Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal will always be linked – as champions, as enemies and eventually as friends.
The historically great combination led the Lakers to a threepeat from 2000-2002. Their egos were too large for one team and, eventually, they broke up. But later in life, their bond – built through shared experiences – prevailed over distant grievances.
In the wake of Bryant’s tragic death, O’Neal shared his sorrow:
There’s no words to express the pain Im going through with this tragedy of loosing my neice Gigi & my brother @kobebryant I love u and u will be missed. My condolences goes out to the Bryant family and the families of the other passengers on board. IM SICK RIGHT NOW pic.twitter.com/pigHywq3c1
— SHAQ (@SHAQ) January 26, 2020
These photos span 17 years. Bryant and O’Neal went through so much together.
They were just settling into the next phase of their relationship – poking at each other while knowing an underlying affection existed. Disagreements had become more fun than biting.
It’s such a shame their ever-evolving relationship gets undercut so soon.