Today in Sports History: July 14

The Shaq-Kobe era of the Los Angeles Lakers came to an end when the franchise traded Shaquille O’Neal to the Miami Heat in 2004. In exchange, the Lakers received Caron Butler, Lamar Odom, Brian Cook, and a future first-round draft pick. The Shaq-Kobe era lasted from 1996 to 2004 and included a championship threepeat (2000-02) and a Finals appearance in 2004. The personal feud between the players inspired coach Phil Jackson to write a book on their 2003-04 season, The Last Season: A Team in Search of Its Soul. Bryant resigned with the Lakers as a free agent in 2004 and retired in 2016.

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