LOS ANGELES -- The big fella cried, spilling tears that had been welling up inside his massive 7-foot-1, 330-pound body for eight years.

He hugged his family, lifting several of them off the floor, and walked to center court where the championship and MVP trophies awaited and the purple and gold confetti streamed down from the rafters.

Like Magic, Wilt and Kareem before him, Shaq and his sidekick Kobe can now be described with just one word: champion.

Taking over in an exciting fourth quarter that ended Larry Bird's coaching career, O'Neal and Bryant led the Los Angeles Lakers to a 116-111 victory over the Indiana Pacers in Game 6 of the NBA Finals for the franchise's first title since 1988.

Bryant had 26 including four free throws that clinched it in the final 13 seconds.

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