Shaquille O'Neal Offered Former Laker Teammate Money 'To Get Into It' With Kobe Bryant

When Isaiah Rider joined the Lakers in 2000, he was quickly introduced to the feud between Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant.

In fact, O'Neal apparently offered Rider $10,000 to provoke Bryant.

Isaiah Rider said Shaq offered him $10,000 (in 1 dollar bills) to "get into it" with Kobe in practice.

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"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 on "All The Smoke" podcast hosted by Stephen Jackson and Matt Barnes.

Rider said he was a bit taken aback.

"This is three days into practice," Rider said. "...I'm like, 'Man, come on, you playing, man.' '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.'"

Rider was smart enough to realize that was a horrible idea.

"I would've been off that team so fast if I laid a hand on that man," Rider said. "That's a great one."

O'Neal and Bryant had a complicated relationship when they played together on the Lakers from 1996-2004, winning three NBA championships together in 2000, 2001 and 2002.

But after Bryant died in a helicopter crash on Jan. 26, O'Neal said despite everything, they were always brothers underneath it all.

"Sometimes like immature kids, we argued, we fought, we bantered, we assaulted each other with offhand remarks on the field," O'Neal said at Bryant's public memorial at Staples Center on Feb. 24. "Make no mistake, even when folks thought we were on bad terms, when the cameras are turned off, he and I would throw a wink at each other and say, 'Let’s go whoop some ass.'"

Rider joked that he should've checked in with O'Neal before divulging that story.

"I'm sorry, Shaq," Rider said. "I love you. I should've texted you first."