Isaiah Rider Claims Shaq Offered Him $10K To Fight Kobe Bryant

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Even though they ended up making amends, the beef between Shaq and Kobe Bryant was one for the books, with both players wanting to prove that their basketball ability wasn’t limited to playing with the other. While the feud started on the court, their back-and-forth definitely extended to the outside world–and now that Bryant has passed, the only glimmer of positivity is the fact that a lot of unheard stories from his time in the NBA are being told by friends and fans alike.

In a new interview with Stephen Jackson and Matt Barnes on the latest episode of the All The Smoke podcast, former Los Angeles Laker Isaiah Rider told a story about his involvement with the two NBA superstars.

According to Rider, Shaquille O’Neal offered to leave $10,000 (all in $1 bills, for some reason) in his locker if he could “handle his business” in a fight with Bryant. The alleged proposal came only three days into Rider’s time with the Lakers.

“When I first get to the Lakers, Shaq tells me, if you and Kobe get into it, it’s 10 G’s in the locker,” Rider recalled. “This is 3 days into practice.”

“I’m like, ‘Man, come on, you playing, man,'” he continued. “‘There’s 10 G’s in one dollar bills, if you ever get into it and you handle your business, grab that’…I couldn’t believe it, I’m like ‘Man, these boys are crazy, bro’…But this is my thing: I would’ve been off that team so fast if I laid a hand on that man.”

Luckily, post-retirement, Kobe and Shaq put their differences behind them and had a long conversation about their differences and all of the good times they had together, too.