The "Shaq-Kobe beef" has become kind of a meme, just a flat cultural reference point. How to Make a Basket: Shaq vs. Kobe endeavors to go deeper than that, to figure out why and how these two legendary partners didn't get along, and how they achieved such greatness in spite of that.

Part 1 begins in 1996, when both Shaq and Kobe became Los Angeles Lakers. Shaq wanted a sidekick. A little brother. Kobe, even as a teenager, was laser-focused on making the Lakers his team. They found success, but first they fought.