The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz - Postgame: Shell Game

Episode Date: February 12, 2024

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You're listening to Giraffe Kings Network. Stugat Shakil O'Neill said this weekend that if he had one wish in the world, it would be to talk, to be able to talk to Kobe Bryant again. And I don't want to actually question whether that is something that he's saying because it's the correct thing to say or because he actually feels it.

But I wanted to explore part of this with you because I don't know how much guilt that he has about Kobe Bryant dying suddenly and not being able to say some of the things that he might have wanted to say at one time when they publicly feuded in a way that was super, super ugly. And I don't know how much guilt and grief Shaq has. When I hear him say, if I had one wish it would be to talk to Kobe again if he's got like some remorse if it's not just about I loved this person and I wanted him to know how much I loved him and I wish I

had another chance to do some things over or if he has actual regret about how they publicly feuded where Kobe called him unprofessional, called him fat when they were headed into training camp, and then Shaquille Anil, among other things, was in New York at a rap concert and was, you know, rapping that Kobe should tell him how his ass tastes. Like it was a very bad public back and forth. I think if Shaq had said all the things that he had wanted to say to Kobe before he passed away that would not be his wish so that would be my guess is that he has remorse of not you know putting a bow on that

relationship not tying it up together completely. I've told you before right that I that it was a horror the greatest horror of my life seeing my brother pass away and deteriorate over a year, but also among the greatest blessings that I will have and don't have any guilt, none. It's one of the stages of grief. Like, beyond where it is that your anger resides, like the inability to go and correct some things that you may be sorry about, when someone dies young or dies suddenly being denied goodbye. Yeah. When you're in the emotions of dealing with what Jimmy Butler is dealing with right now

as he leaves the Miami heat, when the emotions are fresh and raw and you don't have any closure and you maybe don't have any experience with the emotions that have now arrived because you're like, what is this? I don't, I wasn't prepared for this in any way. All of us had a reaction to Kobe dying in a helicopter crash. Like that's something that reached America. Youth extinguished too young is something that we can all understand no matter what our divisions are. But Shaquille O'Neal, I think, was saying this,

at least in part now, Stu Gantz, because Kobe Bryant's legacy in Los Angeles, apart from Shaq, is bigger than Shaq's. He was somehow more popular than Shaq. The greatest title of his career was the one that he won without Shaq Shaq didn't win Without Kobe when they were together until no, but he had to leave right yet. He didn't do it in LA He had to as part of their breakup because because they experienced before the Warriors They experienced what it is to have ego and

Tension at the top of a dynasty where both guys feel their maximum responsible for winning in that uniform Shaq went and won elsewhere But had to travel to bought he had to put on Cleveland uniform Boston uniform Miami uniform to go find the title without Kobe and got some gratification from turning Dwayne Wade into Kobe, the same way that he turned Anthony Hardaway into Kobe. But Kobe got to do it in Los Angeles in the same uniform without Shaq and says it was the greatest feeling of his career to win the one without Shaq and still got to, they went through some ugly shit.

Remember when Kobe was accused and arrested for rape accusations, one of the things that came out in the transcripts in the police reports was he said to police officers, I wish I just did this stuff the way that Shaq did it and kept it more quietly. Like the ugliness there was profound and it was real and you saw Shaq hurting at the funeral when he's part of the eulogizing of Kobe Bryant and I am assuming that this conversation with Shaq where he was asked the question was off the news of Kobe now is going to have three statues outside of where it is that they play. Three statues. I don't know that there is another athlete anywhere.

Maradona, Messi, I don't... Is there anywhere in the world... Three statues? Is there anywhere in the world where an athlete has three statues outside to commemorate him where he made his legacy? I can assume why he would have at least two of them because he had two different uniforms.

That's why they had two retired numbers in the arena. I believe that the third one is with his wife, because of part of what their legacy is beyond basketball. And because, I mean, after his Laker career and after his life, Kobe resonates with people in a different way because it's youth extinguished young. Whenever it is that the shock of that unites a country

or a region, the shock of grieving together, that is also something I think that the Lakers are commemorating. Three statues, man. I really want to make fun of them It's just it's tricky Three two could

Suffice right Save me me at the Kobe statue then which one? shell game Hmm there are gonna be a lot of confused fans. We wouldn't do that though. I'm at the statue. I'm not doing it. I'm here.

You said meet me at the Kobe statue. I'm here. Yeah. Stugots, what do you think a shell game is? Well, yeah, it was probably bad, but they get superman awake Monday after words, you know, super bowl should be on a Saturday. What do you think a shell game is? You know, the game with the shells, three shells, shells put a little ball underneath the guy moves all the shells

Yeah, how is that the statues? I don't know I crushed that at Marlins games. Oh, I love it No, I'm better than most right better than most of the digital shell game one jumbo tron it again To it's to you guys don't do this? No. Oh, come on, what are you talking about? Everyone does that. Four. Four?

There's only three. I know, because it's a sawcasm. Automatic gloves. You were right to call me out, dude. Do you have giant shells over the statues? Like, I don't understand what you're doing. They don't move. Pick a statue.

I just don't know what you were going for there 33 so you just you started usually three shells three statues meet me at a statue I mean you don't know which statue you don't know where the balls, you know, which shell the ball is under I mean no one knows shell game classic wrapped it up You wrapped the what up the show you feel like you wrapped it up like by nailing the dismount? I explained it. Yeah, it's shall be. Yes, yeah, you came off of the pommel horse and broke your neck and are paralyzed and now the crowd is gasping in horror. And you nailed it.