Shareef O’Neal, the son of Hall of Fame player, Shaquille O’ Neal, recently opened up about Kobe Bryant‘s sudden death. Shareef plays for the LSU Tigers of the Southeastern Conference (SEC). Being a son of Shaquille, he had a completely different relationship with Kobe.
When asked about Kobe’s death in Bleacher Report Hoops’ interview, Shareef said, “The day…It was unreal.
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A day before the accident. Shareef’s little sister Me’arah was set to play against Gigi’s team. His best friend, Christopher Josh, showed him the news while they were on their way. Shareef’s first reaction was, “Man, get that out of my face. I’m not tryna see it.” He thought it was just another rumor and continued driving. However, Shareef wondered fleetingly why someone would spread such rumors.
Later in the day, he got the confirmation of the news from his mother. “I kind of just lost it.”
Grappling with the loss was an emotional and tough time for the O’Neal family, considering the equation they shared with Kobe.
Kobe Bryant’s last message
Shareef showed his phone’s screen background, which was a screenshot of his last conversation with Kobe. Many told him later on that it was probably the last message that Kobe sent to anybody before his death. The message read, “You good fam?” to which Shareef replied, “How you been?” He never got a reply to the message.
“I just kept looking at the phone and kept looking at the messages to see if he (Kobe) was going to answer. I wasn’t getting any answer.”
Shareef’s emotional interview regarding the death of an idol and friend touched viewer sentiments and gives goosebumps to those thinking about it.
