Hugs for Kobe and Shaq

LOS ANGELES — Shaquille O'Neal got the word from Hall of Famer Bill Russell to make peace with Kobe Bryant, just as Russell once did with Wilt Chamberlain.

O'Neal followed Russell's advice.

Bryant then went out and scored 12 of his 37 points in the last 8 ½ minutes to lead the Los Angeles Lakers to a 100-92 victory over O'Neal and the Miami Heat on Monday night.

Bryant said O'Neal first approached him while he was stretching before the game, and congratulated him on the birth of his daughter and the impending birth of a second child.

"It made me feel good," Bryant said, adding he was surprised at O'Neal's gesture. "We've been through so many wars together. ...

"I think it's good for the city of Los Angeles, good for the NBA, good for the youth, being Martin Luther King Day."

After the initial contact, the longtime protagonists shook hands, embraced briefly and exchanged a few words at center court when the team captains and game officials met before the game. They exchanged another hug before the opening tipoff as the fans at Staples Center voiced their approval.

"I had orders from the great Bill Russell," O'Neal said. "Me and him were talking in Seattle the other day, and he was telling me how rivalries should be. I asked him if he ever disliked anybody he played against, and he told me, 'No, never,' and he told [me] that I should shake Kobe Bryant's hand and let bygones be bygones and bury the hatchet.

"Today is a day of peace. Dr. Martin Luther King was an ambassador of peace. So when I talked to Mr. Russell he told me ... him and Chamberlain spoke once or twice a week before he passed away. And even though people thought they hated each other, there was nothing but love there."