Shaq posts heartfelt tribute to Kobe Bryant

Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant were the two faces of the Los Angeles Laker dynasty of the early 2000s, despite having more than a few differences on and off the court.

Those differences don’t matter Sunday after Bryant’s death in a helicopter accident. O’Neal posted an emotional tribute to Bryant on Instagram, calling Bryant his “brother” and saying there were “no words to express the pain I’m going through right now.” He also paid tribute to Bryant’s daughter GiGi, who O’Neal referred to as his niece.

View this post on Instagram

There’s no words to express the pain I’m going through now with this tragic and sad moment of loosing my neice Gigi & my friend, my brother, my partner in winning championships, my dude and my homie. I love you and you will be missed. My condolences goes out to the Bryant family and the families of the other passengers on board. IM SICK RIGHT NOW !

A post shared by DR. SHAQUILLE O'NEAL Ed.D. (@shaq) on Jan 26, 2020 at 1:33pm PST

Shaq and Kobe definitely did not always get along during their playing days, and they sometimes traded barbs even after both had retired. At the end of the day, though, Shaq’s comments here and Bryant’s recent interactions with Shaq’s son Shareef make it clear that the two thought of each other as family. That’s why Shaq is no doubt hurting a whole lot after Bryant’s death.

More Larry Brown Sports coverage of Kobe Bryant’s death:

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Other victims of the helicopter crash:
– John Altobelli, junior college baseball coach, also died in helicopter crash
– Christina Mauser, girls’ basketball coach, among the helicopter crash victims

Tributes to Kobe:
– Dallas Mavericks retire Kobe Bryant’s No. 24 jersey
– Video: Raptors, Spurs start game with amazing tribute to Kobe Bryant
– Shaq posts heartfelt tribute to Kobe Bryant
– Michael Jordan releases statement on death of ‘little brother’ Kobe Bryant
– Video: Doc Rivers breaks down crying talking about Kobe Bryant
– Phil Jackson calls Kobe Bryant ‘a chosen one’ in statement on his death
– NBA commissioner Adam Silver issues statement on death of Kobe Bryant
– Video: Dwyane Wade posts emotional message reacting to Kobe Bryant’s death
– Kendrick Perkins extends olive branch to Kevin Durant after Kobe Bryant’s death
– Video: Emotional Mike Breen sums up NBA world’s emotions about Kobe Bryant’s death
– Trae Young’s huge game was full of Kobe Bryant-related statistical coincidences