Published 17:15 IST, August 11th 2020
Shaquille O'Neal shares glimpse of Kobe Bryant shrine he set up at his home
During his recent call with Entertainment Tonight, Lakers legend Shaquille O'Neal showed a shrine he made for late NBA legend Kobe Bryant at his house.
- SportFit
- 3 min read
Los Angeles Lakers legend Shaquille O'Neal recently appeared on Entertainment Tonight and dropped an interesting revelation on NBA fans. On the show, O'Neal discussed what late NBA legend Kobe Bryant meant for him. He even showed fans the shrine he has set up for Bryant in his home.
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Shaq and Kobe: Shaquille O'Neal reveals the Kobe Bryant shrine he set up in his home
O'Neal showed the shrine while on Entertainment Tonight, which he made to honour Bryant and the time they spent together at the Lakers, whom they led to three straight NBA titles (2000-2002). Among the various photos he has included in the shrine, there are are several from their championship runs, along with a drawing of the two of them celebrating together.
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O'Neal spoke about Bryant's legacy in the world, and how often he thinks about his late friend. While Shaq and Kobe Bryant were known to have problems while playing for the Lakers, they solved those problems later on. "I definitely think about him every day and the world is doing a great job of keeping him alive ... Even though he's not with us, he will always be with us," O'Neal explained in the video. O'Neal also talked about Bryant's wife Vanessa, whom he is yet to talk to. However, O'Neal said that he hopes they know they will always welcome her. He even added that hopefully, their daughters will call him 'Uncle Shaq' just like his kids called Bryant 'Uncle Kobe'.
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The two legends were on the team from 1996 to 2004. Bryant, 41, passed away in a tragic helicopter crash on January 26. His 13-year-old daughter Gianna along with seven others including the pilot were also on board. Along with Vanessa Bryant and Michael Jordan, O'Neal spoke at Bryant's memorial service. He was one of the first NBA stars to publically speak about Bryant's death and broke down on live television while talking about his friend.
Since then, O'Neal has discussed several moments of their careers with fans, including the alley-oop which defined their dominant run in the 2000s, along with the first time he met the five-time NBA champion. Shaq was traded to the Miami Heat in 2004, where he won the 2006 NBA title. He retired with the Boston Celtics in 2011. Bryant, on the other hand, continued to play with the Lakers for his 20-year long NBA career, leading them to two more NBA championships in 2009 and 2010. Bryant retired in 2016.
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(Image source: NBA India Twitter)
Updated 17:15 IST, August 11th 2020