Rambis Says Stars Will See the Light

So, Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant aren’t great friends, and maybe aren’t friends at all.

What Kurt Rambis sees is the eye contact between Bryant and O’Neal, the spin to the basket, the lob from Bryant, the slam by O’Neal.

What Rambis, the Laker assistant general manager, sees is Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, finding a way to win championships together, despite their differences.

“Everybody thinks, expects, that this should be perfect harmony,” Rambis said of the stars’ relationship. “I don’t think that will ever happen. I don’t think it has to happen. The players only have to find a way to coexist.

“People want to make it out like it’s something terrible. To me, it’s part of the growth process of a relationship. . . . They will find ways to work together and they’ll find ways to draw strength from each other. But, unfortunately, everybody thinks that process will happen in the next five minutes. It won’t.”

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Ron Harper left the club after the game to attend the funeral of his grandfather. He expects to return in time for Monday’s game against the Clippers.