Kobe Bryant memorial: Shaquille O’Neal admits he's hurting and having trouble sleeping after NBA star's death
Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant, who played together on the Los Angeles Lakers from 1996 to 2004, were famous for their feud. Yet, after Bryant's death, O'Neal reportedly admitted to having trouble sleeping.
According to the report, nearly a month since the helicopter crash on January 26 that claimed the lives of Bryant, his daughter Gianna and seven others, O'Neal continues to struggle to process the news.
"These are things that you never imagine happening," O'Neal told The New York Times of Bryant's sudden death. But Bryant was not the only front where the NBA legend faced tragedy. Last October, O'Neal's sister Ayesha Harrison-Jex died of cancer at the age of 40.
"People who know me know I’m hurting," O'Neal said. "In a million years, I never thought my younger sister would pass before me. And I never thought any of my teammates would go out before me — especially the way Kobe went out."
"We’re forever going to be linked," O’Neal said of Bryant. O’Neal and Bryant won three championships together with the Lakers. Yes, they had a rocky relationship, but things had improved over the years. For years, the two did not see eye to eye because of their difference in nature and work ethics.
"He was good at always looking out for my boys, telling them to come work out at the Mamba gym, but I wish I would have communicated with him more," O’Neal said. "People in our lives, if we think about them, we should communicate a little bit more," he added.
When asked if working so much and trying to talk about basketball were difficult under the circumstances, O'Neal said, "No. Sleeping is."
Bryant and his daughter Gianna will both be remembered in a public memorial at the Staples Centre in Los Angeles on February 24.