By Wayne Dupree | January 29, 2020

NBA Hall of Famer Shaquille O’Neal opened up about the loss of his friend and little brother, Kobe Bryant when he emotionally described the “sharp” pain he felt when he heard the news during a TNT segment.

This past Sunday, Bryant was tragically killed along with his 13-year-old daughter and seven others in a helicopter crash. Many still find it hard to believe that Kobe is gone. When O’Neal learned about it from his son, on Sunday, he told his son to get out of the room with that noise because people make up stuff all the time via social media. But as time wore on and more news started appearing, reality hit home.

O’Neal said, “And then we found out it was confirmed, I haven’t felt a pain that sharp in a while. … I lost a little brother.”

MORE NEWS: Report: Kobe Bryant and His Wife Made a Pact to Never Fly On A Helicopter Together

As you will view in the video below, O’Neal, said he “hasn’t been sleeping,” while also describing how hearing that Bryant’s daughter was with him in the helicopter was the “final blow.” Everyone knows how large Shaquille is and that includes life, so watching him choke up was enough to make him shed tears also.

O’Neal’s talked about the death of his sister this past October and how it “definitely changes me.” The former Los Angeles Lakers star ultimately vowed to “take time and call and say, ‘I love you,'” because “you never know. Life is too short.”

O’Neal: “I just wish I could be able to say one last thing to the people that we lost. Because once you’re gone, you’re gone forever, and we should never take stuff like that for granted.”

Watch O’Neal’s emotional reflection below.

MORE NEWS: Report: This Family Lost Three People in Today’s Helicopter Crash

Shaquille O'Neal mourns the loss of his "brother," Kobe Bryant, and Kobe’s daughter, GiGi. #TwentyFourever 💔 https://t.co/AAeMrpILVz pic.twitter.com/n4TsoFxsRQ

— E! News (@enews) January 26, 2020

Shaq Can't Eat, Can't Sleep After Kobe Bryant's Death https://t.co/y0HbhbQJc1

— TMZ (@TMZ) January 28, 2020

https://twitter.com/N_A_T_39/status/1222511070604156928

Grief-stricken #NBA legends from Jerry West and Shaquille O'Neal to Dwyane Wade and Charles Barkley were in tears Tuesday as they mourned Kobe Bryant at an empty Staples Center arena.https://t.co/BAOzibrW87

— Manila Bulletin Sports (@mbsportsonline) January 29, 2020

Shaquille O’Neal said Monday that he’s making a major life change in the wake of Kobe Bryant’s unexpected death in a helicopter crash on Sunday. https://t.co/opI9n8cd7f # via @HuffPostEnt

— Gertha Janvier (@GerthaJanvier) January 29, 2020

 

This piece originally appeared on WayneDupree.com and is used by permission.

Read more at WayneDupree.com:
Report: This Family Lost Three People in Today’s Helicopter Crash
Well, Well, Well…Before The Wedding, Meghan Markle Turned Down Generous Offer From Queen
In His Darkest Moments, Devout Catholic Christian Kobe Bryant Turned to God

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