Shaq (Pisces) and Kobe (Virgo) Do Opposites Re-Attract?

Together again?

Former Laker cheerleader, Paula Abdul once warbled, “Opposites Attract” and while this is true and in some ways is essential in understanding a particular aspect of our dual nature, yesterday at the NBA’s annual all star game, one of the great opposites of sport put on a show that reminded us of how much we like them, despite their highly apparent flaws. I’m talking about Shaq and Kobe.

While they have wide orbs in their opposition (Shaq 15 degrees Pisces, Kobe 0 degrees Virgo), their oppositions stack up beyond the polarity of just their respective Suns.

Shaq is powered by a Scorpio Moon, fixed and more-than-occasionally unforgiving (How’z my azz taste?”), while Kobe’s Moon rests in Taurus, opposite Shaq’s. Kobe is all about business. He practices, trains and works out harder than almost any player, driven by that zero-degree-need for Virgoan perfection. The Taurus Moon is conservative, buttressing his efforts to be the best at what he does. This uniquely sets him part from Shaq as others have criticized “Big Diesel” for not trying hard enough, not working enough on his game, his free throw shooting, etc. Blessed with titanic stature and enormous physical skills, Shaq is larger than life in so many ways. While Kobe is a hard driving work of perfection in progress, Shaq is an entertainer, first and foremost, as witnessed with his entrance yesterday at The All Star, bobbing and snapping with the dance troupe, “The Jabberwockees.” Had Kobe not let the sexual side of that Taurus Moon get the best of him at that Colorado resort, where he was arrested on rape charges, I have no doubt that he would have amassed an even greater fortune since he would not have been unceremoniously dumped by his sponsors and he would have accrued even more. Remember, Kobe was the face of McDonalds. He let the sensual side of his Taurus Moon overrule the all business mode. Shaq has also gotten in trouble for letting the negative aspect of his Moon get in the way of his better judgement, as his grudge driven Scorpio Moon led him to the infamous rap where he dissed Kobe in rather unflattering terms regarding the taste of his nether regions. Judge Joe of Maricopa County revoked Shaq’s deputy sheriff’s badge. What is it with Piscean athletes that want to be secret agents? Can you say, “Herschel Walker?”

In addition to having opposing Suns and opposing Moons, Shaq and Kobe also have opposing Jupiters, again in a very wide orb as Shaq’s Jupiter is at 3 degrees Capricorn (more on this specifically in a minute) and Kobe’s Jupiter in Cancer at 27 degrees. Sensitivities clash in this opposition. Shaq wants to be the man with Jupiter in Cap while Kobe strives for perfection, being the man is secondary to being the best, a fundamental difference between the two. Jupiter is exalted in Cancer, while it is in it’s fall in Capricorn. So the best qualities of Cancer are drawn out of it via Jupiter, expansive, nurturing and growth oriented, while Capricorn which is so focused on control, planning and execution is fitful when it comes to the free flowing and wide open energies of Jupiter. I have no doubt that based on his Moon and Jupiter, Shaq might be the more Machiavellian of the two, despite his more avuncular persona. That’s not to say that Kobe isn’t capable of being calculating on his own. Just recently, Chris Paul recounted how Kobe asked him about a move that Paul has perfected while the two were on the same Olympic team in Beijing. Since they were teammates, Paul shared the move. Just a few weeks ago when the two teams squared off, Kobe dropped Paul’s move on The Hornets to perfection. Kobe, always looking to gain an edge,

Those aren’t the only planets in opposition that they share. Again, in wide orbs, Shaq has Mercury and Venus in Aries (0 degrees and 28 degrees respectively), while Kobe has Venus, Mars and Pluto, all conjunct in Libra (between 12-16 degrees). So in almost all of their personal planets, they are in opposition, but not so closely conjuncted in most cases that it could be a stifling polarity, and yet it’s enough to create distance and separation between the two. To cap it all off, Shaq and Kobe are also opposites in Chinese astrology as Kobe is a proud and often vain Horse, while Shaq is a rascally Rat, gregarious, outspoken and mischievous.

They were Co-MVP’s at the All Star and did their best to bury the hatchet at the post-game conference clowning (uncomfortably times) with one another. Their mostly congenial mood got people talking about whether the two could ever play together again. With Pluto in Capricorn trining Kobe’s natal Sun and conjuncting Shaq’s natal Jupiter, could we be in store for a reprise? With The Suns looking to cut payroll and The Lakers looking to perhaps replace the injured Andrew Bynum, does re-uiniting feel so good? If there was ever a time for Shaq and Kobe to play one more time for a championship, this would be that time as Pluto could re-coonect the two, a magnetic and binding force for one last go round.