VIDEO: Kobe Bryant Says if Shaquille O'Neal Had His Work Ethic He'd Be the Best of All Time

That's a bit of a backhanded compliment isn't it? In an interview with Valuetainment, Kobe Bryant said that former teammate Shaquille O'Neal would be the greatest player of all time if the big man had Bryant's work ethic.

Woah!! NBA fans have to love this.

Shaq is without a doubt one of the greatest centers and NBA players of all time, but Kobe is talking "undisputed greatest basketball player to ever grace the court" in this discussion. Kobe's work ethic has never been a question, and his criticism of Shaq's work ethic was a factor in their ugly Lakers divorce in 2004.

This isn't a renewal of beef or a shot at Shaq, as Bryant even says in the interview that O'Neal would be the first person to say the same thing. But Bryant would've surely liked to see Shaq put in more work, saying he would've had "12 rings" had they stayed together.

Kobe holds one more championship ring over Shaq, winning five to Shaq's four, but there's no doubt the duo needed each other for their three-peat in LA from 2000 to 2002.

Shaq is a once-in-a-lifetime combination of size, skill and athleticism and there's no telling what more he could've achieved if he made small tweaks and adjustments over the course of his career.