In the early 2000s, the Los Angeles Lakers proved they were the most dominant team in the league by winning three consecutive NBA titles from 2000-02. In 2001, they nearly ran the table by losing just one game to Allen Iverson and the 76ers in game 1 of the NBA Finals. Besides being the best team on the court, L.A. became the most talked about team off the floor as well.

Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant were the two superstars that led that Lakers team to those titles. At the time Kobe was like the little brother to Shaq being as though Shaq entered the league four years earlier than he did.

However despite the talent and experience, Shaq had to offer, Bryant's talent progressed at a much faster rate than many expected. After years of winning and playing basketball at the highest level, the popular duo had gotten fed up with trying to co-exist with one another and the franchise had to make a choice of who stayed.

In 2004, the team made the decision to trade O'Neal, who was still considered the "most dominant" player in the league. The move made it clear who the team wanted to build their franchise around for the future. Thirteen years later, superstars Kyrie Irving and LeBron James find themselves in a similar situation. However, this time around it's the younger star demanding a split as opposed to claiming his territory, but the feud has gained the same publicity as the Shaq and Kobe saga.