Published 12:51 IST, April 23rd 2020
Shaquille O'Neal not to attend 2020 Hall of Fame ceremony due to Kobe Bryant's death
NBA Hall of Famer Shaquille O'Neal revealed that he will not watch the NBA 2020 Hall of Fame ceremony due to the passing away of Lakers legend Kobe Bryant.
The NBA world was left shocked after the news of the Kobe Bryant death made headlines late in January earlier this year. The Lakers legend, along with his 13-year old daughter Gianna and seven other individuals, lost their lives in a tragic helicopter accident over Calabasas. The five-time NBA champion was mourned by fans and a host of NBA personalities. His former Lakers teammate and NBA Hall of Famer Shaquille O'Neal added that he will not be watching the 2020 Hall of Fame ceremony after the death of his close friend.
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Shaquille O'Neal reveals he will not watch NBA 2020 Hall of Fame ceremony due to Kobe Bryant death
Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant played together for the Lakers at the start of the 21st century. The pair were utterly dominant on the court but got into spats off it which saw Shaquille O'Neal leave the Lakers in 2004. However, they both patched things up later on in life and were known to be close friends.
The four-time NBA Championship winner revealed that the will not watch the NBA 2020 Hall of Fame ceremony to honour the memory of his late teammate - Kobe Bryant. While speaking on the Sports Like a Boss podcast with Holly McPeak and Anne Marie Anderson, Shaquille O'Neal was quoted as saying "We will always be connected, whether people think we like each other or not. It doesn't matter. We will always be connected. We were the most competitive, most enigmatic, most controversial, most dominant one-two punch ever created. But, I won't even watch the Hall of Fame ceremony this year. I don't want to see pictures and video of him. I don't. ... I never thought something like this would ever happen."
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Updated 12:51 IST, April 23rd 2020