Kobe Bryant’s untimely death in 2020 hit Shaquille O’Neal like a freight train. The Hall of Famer has been open about the difficulties of dealing with his passing and the regrets he has about not talking to him more often while he was still around. It taught him an invaluable lesson that holding on to grudges is futile given how fragile and unpredictable life is.
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In a recent interview, O’Neal was asked how he was coping with his ‘little brother’ being no longer a phone call away. He candidly responded that he has been in touch with his family, especially since Bryant’s father Joe passed away, before giving impeccable advice. The four-time NBA champion said,
“It’s hard [dealing with Kobe Bryant’s death]. I always tell people, especially our people. We’re petty. We’ll argue about something and wouldn’t talk to the person for four, five, six years. So, my advice is, hey, one of your homeboys, you haven’t hollered at them, shoot them a text.”
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O’Neal’s word of wisdom came from his personal experience with his former running mate. The two did not see eye-to-eye for over a decade before mending fences after the guard’s retirement.
Despite enjoying incredible success together, the duo’s relationship as teammates was testy, but they managed to make it work as long as possible by making sacrifices.
Shaq let Bryant take over when needed
By the 1999-2000 season, Bryant had established himself as the best young player in the league. He wanted to be the face of the Lakers, but with O’Neal still around and in his prime, there was little chance he’d be able to do that.
However, both stars wanted to win championships. Especially O’Neal, who was in his eighth season and hadn’t tasted a championship win. He realized that Bryant could help him achieve his goal if he allowed the young guard to play his game. So the duo reached a compromise that bolstered the Lakers’ championship aspirations.
Explaining what transpired during his appearance on the DraftKings podcast, O’Neal said,
“So, you know, because I wasn’t a good free-throw shooter, I had to sacrifice and say, ‘You know what, go on, young fella, you take [control of proceedings in the fourth quarter]’. And once I started doing that, we started winning championships.”
The strategy paid off and the duo led the Lakers to the last three-peat in the league’s history. Their desire to be the face of the franchise eventually led to their breakup. However, their achievements together will forever be a part of basketball folklore.
