Kobe Bryant cemented himself in the uppermost echelon of NBA icons long before his retirement. Deified To quite the extent, it seemed as though every single move of his was tracked by fans. This isn’t the case however as an unreleased footage of his just made the rounds on social media. None other than Shaquille O’Neal’s son, Shareef, highlighted never-before-seen pictures of Kobe on his IG story.
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The real credit should go to Kwaku Alston, the magical photographer behind the images. He was the one who decided to post them on his Instagram for the first time. But Shareef O’Neal reposting it to his 2.5 million followers is how it caught the attention of many.
In the photos, Kobe is pictured before fame, posing alongside a 1962 Cadillac Coupe DeVille. Shareef seemed to admire the artistry behind the pictures.
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One of the pictures even shows Kobe wearing Adidas shoes, which is a rarity as he was with Adidas in the late 90s and early 2000s. Bryant inked a shoe deal with Nike in 2003 and was never seen wearing anything different post ’03.
Him posing next to a Cadillac makes it all the more interesting given his love for cars. His Ferrari 458 Italia was rumored to be his favorite car while his 1963 Chevy Impala was certainly near and dear to his heart as it was gifted to him by his wife, Vanessa.
Kobe was a massively influential person who brought wisdom and guidance to many of our lives. And you may not know it, but Shareef and Bryant even had a close bond before his death. He was a stable figure who was there for him during tough times.
Kobe Checked On Shareef During Heart Troubles
Despite having a relationship that fractured during their playing days, Kobe and Shaquille O’Neal were close after they retired. Especially when it came to their kids. In 2018, Shaq’s son Shareef had to have open heart surgery due to a congenital heart defect. It was a scary time for the O’Neal family.
But Kobe checked up on Shareef every day via text. He made sure Shaq’s son was recovering and getting better. It was something Bryant didn’t have to.
“He was one person who always checked in with me. Like every single day of my [open heart] surgery, he would always message me, ‘How you doing today?’ He always looked out for me,” Shareef said.
“He was one person who always checked in with me. Like every single day of my [open heart] surgery, he would always message me, ‘How you doing today?’ He always looked out for me.”
️ Shareef O’Neal on Kobe Bryantpic.twitter.com/dxnNGKXRkX
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) July 19, 2022
It just goes to show what type of guy Kobe was. Even though he had his intense Mamba Mentality on the court that seemingly had no regard for human life, Bryant was a super nice guy off of it. He really cared for the people around him. Which is something that’s been backed up by many people since he’s passed.
Every day, we all miss Kobe Bryant and everything he offered to us fans and the world. He was a one-of-a-kind person who influenced many. Shareef and Shaquille O’Neal are just a few of them.
