"I was just watching the night before when LeBron passed him up" - Shaquille O'Neal recalls the night he learnt about Kobe Bryant's passing away news

Shaquille O'Neal can still remember the news of Kobe Bryant’s death reaching him like it happened yesterday. More than two years after his legendary former teammate died in a helicopter crash, the memory of that infamous day still gives him sleepless nights.

The iconic LA Lakers big man opened up on a few details about what was going on with his life when Kobe Bryant’s death shook his household. On an episode of The Pivot, Shaquille O'Neal recounted his initial thoughts and feelings after learning of the devastating news:

“One day I’m sitting in the house and my son comes up crying… He said, ‘Yo, man Kobe just died in a helicopter crash.’ And I was just watching the night before when LeBron passed him up.

I was like, ‘Y’all b***s******g. It’s a hoax, stop it.’ And Shaunie called me crying. And I said hold on, let me verify and called my guy from the Sheriff's Office. He said it was true; I started crying.”

Shaquille O'Neal was referring to June 26, 2020, when LeBron James moved past Kobe Bryant for third on the all-time scoring list. James’ Lakers were in Philadelphia, Bryant’s hometown, to face the 76ers during the historic night.

LeBron James’ feat was even more poignant as Kobe Bryant’s message lauding his former rival would be the last social media post the Black Mamba would do.

Shaquille O’Neal vividly remembers what he regretted the most after his state of disbelief finally dissipated:

“And I’m like, ‘Damnit, I didn’t even holler at him. Last time we did the sit down that everything was waiting for, that’s the last time. I didn’t get the number, I didn’t text, I didn’t holler and that still haunts me. All that shit we went through, we could have shook hands and put that aside.”

Shaq’s candid revelation serves as a lesson and a reminder that there shouldn’t be any excuses to reach out to someone. The fragility of life resonated with every word that the Hall-of-Famer expresses in his regrets about Kobe Bryant.

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Shaquille O'Neal and the late Kobe Bryant ruled the NBA when they were on the same page

Shaq and Kobe, one of the most dominant duos of all-time in NBA history. [Photo: Bleacher Report]

During the LA Lakers’ three-peat from 1999-00 to 2001-02, Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant had the NBA on their feet. The only thing that could stop them was themselves, which they eventually did before their infamous breakup.

Shaq and Kobe’s alpha dog mentality eventually opened several chinks in their armor. Those chinks would ultimately become rifts that broke what could have been an even greater dynasty.

In The Pivot, Shaquille O'Neal explained that people just wanted to make more of what was going on between him and KB24 than what was real. Shaq merely shrugged it off as a fight between two brothers who couldn't get on the same page.

O’Neal’s single-mindedness and strong will pushed him to refrain from reaching out after the fallout. It was a move that he regrets till this day.