Recently I watched the player on player interview between Shaq and Kobe and what struck me was how much time they spent reminiscing on the humane moments.
They breezed over the winning of trophies and instead lingered on touching moments like:
When the whole team bonded by mooning back those who had mooned them from the team bus.
When Shaq fouled out of the game and Kobe stepped up to save him the embarassment of letting the team down. Because he felt a brotherly obligation to him.
When they were crowned joint MVP and Kobe told Shaq to take the trophy for himself.
I think the trophies were necessary for them to feel worthy of greatness and their respect earned.
But I think it was the humanity not the achievements they cherished the most.
Thomas Duggan 