The Los Angeles Lakers enjoyed plenty of success during Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant's time wearing purple and gold. They won three consecutive Larry O'Brien Trophies in the early 2000s, becoming the fifth team in NBA history to three-peat. Still, due to the avoidable dissolution of one of the most devastating superstar tandems of all time, there remains an underlying sense of disappointment accompanying the O'Neal-Bryant partnership among some Lakers fans – and it sure seems like Kobe understands why.

During an interview at the PHP Agency Convention in Las Vegas recently, Bryant expressed a sense of fond incredulity about O'Neal's lack of desire to work on his game.

“He'd be the greatest of all time [if he had my work ethic]. He'd be the first to tell you that,” Bryant said, per TMZ. “…I wish he was in the gym! I would've had f****** 12 rings!”

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Former President George W. Bush and Canadian psychology professor Jordan B. Peterson, who's come under fire for his misogynistic and culturally-homogenous worldview, also spoke at the conference in late July and early August.

O'Neal and Bryant were teammates with the Lakers for eight seasons from 1996-97 to 2003-04. They led Los Angeles back to the top of the league once Bryant, drafted out of high school, came into his own several years into his career. The pair grew increasingly crossways during their time in Southern California, though, culminating in O'Neal's trade to the Miami Heat in the summer of 2004.

Miami went on to win the title in 2006 behind he and Dwyane Wade, while Bryant won his fourth and fifth championships with the help of Pau Gasol, Lamar Odom, and Andrew Bynum in 2010 and 2011.