Defeated Shaquille O’Neal Called up Vanessa Bryant After Kobe Bryant’s Death Thinking the Media Was Lying: “I Didn’t Want to Believe It”

One of the best duos in the NBA’s history, Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant, were the most dominant duos on the court. Between 1996 and 2004, they played for the Los Angeles Lakers together. Combined, they won three consecutive NBA titles. The team also made the NBA Finals in 2004.

It is well known that they had a feud and drifted apart. However, as Shaq himself put it, they were still considered family, and their fights didn’t stop them from looking out for one another. The two played together for eight years as teammates. As we go through the history of the Lakers, this duo ranks among the best that has happened to this franchise.

It shook the world when news broke that the 41-year-old NBA superstar was killed in a helicopter crash. One of the many who came forward to express their tribute was Shaq, who, like his brother, paid homage to the legend. We can only imagine how difficult it must have been for him to hear what happened.

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O’Neal stated in an interview that it was so unbelievable that he called Vanessa Bryant after Kobe’s death, thinking the media was lying.

Shaquille O’Neal paid homage to his brother, Kobe Bryant

In his podcast, “The Big Podcast With Shaq,” Shaq talked about Kobe giving him a heartfelt tribute. During their conversation, he mentioned that he reached out to Vanessa in hopes that this wasn’t the real news. The loss of his brother is “going to hurt for a long, long time.”

“I didn’t want to believe it,” he continues. “Then everybody’s calling me, ‘Is that true? Is it true? So I’m like, it must not be a hoax because the whole world knows this information. So now I’m saying, please don’t be true. Please don’t be true, please don’t be true. And I’m watching and then you get the confirmation. Sad enough and then you know his daughter was with him. I didn’t do anything.” Shaq went on, “ I haven’t eaten. I haven’t slept. I’m looking at all the tapes. I’m sick right now.” 

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In addition, he discussed their beautiful relationship and how they often disagreed, but they were able to sort things out in the end. And how they looked out for each other and their families. The news we heard in 2020 was hard for everyone to accept. And it is still hard to believe that the legend is gone forever.

What would be your favorite Kobe-Shaq basketball moment? Drop a comment below!