Published 12:11 IST, October 20th 2020
Shaquille O'Neal's son honours Kobe Bryant with another tattoo dedicated to Mamba legacy
Shaquille O'Neal's son, Shareef, continues to honour Kobe Bryant, almost 10 months after his tragic death. Shareef revealed his second Kobe tattoo on Sunday.
Shareef O'Neal, the son of Los Angeles Lakers legend Shaquille O'Neal, continues to honour his late mentor as he unveiled his second Kobe Bryant tattoo on Sunday. Kobe Bryant, along with his daughter Gianna and seven others, passed away in January this year in a tragic helicopter crash.
Shareef O'Neal honours 'Mamba Legacy' with a series of tattoos
Shareef O'Neal first honoured the basketball legend by inking Kobe's "Mamba legacy" on his calf. Shareef's initial Kobe Bryant tattoo featured a silhouette of Bryant's mid-jump shot below a jersey that had 'Mamba' written on it. Kobe's No. 8 and No. 24 added depth to his ink while the last body art was dedicated to Gianna Bryant. The post from TheScore features the screenshots of the tattoos that Shareef O'Neal shared in an Instagram story.
On Sunday, Shaquille O'Neal's son shared pictures of yet another tattoo that he got to honour the five-time NBA champion. This time, Shareef got himself inked with Kobe Bryant's celebration while donning his iconic No. 24 Lakers jersey. The 20-year-old revealed his right foot tattoo via social media.
Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal played eight seasons together at the Lakers. The two were instrumental as the Lakers won a three-peat between 2000 and 2002. The deadly partnership ended in a very public feud which resulted in Shaq being traded to the Miami Heat in 2004. The duo buried the hatchet after retirement. It is believed that they remained good friends until Kobe's untimely death.
As for Shareef O'Neal, the 20-year-old had a strong relationship with Kobe Bryant, whom he considered as his mentor. Speaking to TMZ Sports after his death, Shareef said: "He just told me to always be the best I can be. Always try hard and always try to work harder than everyone else 'cause every day you take off, there's always people trying to get better."
The LSU forward even revealed a screenshot of a text message he received from Kobe just hours before his death on January 26.
After playing high school basketball for Windward School and Crossroads School, the 20-year-old played at the college level for UCLA between 2018 and 2020. He decided to transfer to LSU in February this year in order to follow in his father's footsteps by playing for the LSU Tigers. Due to COVID-19, Shareef is yet to make his LSU debut.
(Image Credits: Shareef O'Neal Instagram, Twitter)
Updated 12:11 IST, October 20th 2020