Shaq would take Kobe Bryant in his prime over LeBron James

Shaquille O'Neal is one of the few players to have played with both Kobe Bryant and LeBron James as they were either in or right near the primes of their careers. The all-time great center offered his opinion to radio host Dan Patrick on who he would rather play alongside (via CBS Sports):

"I played with both of them," O'Neal said. "You know, Kobe has that killer instinct. And I'd probably have to go with Kobe. That's not a knock against LeBron. It's just that I know Kobe and I played with him longer. I've seen what he can do."

O'Neal won three NBA Championships and made four NBA Finals appearances alongside Bryant, so it is hardly surprising that he would go with a player who he has won with in the past. James is about to make his sixth appearance in the NBA Finals when his Cleveland Cavaliers travel to take on Golden State on Thursday, but none of those appearances came alongside O'Neal, whose lone season in Cleveland ended in a somewhat infamous second round playoff defeat at the hands of the Boston Celtics in what would be James' last appearance in a Cleveland uniform before returning to the team for the current 2014-15 season.