No NBA player had been through more with Kobe Bryant than Shaquille O’Neal. The two former Lakers superstars won three straight championships together in Los Angeles, spent years feuding and eventually reconciled those differences to, again, become close friends.
As news broke of Kobe Bryant’s death — along with the death of his 13-year-old daughter Gianna — in a Sunday helicopter crash that killed five people in Calabasas, Calif., Shaq was understandably stunned.
In a tweet that included a series of photos from their time together, Shaq paid his respects to Kobe and Gianna along with offering his condolences to Bryant’s family and families of the other victims.
There’s no words to express the pain Im going through with this tragedy of loosing my neice Gigi & my brother @kobebryant I love u and u will be missed. My condolences goes out to the Bryant family and the families of the other passengers on board. IM SICK RIGHT NOW pic.twitter.com/pigHywq3c1
— SHAQ (@SHAQ) January 26, 2020
He wrote in an Instagram post:
There are no words to express the pain I’m going through now with this tragic and sad moment of loosing my neice Gigi & my friend, my brother, my partner in winning championships, my dude and my homie. I love you and you will be missed. My condolences goes out to the Bryant family and the families of the other passengers on board. IM SICK RIGHT NOW !
Bryant was 41 years old.
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