Spending 8 Years with Kobe Bryant, Shaquille O’Neal Admits He Never Spoke About Fatherhood with His Lakers Running Mate

Did Shaquille O’Neal ever talk about fatherhood with his superstar teammate Kobe Bryant during their stint together with the Los Angeles Lakers? On the Black fatherhood-centric podcast Dear Fathers, host Jesse Alex asked Shaq the question. Kobe and Shaq spearheaded the reign of terror in the NBA that the Lakers were responsible for.

As a matter of fact, both stars became parents during the eight years they spent together with the Lakers. The big fella revealed on the podcast that such conversations never took place.

Alex pointed out how Shaq had his first child, Taahirah O’Neal, in 1996, while Bryant had his eldest child, Natalia Diamante Bryant, in 2003. Therefore, O’Neal had his first child seven years before his teammate and the host wondered if the Mamba ever asked O’Neal how to approach fatherhood.

In response, Shaq said, “No. To each his own.” He then turned to the nature of the relationship between the two players which was almost always professional and rarely personal. The 51-year-old added, “We come, We stay two-three hours. It’s all basketball and practice. We don’t really get into personal stuff like that.”

These words indicate how little Bryant and O’Neal interacted on matters pertaining to their private lives. The rift between them within the organization grew as Bryant matured into a bigger star. The Lakers couldn’t contain the discord as the two started to pass scathing remarks about each other to the media. In 2003, during an interview with ESPN, Kobe called Shaq “unprofessional”, “childlike”, “fat”, and “lazy”.

His comments came a few hours after Shaq had called Lakers “my team”. It was clear that things had turned way too sour and the only fix was to trade one of the superstars. Ultimately the LA side parted ways with O’Neal as the rift grew wider. However, as they approached retirement, the two buried the hatchet as they realized that their egos had contributed a lot to the conflict.

On the podcast about fatherhood, Shaq also talked about how he strikes a balance between spoiling his kids and showing them the hard side of life, instilling in them discipline and work ethic. Kobe also followed a similar approach with his kids, as he prepared his daughter Gianna for a career in basketball. However, that dream was taken away from them four years ago from today after the tragic crash that claimed Kobe and Gigi’s lives.

Shaquille O’Neal pays his respects to Kobe Bryant

Years after his retirement, O’Neal showed nothing but love for his former Lakers teammate. The two developed a mutual respect for each other and recognized their influence over the league. During the Mamba’s farewell game, his former nemesis asked him to drop 50 points to mark a grand exit. Heeding these words, the incredible scorer finished the game with 60 points. This instance solidifies that the two athletes had come to terms with each other. 

When Bryant passed away on January 26, 2020, O’Neal felt a ton of regret. He felt remorseful that he didn’t talk to him enough and both of them somewhat kept their distance. Shaq expressed, “I’ll never get to see Kobe again, in real life, forever. And I just should have called. He should have called. We both should have called.”

Amidst this regret, O’Neal has showcased a ton of respect for his former mate. He has asked people to respect his name. He even called out Stephen A. Smith for bypassing Bryant’s name from the GOAT debate.