Shaquille O’Neal, the man lovingly referred to by everybody as Shaq, built one of the greatest basketball careers in NBA history. A four-time champion, he forged one of the best dynasties of the new millennium when he helped lead the Los Angeles Lakers to three-straight titles from 2000 to 2002. The other main component of that epic run was superstar guard Kobe Bryant. The two men shared the spotlight for a long time but inevitably their egos led to a highly public breakup.
However, time heals all wounds. Eventually, Shaq and Bryant reconciled on their careers and grew to embrace what they were able to accomplish together. They would both be remembered as two of the all-time greats until they were old and grey. Except life is never that simple. O’Neal found that out in the most tragic way possible when Bryant, at just 41-years old, died in a disastrous helicopter crash alongside his 13-year old daughter.
One can only imagine what happened when Shaq received the news. Well, the legendary center braced himself and sat on the set of NBA on TNT and told the nation exactly how it went down. Throughout it all, it was impossible for him to contain his emotions.
