Vanessa Bryant once refuted Shaquille O’Neal’s claim that Kobe Bryant would unretire to play with LeBron James in the Lakers.
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Kobe Bryant’s tragic death may have been the most difficult moment in Vanessa Bryant’s life. On January 26, 2020, she lost a life with her husband and daughter. He was a husband who loved his family and more so his daughters.
Multiple public accounts appreciate the Lakers legend for his parenting. He was a kind father who supported his daughters beyond measure. Bryant would often accompany his daughters to their games.
Vanessa and Kobe met in 1999. Bryant, then in his 4th season, was just 21 when he met his future wife. The two immediately connected and were soon romantically involved. By 2001, Vanessa and Kobe had tied the knot.
A workaholic, Bean spent much of his career years completely devoted to basketball. Though a proper family man, most of his time went into excelling his craft.
In 2016, after a losing season, the Black Mamba announced his retirement. The emotional end to his journey was accentuated by his 60-point performance.
To be fair to Bryant, his knees had seen their best days. Only two seasons before retirement, Bryant ruptured his Achilles in a win over the Golden State Warriors.
So, effectively, Bryant was at the end of his career either way. He just decided to retire with the most phenomenal retirement game.
However, Shaquille O’Neal, in a 2018 interview, claimed that Bryant was considering a return in lieu of LeBron joining Lakers.
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Vanessa Bryant claimed Kobe Bryant would not return despite Shaq’s claim
Shaq once told TMZ that he heard Kobe might come back to play with LBJ. “No man, no I’m not,” O’Neal answered when asked if he would play with LeBron.
But he continued: “Kobe’s coming back I heard. Kobe is coming back, you heard it here first.”
Shaquille O’Neal, being the comedian he is, likely said this in a jest. But Kobe was retired and not obsessed with basketball. So, surely Vanessa was quite enjoying time with her retired husband.
She definitely wasn’t on board with Shaq’s rumor and quickly shut it down. On her Instagram post, Mrs. Bryant answered a fan’s doubt about the same.
Vanessa Bryant: “Kobe will not be coming out of retirement to play again. He doesn’t want to play again and frankly, we really enjoy spending time together as a family without the crazy game schedule interfering with birthdays, holidays, and special events.”
Shaq, though one of the most dominant players of all time, is no match for a wife. Needless to say, Bryant never made a comeback.
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