Kobe still maintained his enthusiasm because, like O'Neal, he wanted more championships than his rivals.
But what others wanted was higher status, more shots, and bigger contracts.
And those things could not be obtained on a Lakers team whose roster was essentially set.
After finishing the game and taking a shower, Hansen and Conningham brought some gifts and went to visit O'Neal at his home.
O'Neal had surgery on his finger. Apart from not being able to play basketball, it didn't significantly impact his daily life.
When he saw Hansen, he looked almost no different than usual and even stood up laughing to embrace Hansen.
"I watched the game, you really kicked Kobe's butt, that guy still doesn't understand that there's no 'I' in 'team.'"
He still loved to diss Kobe.
"But there's 'me' in it, right?" Hansen said, laughing.
O'Neal was stunned for a moment, then burst out laughing.
"How did the doctor put it?" Hansen asked, concerned about O'Neal's injury.
