Shaquille O’Neal has to be one of the most nicest and promotable athletes ever. He was recently trending on social media for buying a random guy’s engagement ring for his girlfriend.
When Shaq recently appeared on “The Rex Chapman Show,” O’Neal who said he did this because it “doesn’t pay to be nice” shares how lucky he is to have a career after his playing days.
Shaq then went on to share a story of the first time he met Kobe Bryant in Orlando when the young Kobe was around the age of 13 or 14 years old at the time.
“True story, and Kobe never told me this until after we played: A little kid comes into the locker room in Orlando and he wants to see Penny Hardaway. It’s Kobe!” Shaq said.
“I never knew this until Kobe told me this story. He wants to see Penny, and Penny’s not a bad guy, but I don’t know what was going on that day and he was just [like], ‘Whatever.’ And Kobe was standing there. I actually remember this day, the kid was sitting there and I grabbed him like, ‘Come on, little fella; I’ll take a picture with you!’ I never knew that kid was Kobe until he told me. We played together, had our fights and battles together, and then when we did that Lakers sit-down interview, Kobe said, ‘Hey man, you remember when I came in the locker room and wanted to see Penny and he blew me off?’ I was like, ‘That was you?!’ He’s like, ‘Yeah, that was me.
Flip the page to watch the full interview with Shaq on The Rex Chapman Show.
