Shaquille O’Neal has expressed many regrets in his life, but one continues to have regret over not reaching out to his longtime Laker teammate, Kobe Bryant, before he tragically passed away in 2020.
O’Neal and Bryant have had a rocky history despite their success together on the Dynasty Lakers, winning three championships and cementing themselves as one of the greatest duos to ever grace the hardwood.
They seemed to start on the road to patching things up in 2009, when they had a face-to-face conversation and both admitted that at times, they fell victim to their egos and differences.
In a candid moment during his appearance on The Pivot podcast, the NBA legend recently expressed more deep remorse – this time for not getting the chance to reach out to his longtime teammate or his younger sister, Ayesha O’Neal, who both passed away within months of each other.
According to Shaq, those two deaths devastated him more than any loss of human life because they were so unsuspecting that he didn’t get to say “I love you” to either of them.
Shaq Expresses Remorse About Not Reaching Out To Kobe Bryant Before He Passed
Shaq says he was flying back from a business meeting when his sister passed away. His last conversation with him was brief and involved a plan for them to see other another the next day. While dealing with the loss of his sister, Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gigi along with others passed away in Calabasas.
Though the two had agreed to disagree in the past, the relationship was never one in which they would seek each other’s company over the years. There was mutual respect and a dysfunctional brotherhood of sorts. Which Shaq admits he fostered through some pettiness and jealousy for the young phenom. Jealousy is what Shaq said drives him.
Shaq says he could have texted Kobe despite their lingering issues.
“I can’t call my little sister who was perfect […] never asked me for nothing,” said Shaq. “Never bothered nobody. Third time catching cancer, never complained […] never even let me know she was sick and the fact I couldn’t tell her I love her.”
He continued, “And then, my boy, we did great things together. Despite the problems y’all thought we had, we made history together. We are the most dominant, enigmatic one-two punch ever created—never to be duplicated.”
O’Neal continues to praise their incomparable legacy and demand their top spot in Lakers history.
“Matter fact the number one Laker duo in history,” Shaq continued. “And you can tell Magic and Kareem I said it—write it down, send it to them, text it to them, fax it to them, MF put it on a pigeon fly it to them.”
Beyond the accolades, Shaq’s message was a call for people to reconcile and embrace love as opposed to being too busy or holding on to grudges with former friends and family.
As generous and charismatic and loving as everyone says Shaq is, he admits he has a petty side, and it has gotten in the way of some valuable relationships with important people in his life. Now he’s once and for all calling for people to reach out to family, bury grudges and spread love before it’s too late.
“The fact that I couldn’t tell my sister and my boy I love you one last time […] that haunts me,” he admitted. “I urge people man reach out to your loved ones. Reach out to your exes, reach out to your enemies, reach out to your boys who you separated from. You know just to check on them.”
Shaq Regrets Cheating On Wife Shaunie
Shaq has been on a reflection tour as his net worth continues to increase past the $500M mark. He mentioned that he lost his ex-wife Shaunie because of infidelity and admitted it in several teary interviews when discussing his biggest regrets.
“At one time my ex-wife Shaunie and I were happy, but I admit it, I was a guy with too many options,” O’Neal wrote in his book. “Choosing to be with some of those women, well, that’s on me.
Since Bryant’s untimely death, O’Neal’s repeatedly mentioned the pain of their unfinished reconciliation. In 2020, Shaq spoke about wanting to speak to him one last time on “The Big Podcast With Shaq”.
His reaction to Kobe’s death was heartfelt and he expressed more regret.
“I’m not doing well. I’m sick. I’m just getting over the death of my sister… I haven’t been sleeping since [her] death, because it’s just, you know, not thinking about just the good times but thinking about the times where I could’ve [done something], or I could’ve said something, or I could’ve loved them more, or I could’ve shown them more support,” Shaq says. “And the same thing hit when I found out this news. I was downstairs working out with Shaqir when my other son showed me the TMZ clip.”
Despite the past, the legacy of Shaq and Kobe is one that you can’t write the history of the NBA without. Shaq remains larger than life and Kobe is an unforgettable icon with a deep influence on the younger generation despite having moved on to the pearly gates.
What you can’t do is go back in time, so hopefully Shaq can find peace with his regrets as we all must and continue to invest in being a great person and making the lives of others better. He certainly has the resources to continue doing so.
