Published 16:12 IST, February 2nd 2020
Shaquille O'Neal buys a laptop for fan who offered him condolences for Kobe Bryant's death
According to Patrick's Facebook post, he was there to purchase a laptop, spotted Shaq at the store and went to him and offered condolences over Kobe's death.
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Former National Basketball Association (NBA) star Shaquille O' Neal surprised a fan when he offered to gift him a laptop at a Best Buy store in McDonough. As per international media reports, the incident happened when a Georgia resident named Patrick Martin, who was there to purchase a laptop, spotted Shaquille at the store and went to him and offered condolences over his contemporary Kobe Bryant's unfortunate death.
According to media reports, the gesture by Patrick touched Shaqille's heart and he offered to pay for the man's laptop. The fan also paid his condolences for Shaq's sister who recently died because of cancer.
The unfortunate crash that killed Kobe and eight others
Shaquille was a former colleague and associate of Kobe Bryant, who died in a helicopter crash on January 26. Kobe's 13-year-old daughter Gianna and seven others were also present in the helicopter at the time of the crash.
It was reported that the helicopter descended at 2,000 feet per second before crashing hard into the rugged hillside in Calabasas, west of Los Angeles. According to reports, Kobe was travelling to a girls' basketball tournament at his Mamba Academy in Thousand Oaks.
The cause of the crash is still unknown as the helicopter was not equipped with a black box, however, the National Transport Safety Board (NTSB) and the Federal Bureau (FBI) has launched an investigation into the crash. The whole world was mourning Bryant's death after the news of the crash broke out early last Sunday. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences said that the Oscars ceremony on February 9 would include a tribute to Bryant.
Bryant's former team Los Angeles Lakers played their first match on Friday after the NBA had cancelled their game against Los Angeles Clippers that was scheduled for Tuesday, citing that the team needed more time to grieve. Tens and thousands of fans lined up outside Staples Center, the home court of the Lakers, to pay tribute to the 18-time All-Star.
Star Lakers player LeBron James gave an emotional speech before the start of the play on Friday, while Wiz Khalifa and Charlie Puth performed their chartbuster 'See You Again' at halftime.
16:12 IST, February 2nd 2020