Shaquille O’Neal often tries his best to give back to the people, but the Los Angeles Lakers legend rarely accepts anything in return. However, Shaq recently had to go back on his words. While spending time with his family and loved ones during the holiday season, Shaq received an emotional gift that almost brought him to tears. He received a heartwarming present from an artist who honored the memory of his sister Ayesha Harrison-Jex, who passed away four years ago from cancer.

John Hill painted a portrait of Shaq’s sister Ayesha along with his daughter, Taahirah O’Neal. A young Taahirah can be seen hugging Ayesha in the portrait. Shaq called them ‘two of his favorite people’ while being left stunned at how beautiful and realistic it looked.

Sharing the gift with his Instagram followers, the 4x NBA champ wrote, “A Sister’s Love” by @jlhill_art Four years ago, I lost my baby sister Ayesha Harrison-Jex to cancer. There’s not a single day that goes by where I don’t miss her or think about her. John, my brother thank you for honoring Ayesha and her memory in this way. Her love for our family knew no bounds. This portrait of Ayesha and my oldest daughter @taahirahoneal is a testament to just that. I can’t thank you enough. Wow.“

His daughter Taahirah also commented under the post with a short message to her dad saying, “I love you Pops 🥹🤎“. Shaq grew up with two sisters and a brother and they share a beautiful bond, just like the rest of the O’Neal family. Having gone through a dark phase in his life a few years ago, this gift meant a lot to Shaquille O’Neal.

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Shaquille O’Neal struggled to cope with the loss of his sister and his friend

Months after Shaq lost his sister in October 2019, his friend Kobe Bryant passed away in a helicopter crash. This was too much to bear for the NBA legend. Having lost two of the people that he cared about the most in such a short time took a toll on Shaq.

Shaq revealed in an interview that after the two of them passed away, he suffered from insomnia and often found it difficult to sleep at night while also having an eating disorder. As time went on, he learned to accept reality and move on with his life while keeping the memory of his loved ones close to him.

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What do you think of the gift Shaquille O’Neal received? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!