which was legendary. He was one of the best defenders in basketball during his playing career.

He won 12 All-Defensive team selections during his career.

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This article first appeared on FanNation All Lakers and was syndicated with permission.

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