During the mid-2000s, Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant had a bitter discord that led to the end of their glory days with the LA Lakers. Shaq was eventually traded to the Miami Heat, and Bryant took over the Lakers. After a few years of enmity, the legends eventually patched up once they were playing for different teams. Years after their retirement, both superstars teamed up once more, but this time for NBA 2K.
Shaq’s hilarious speech
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During a press conference in 2017 , Shaq talked about his partnership with the premiere NBA and said, “Wow, What a great honour to be named NBA 2K18 Legends Edition Cover Athlete. I truly would not be here without the guidance, love, and support of my mom and dad. Also, I would like to thank my coaches, both college and professional. But above all, I want to thank Kobe Bryant. He was the first NBA 2K Legends cover athlete.
Shaq further said that he is so amazing and vowed that “it’s not over, Kobe, Payback is going to be fun”. O’Neal’s entire speech was an attempt to brick back the rivalry between him and Kobe Bryant. In 2017, KB24 inaugurated the Legends edition, and he was the cover of the “Legend” and “Legend Gold” editions of 2K17. In 2018, Shaq followed Bryant.
Kobe has always been a prominent figure among NBA covers
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Among NBA 2K’s special cover edition athletes, Kobe Bryant has been a prominent figure. In addition to the covers mentioned above, he was also front and center at 2K21 in the “Mamba Forever” edition. Next year, Shaq will be the top name for 2K24 under “Kobe Bryant and Black Mamba Edition.” O’Neal’s revenge hasn’t exactly gotten off to a good start, but when it comes to the standard version, Superman has the upper hand over Bryant. Shaq was on the covers of NBA 2K6 and 2K7, but later Kobe appeared on the 2K10 edition. In 2020, Bryant died in a helicopter crash along with his daughter Gigi and a few other people. Next year, the gaming team will once again honour the basketball legend with a new cover.
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