After an unexplained absence, Angel Reese was back playing for the LSU Tigers. It couldn’t have been easy for her to be sidelined. During that time, her honorary uncle, Shaquille O’Neal, gave her some much-needed motivation to stay focused. She revealed his profound words to her after her comeback. Some avid NBA fans recognized they sounded quite familiar to Shaq’s favorite teammate.

Like Shaq-isms are a thing, Kobe Bryant had some meaningful quotes of his own. One that has resonated with athletes everywhere now impacts the Bayou Barbie through her mentor.

Kobe Bryant motivates Angel Reese through Shaquille O’Neal

There was widespread speculation that poor academic performance led to Angel Reese becoming ineligible to play the past few weeks of the NCAA season. She was subjected to a lot of scrutiny, but she overcame it with the constant support of Shaquille O’Neal. During her return to the game, Reese revealed what Shaq said to her to keep her head in the game.

“He said, ‘This too shall pass. This too shall pass,’” she revealed. “He’s been here before, he knows what it takes. And to have somebody like that was really good for me.”

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Fans noted that Shaq may have drawn inspiration from a certain teammate with whom he won his first three championships. After all, it was Kobe Bryant who was adjusting to retirement who also said all the good and bad things shall pass with time.

“I just try to be still and understand that things come and go. Emotions come and go. The important thing is to accept them all, to embrace them all, and then you can choose to do with them what you want,” Bryant said in September 2019.

It was during an interview with Jay Shetty that he spoke about how he learned to cope with a life outside basketball. Michael Phelps’ wife, Nicole, recently brought attention to Kobe’s words, too.

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While she received unfair taunts for her alleged poor academic performance, Reese has found a lot of support from those close to Kobe Bryant in her recent comeback.

Kobe Bryant comes through for Angel Reese

Shaquille O’Neal has not been the only NBA legend Reese idolized. The new Reebok signee has continued to channel the Black Mamba by wearing Kobe’s signature shoes to every game. It caught Vanessa Bryant’s attention who shared her appreciation for Reese’s gesture on social media.

Vanessa has been a fan of the LSU Tigers for a long time during the family’s friendship with Coach Kim Mulkey. She gifted Reese’s squad the iconic Kobe 6 Grinches and the Kobe 6 Protro Mambacita, designed in honor of her late daughter Gianna, earlier this year.

READ MORE: Does Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal’s Partnership Go Beyond The Realms Of Basketball?

Reese has found support in her star cheerleaders. She’s denied claims about her academic performance and embraced her platform as a role model to make Shaq and Kobe proud.