Like any good story of romance / bromance, this one had it’s big ups and downs. The fact that it played out on national (and world-wide) TV made it all the bigger. If you were a fan of the NBA at the turn of the century (was it that long ago??), you had the opportunity to see it live and maybe even in person: the on and off-court relationship of Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Byrant.
After the amazing three-peat in the early 2000s, the relationship hit a rocky bottom. Shaq left the west coast for Miami, where he helped the Heat win an NBA Championship. It was only as the pair entered their retirement, post-court days that the relationship warmed again, and it was a very good thing to watch.
Kobe died in a tragic helicopter crash earlier this year, a crash that claimed the life of his 13-year-old daughter Gianna and several others as well. NBA fans around the world went into mourning…but for Shaq, it was a gut-shot loss that still hurts to think about, months later.
With the passing of time, we’ve come to see how both men made each other better, both on the court and as family men and human beings. They pushed each other, both on the court and off. The results were powerful.
Shaq talked about that in a recent wide-ranging interview for the show-business news program Entertainment Tonight. As part of that interview, Shaq provided a virtual tour of his house, where he has a special area set aside for memories of Kobe, his late friend.
Of course it was Shaq who delivered an emotional speech at Kobe’s memorial, which prompted many tears shed for the NBA superstar and fallen icon. In his call with ET, Shaq called his home-memorial a “shrine” to Kobe and their relationship. Look down on this page for the E.T. interview segment that shows Shaq’s virtual home tour.
Shaq: “I actually got a shrine in my house that I put up. See the shrine I put up in my living room? So I definitely think about them every day and the world is doing a great job of keeping them alive,” he said, as he showed off some of the memorable photos and other memorabilia he’s assembled to remember Kobe.
In addition, O’Neal says he’s spoken to Kobe’s widow Vanessa, letting her know she and her family would always have “unconditional support” from his family. “Hopefully she knows that my family will open up our arms to her. Hopefully, her daughters will call me ‘Uncle Shaq’ like my kids called Kobe ‘Uncle Kobe.’ Even though he’s not with us, he will always be with us,” Shaq emotionally concluded.
