Shaquille O'Neal Buys Fan a Laptop After He Expressed Condolences for Kobe Bryant's Death
As Shaquille O’Neal continues to grieve Kobe Bryant‘s death, the retired NBA star thanked a fan for his touching words with an act of kindness.
On Wednesday, O’Neal, who works as a TNT sports analyst in Atlanta, interacted with a fan named Patrick Martin at a Best Buy store in McDonough, Georgia.
“So me and Mo just went to Best Buy to buy a laptop and we meet Shaq. We gave our condolences for his sister and Kobe. We walked off, then Shaq comes to us and says, ‘I like ya’ll, so get the nicest one in here and I’ll pay for it,’ ” Martin detailed in a Facebook post that has gone viral and was sent to PEOPLE by Best Buy.
O’Neal, 47, and Bryant, 41, played together for eight seasons (1996 to 2004) as a dynamic duo for the Los Angeles Lakers. Together, they won three consecutive NBA Championships (2000, 2001, 2002) and made an NBA Finals appearance in 2004.
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On Jan. 26, Bryant and his 13-year-old daughter Gianna were killed in a helicopter crash in Calabasas, California. The father-daughter pair were two of the nine victims, along with John Altobelli, Keri Altobelli, Alyssa Altobelli, Sarah Chester, Payton Chester, Christina Mauser and pilot Ara Zobayan.
And back in October 2019, O’Neal’s sister Ayesha Harrison-Jex died at age 40, three years after being diagnosed with cancer.
O’Neal spoke about the losses of both his sibling and Bryant during a recent episode of his podcast, The Big Podcast with Shaq.
“I’m not doing well, I’m sick. I’m just getting over the death of my sister and I haven’t been sleeping after Ayesha’s death,” he said. “You know, not thinking about the good times but thinking about those times where I could’ve did something or could’ve did something different. Or could’ve loved them more.”
Reflecting on the death of his former teammate, O’Neal added, “When I found out this news, I couldn’t do anything. I haven’t eaten, I haven’t slept. I’m sick right now.”
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Ahead of the Super Bowl LIV, O’Neal will be in Miami where he is scheduled to host his Funhouse Super Bowl Party.
On Wednesday, the father of five revealed he initially thought about not hosting the pre-party as he wanted to “reflect” following Bryant’s tragic death.
“Been going back and forth the past couple of days on if I should even have my event in Miami this weekend. Part of me wanted to stay to myself as I reflect what my brother and his family mean to me and my family,” O’Neal wrote in a statement on Twitter.
“Kobe would want us to push through and celebrate life. So lets do just that. I’ll be dedicating and donating all my proceeds from Friday nights Fun House to all the families who lost loved ones and to the Kobe and Vanessa Bryant Foundation,” his statement continued, referencing the charity that the Bryants started in 2006 to improve the lives of youth and families in need.
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In her first public statement following her husband and daughter’s deaths, Vanessa Bryant announced that the Mamba Sports Foundation set up the MambaOnThree Fund to “help support the other families affected by this tragedy.”
The mother of four also said, “We are also devastated for the families who lost their loved ones on Sunday, and we share in their grief intimately. There aren’t enough words to describe our pain right now. I take comfort in knowing that Kobe and Gigi both knew that they were so deeply loved. We were so incredibly blessed to have them in our lives. I wish they were here with us forever. They were our beautiful blessings taken from us too soon.”
