Kobe Bryant, Shaquille O’Neal Hadn’t Spoken In 4 Years?
Did Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal not speak for 4 years prior to Bryant’s passing?
That is the question some are asking following an emotional commentary by O’Neal regarding Bryant’s death.
On Sunday morning, Bryant, his 13-year-old daughter Gianna and seven others perished in a helicopter crash.
On Tuesday evening, TNT held a one-hour special honoring Bryant and allowing various veterans to speak on the NBA legend.
During O’Neal’s portion of the broadcast, the former Los Angeles Lakers big man seemed to indicate that he and Bryant had not spoken in a while.
“I haven’t felt a pain that sharp in a while.. it definitely changes me.”’@SHAQ on the loss of his brother, Kobe. pic.twitter.com/dM5i0DDgGK
— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) January 29, 2020
“With the loss of my father and my sister, that’s the only thing I wish — that I could just say something to them,” O’Neal said said.
“Last time I talked to (Bryant) was when we were here (in the TNT studio) and I asked him to get 50 and he got 60. That’s the last time I spoke to him.”
The final game of Bryant’s career, where he got 60 points, came against the Utah Jazz in April 2016.
That is a long time ago.
While different people have different relationships, many found it strange that two people who were perceived to have gotten closer over the years did not have any regular contact for four years.
Interestingly enough, one of the last people Bryant ever spoke to was O’Neal’s son, with whom he exchanged messages on Instagram several days before his death.
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Jennifer Withers Hoey is a former Business Development Manager who transitioned to writing about sports. With valuable connections all over the West Coast, she has used those contacts to break some of the most interesting stories pertaining to the Portland Trail Blazers, Oregon Ducks, LA Lakers, LA Clippers, Seattle Supersonics (RIP), and more.
