Since Kobe Bryant‘s untimely passing in January of this year, many people have humored us with heartwarming stories about how good of a father he was and being a leader in rough situations. We weren’t ready for this next one about Isaiah Rider.
What We Know:
- Rider started basketball in Encinal High School before continuing his career into college with the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV), and eventually joining the National Basketball Association (NBA). He later signed with the Lakers as a free agent in 2000 and served as a backup behind Kobe Bryant.
- The former member of the Trail Blazers from 1996-1999, better known as the Jail Blazers era, was known for his less than stellar reputation off the court, which included spitting at an employee while shouting obscenities and smashing a cellphone after missing a team flight.
- The Kobe vs. Shaq feud stories are never short of insane, and now Isaiah Rider is giving fans fresh insight on some of the craziness that used to go down.
Isaiah Rider said Shaq offered him $10,000 (in 1 dollar bills) to "get into it" with Kobe in practice.
Full #AllTheSmoke Episode: https://t.co/h9k1PdQPLA pic.twitter.com/IdjIMZkJ6s
— Ballislife.com (@Ballislife) April 9, 2020
- During a recent appearance on Stephen Jackson and Matt Barnes’ podcast All The Smoke, the former NBA star discussed how after his arrival to the Los Angeles Lakers in 2001, Shaq said he would give him $10,000 if he fought Kobe at practice.
- “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 said in the interview. “This is three days into practice…I’m like, man, come on, you playing, man.”
After recalling the memories, it was known that Kobe and Shaq eventually squashed their beef and became lifelong friends. The duo played together in LA from 1996 to 2004, winning three consecutive titles and the rest was history.
