Shaq's Son Shareef O'Neal Reveals Kobe Bryant Reached Out to Him on Instagram Hours Before Tragic Death
By Scott Rogust
The world was handed heartbreaking news on Sunday afternoon. Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant and his 13-year-old daughter Gianna were among nine victims of a tragic helicopter crash in Calabasas.
Everyone was floored, especially family members and those close to the Bryants.
Shareef O'Neal, son of Shaquille O'Neal, revealed that Bryant reached out to him on Instagram Sunday morning, hours before his terrifying accident, in a moment that seems orchestrated by the universe.
Literally this morning you reached out to me ....? I love you forever unc❤️ I love you pic.twitter.com/3oVgvKKUkm
— Shareef O’Neal (@SSJreef) January 26, 2020
Absolutely gut-wrenching. We can't even imagine how O'Neal is feeling.
O'Neal received a notification from Bryant, just to check in on how he was doing. Hours later, the Mamba was taken away from this world.
Shareef has known Bryant for a majority of his life, considering he and his father were teammates on the dominant early 2000s Lakers. Even after they were no longer on the same squad, the two families remained tied together. The Bryants and O'Neals were one.
Kobe was so much more than an athlete, he was a family man. That was what we had most in common. I would hug his children like they were my own and he would embrace my kids like they were his. His baby girl Gigi was born on the same day as my youngest daughter Me’Arah. pic.twitter.com/BHBPN5Wq8V
— SHAQ (@SHAQ) January 26, 2020
The losses of Kobe and Gianna are hitting basketball fans hard on Sunday, but that's nowhere near the level of what the O'Neals and surviving Bryants are dealing with right now. Two members of the family have been tragically taken away far too soon.