Shaq doesn't think Kobe Bryant should retire after this season

Shaquille O'Neal does not think that Kobe Bryant should retire after the 2015-16 season, according to comments he made to John Reid of the Times-Picayune. Bryant is about to spend his 20th season with the Los Angeles Lakers, and while that is a new NBA record for most time spent by any player with an organization, it seems Shaq is among the many of us who are not ready to see Kobe ride off into the sunset.

Reid spoke to O'Neal on Friday, where Shaq told him of Kobe, ''If you still got something, you should go because once it's done you can't get it back." O'Neal, who was forced into retirement by an Achilles injury in 2011, revealed that if he could have avoided hurting himself, he would have continued to play and attempted to pass Wilt Chamberlain in scoring before retiring.

O'Neal also thought it would be easier for Bryant to continue playing than it would have been for the then 38-year old center, telling Reid:

''But it's different for a guard because they got control --'I'm going to shoot this time. For big guys, it is kind of hard. You've got to labor down.''

Bryant has repeatedly said he will not make a decision on his retirement until after the Lakers conclude the 2015-16 season, so we will not know for a while until he agrees with O'Neal.

Despite the Lakers retiring his jersey and all of the success the two parties had together, Shaq also told Reid he cannot cheer for the purple and gold, and the reason is pretty simple:

"I had to tuck those feelings away when I became a (minority) owner of the Sacramento Kings,'' O'Neal said. ''I'm a business man."

See? It's nothing personal. It's a work beef.