Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant are one of the greatest basketball duos of all time, notably managing to three-peat together in the early 2000s. There’s no doubt that they were a fantastic fit on the basketball court, even though they did have some issues off the court.
Kobe Bryant tragically passed in 2020, and there’s no doubt that many mourned him, including Shaquille O’Neal. Recently, O’Neal admitted that he regrets not calling Kobe Bryant prior to his death. David Walters of People relayed the news.
“You put off [getting in touch],” O’Neal, 50, tells PEOPLE in this week’s issue, on newsstands this Friday. “I’ll never get to see Kobe again, in real life, forever. And I just should have called. He should have called. We both should have called. But he’s working, I’m working, so it’s ‘I’ll see you when I see you.’ “
O’Neal says he and Bryant always maintained a deep love and respect for each other, but he acknowledges to PEOPLE that time has yet to give him more perspective on his teammate’s passing. “[I thought], ‘We’re both going to get old. We’ll both be at the 50-year Lakers anniversary.’ Other things shouldn’t have been more important [than getting in touch], but little things [got in the way].”
His simple advice for others feeling disconnected from friends and loved ones: “Call your mom. Call your brother. Call the homeboy you used to party with in college. Forever is a long time.”
There is no doubt that Shaquille O’Neal wants people to avoid his mistake of not getting in touch with Kobe Bryant, which is evidenced by his advice to others who feel “disconnected from friends and loved ones.” It is best for people to simply contact one another rather than feel regret later on. You never know what will happen in the future, and reconnecting with estranged loved ones and friends is important.
Shaquille O’Neal Thinks No Player Duo Will Be The Next Shaq And Kobe
There is no doubt that Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant left an insane legacy on the court, as getting a three-peat is something that is close to impossible for the majority of players/teams. In fact, Shaquille O’Neal previously claimed that there will be no duo that will be able to imitate or duplicate that legacy.
“There will never be the next [Shaq and Kobe],” O’Neal said. “We don’t need them to catch up to us,” O’Neal said. “Kobe and myself were not trying to catch Magic [Johnson] and Kareem [Abdul-Jabbar] … Kobe and I, [our] legacy will never be duplicated. Or imitated.”
It is hard to see any duo managing to three-peat in the modern NBA, and it is quite possible that we won’t see another three-peat for a while. Even the Golden State Warriors dynasty has not managed to achieve this feat, though they could potentially three-peat if they win the 2023 and 2024 championships.
Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal will forever be remembered fondly by Los Angeles Lakers fans. They had a fantastic tenure with the Lakers franchise, and both players are viewed as legendary by both the fans and the franchise.
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