El Segundo, Calif. ? Kobe Bryant said he probably would miss the Los Angeles Lakers’ season opener tonight against Dallas, and again lashed out at Shaquille O’Neal.

“My knee is not strong enough to play yet. I know it. When it is, I will play,” Bryant told ESPN Monday. “I probably won’t play tomorrow night or until I’m ready.”

Bryant, coming back from offseason knee surgery, and O’Neal traded barbs through reporters during the weekend. Neither spoke with reporters after Monday’s practice, but Bryant did a telephone interview with ESPN.

Bryant said he didn’t need O’Neal’s advice on how to play hurt.

“I’ve played with IVs before, during and after games. I’ve played with a broken hand, a sprained ankle, a torn shoulder, a fractured tooth, a severed lip, and a knee the size of a softball,” he said. “I don’t miss 15 games because of a toe injury that everybody knows wasn’t that serious in the first place.”

O’Neal underwent surgery on his arthritic right big toe Sept. 11, 2002 and missed 12 games.

Bryant had knee surgery July 1 in Colorado. He faces trial on a charge of sexual assault that allegedly occurred the night before his operation.

Bryant has said he intended to opt out of his contract after this season and become a free agent. O’Neal said that was fine with him — since it’s his team, anyway.

“It doesn’t matter whose team it is. But this is his team, so it’s time for him to act like it,” Bryant said. “That means no more coming into camp fat and out of shape, when your team is relying on your leadership on and off the court.”