i like what shaq didn't do

people have spats. your circle of friends has spats. your family certainly has spats. if spat implies the quarrel is brief, then okay, shaq and kobe have had a full blown feud. the difference in their case is the feud is exposed to a much larger community than most of our feuds.
i empathize with kobe. he made a mistake of immaturity. he said something in a moment in hopes of finding a way out of something. whatever actually happened, kobe wanted to check it like he does an opponent with the ball.
and so kobe is enduring the wintry season we all might in our circle of friends or in our families if we made a mistake but again, his celebrity makes it all the colder.
shaq has every right to be pissed off. if a friend of mine was accused of a crime and his testimony was read in open court which attempted to, (or in essence,) sullied my character, i, too, would be upset.
i enjoyed that shaq disregarded kobe at the all-star game. i think it was the act of someone who is refusing to forgive. i say this without knowing if kobe has even asked for shaq's forgiveness in a genuine manner. shaq's big, cold shoulder punctuates the fact that he is not beholden to forgive simply because the spat is in the public eye. i imagine some guys, (perhaps a latrell sprewell, based on his record,) would have publicly threatened to kick kobe's butt. and let's face it, shaq could put a big jack dempsey style beat down on kobe if ever. and that's why i like what shaq didn't do. he hasn't threatened kobe like kids on the playground. he's been thoroughly grown up about all this. he has refused to compromise his principles by maintaining his cool towards the colleague who acted distastefully toward him. for all the clowning, shaq is a consummate professional.