“Don’t Go to Bed Till 5AM, Since Kobe Bryant..”: Despite Suffering From a Medical Condition, Shaquille O’Neal Reveals ‘Chilling’ Reason for Sleepless Nights

Despite many controversies and feuds during their time in the NBA, Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal grew almost unexpectedly close together after their respective retirements. The two even sat down for an interview together to discuss what happened between the two of them, along with how they felt about each other. Unfortunately, as fate would have it, their reunion wouldn’t last very long, as Bryant perished in an infamous helicopter crash in early 2020. Speaking on his former teammate and fellow Lakers legend during a segment of his docu-series, ‘Shaq’, O’Neal admitted he can no longer sleep before 5 a.m. due to the lingering pain.

Sleepless nights aren’t the only thing ‘the Big Diesel’ suffers from. A few years ago, the big man was diagnosed with ‘sleep apnea‘. The following is how the Cleveland Clinic defines the condition.

“Sleep apnea is a disorder that causes you to stop breathing while asleep. Your brain tries to protect you by waking you up enough to breathe, but this prevents restful, healthy sleep. Over time, this condition can cause serious complications. However, this condition is often very manageable, especially with close adherence to prescribed treatments.”

It is a condition that can result in the death of the patient if the right measures aren’t taken. After his diagnosis, O’Neal was left beyond stunned. Fortunately, he has taken the required steps to ensure his safety.

Shaquille O’Neal admits it has been difficult for him to sleep since the death of his sister and Kobe Bryant

Ayesha Harrison-Jex was the little sister of Shaquille O’Neal. Unfortunately, despite beating cancer once, she would once again suffer from it, before eventually succumbing in 2019. She was just 40 years old.

The pain of loss was still beyond fresh in early 2020 for O’Neal. Unfortunately, he would then hear about the passing of Kobe Bryant, someone he often saw as his little brother. Setting aside a segment for how both their deaths affected him, here is what he admitted, as seen in the tweet by ‘NBA Buzz‘.

“I don’t go to bed till 5 a.m…. Ever since Kobe (Bryant) and my sister (Ayesha Harrison-Jex) died, I can’t sleep.”

Shaquille O’Neal: “I don’t go to bed ‘till 5 AM… ever since Kobe & my sister died, I can’t sleep.”

Thinking about you, Shaq ❤️🙏@SHAQ pic.twitter.com/dNzsq6xYVf

— NBA Buzz (@OfficialNBABuzz) August 9, 2023

O’Neal is famous for being a figure who brings joy to everything he touches, despite all the pain he has suffered. For his sake, we hope he can one day feel the same joy he brings to the millions of people worldwide.

Shaq has often been trolled for falling asleep during the most random occasions

Due to his lack of sleep, O’Neal has been falling into slumber on occasion, much to the laughter of his colleagues. Candace Parker and Dwyane Wade once laughed at his expense, revealing he is known to fall asleep between shoots of TNT’s ‘Inside the NBA’, as seen in the tweet by ‘NBA on TNT‘.

.@Candace_Parker & @DwyaneWade had to mess with Shaq after he dozed off 😴😂 (via @SHAQ) pic.twitter.com/Y6aV7LzoBN

— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) April 14, 2021

Further, the Lakers legend has even been seen falling asleep during a dinner in New York City. Despite picking up a tab of $25,000, the big man didn’t have the energy to really enjoy his food, much to the laughter of fans across the NBA community.

Given the darker undertones of these incidents, O’Neal was able to laugh at himself, knowing that his habits brought joy to those around him.

Shaq truly is a gift that just never stops giving.