Shaq, JR Rider, Kobe Bryant, and $10 thousand in one-dollar bills

I swear we’re not playing NBA MadLibs (Quarantine Edition) right now. Former Timberwolf, Trail Blazer, and Laker Isaiah Rider* had a wild story for the All Smoke podcast:

Rider told hosts Stephen Jackson and Matt Barnes that Shaquille O’Neal once offered him ten thousand dollars, in one dollar bills(!), if he fought teammate Kobe Bryant and “handled” his business.

Here’s the exact transcription:

“So when I first get to the Lakers [in 2000], Shaq tells me, ‘If you and Kobe get into it, it’s 10 Gs in the locker,’ you know what I mean?

This is three days into practice! I’m like, ‘Man, come on, you playin’ man.’

‘There’s 10 G’s in one-dollar bills, so if you ever get into it and you handle your business, grab that.’”

Rider, Bryant, and O’Neal were all teammates on the 2001 Lakers team that cruised to the championship. Despite the franchises three consecutive titles from 2000-02, Bryant and O’Neal had a longstanding feud. The two, however, appeared to have made amends at some point before Bryant’s untimely death earlier this year.

*Rider also played for the Hawks. Bonus points for anybody who can name his fifth team without cheating.