If you’ve been watching the regular TV news lately, you may have seen this story: Vanessa Bryant – Kobe’s widow – is suing the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department for releasing pictures of the helicopter crash that killed Kobe and his daughter.
Many have spoken out in support of Vanessa Bryant, including Shaq. In a recent interview on the celebrity TV news program Entertainment Tonight, O’Neal said it was a good thing that Vanessa was “holding people responsible” following his death in January 2020.
On ET, Shaq said: “I feel for her. We’ve never talked a lot [but] we’ve always had respect for each other. Every time I see her, it’s a hug, it’s a laugh.”
Shaq added that he “couldn’t imagine what she’s going through.”
Vanessa Bryant’s lawsuit against the county seeks damages for emotional distress and mental anguish after upwards of eight L.A. County Sheriff’s Department deputies allegedly took graphic photographs of the January 2020 helicopter crash scene – including the victims – and shared them with unauthorized people.
Shaq again: “We live in a world where, especially when it gets to the internet, people don’t care. But those are pictures that I would never, ever want to see, so she’s doing a great thing by holding people responsible.”
After an up-and-down relationship during playing days, Shaq and Kobe became fast friends in their retirement days. It was Shaq who delivered a heartfelt tribute to Kobe at a Lakers team memorial not long after Kobe and his daughter’s death.
In that service, Shaq called Kobe “heaven’s MVP,” and said the death felt “surreal” and incredibly difficult to process. Since the deaths, O’Neal has promised to continue Bryant’s legacy and be there for his family.
In court, Vanessa Bryant delivered an emotional testimony that gave an intimate and gut-wrenching look into what she experienced since the deaths of her husband and their 13-year-old daughter, Gianna, in a helicopter crash.
Bryant said she felt helpless after learning members of the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department and other emergency personnel allegedly shared graphic images of Kobe, Gianna, and the seven other victims of the January 2020 accident.
She said she now “live(s) in fear every day of being on social media and having these photos pop up. I want to remember my husband and my daughter the way that they were.”
The trial is continuing. We’ll let you know when there is an outcome.