On February 6, 2012, Bryant passed O'Neal for fifth place on the all-time scoring list. Bryant said it was an honor because of their championships together. O'Neal congratulated Bryant, saying "I'm proud of him. I'm happy for him, and, most of all, I want to thank him for being a part of the greatest 1-2 punch ever created, never to be duplicated." Bryant stated on radio the following day that he and O'Neal were never going to last as teammates. Bryant recalled: "There was an interview that I heard Shaq do which he kind of threw down the challenge of me not being able to win without him. After I read that, I said, 'Aw, that's it.' Some comparison that he made with me and Penny Hardaway, and once I read that, I said, 'You know what? I can't finish my career with people saying that. There's no way.'" In 2013, Bryant said that the two "have a really, really good relationship now", calling it "a good lesson for all of us." He said the two had "mutual respect" for each other, while O'Neal commented that they had an "athletic dislike" for each other but "never had a real dislike". That year, the Lakers retired O'Neal's No. 34 during a halftime ceremony. Bryant did not attend the ceremony, but called O'Neal "the most gifted physical specimen I've ever seen play this game" in a recorded video during the event. Questioned about his absence, Bryant told the media, "I appreciate you guys trying to start some stuff for old times' sake." Later, it came out that Bryant had missed the ceremony because he had been receiving treatment from the Lakers' training staff.