Leave it to Shaquille O'Neal to bring the laughs in a sad situation.
On February 24th, O'Neal honored his former teammate and rival-turned-friend, Kobe Bryant,
with a tribute fit for the legendary Laker.
While clearly coming from the heart, Shaq's speech also included a hilarious anecdote
that certainly came as a welcome change of pace on a dark day.
If anything, it's that very story that perfectly captures Bryant's unbreakable Mamba mindset
on the basketball court, and why he was able to achieve such greatness.
During the "Celebration of Life" event, Bryant's legacy was memorialized, as well as that of
his 13-year-old daughter Gianna "Gigi" Bryant, who already was starting to follow in her
father's basketball footsteps when her life was tragically cut short.
Gigi and Kobe both passed away in a helicopter crash on January 26th that claimed the lives
of nine people in total.
O'Neal was able to uplift the entire audience during the event, which also included a heartbreaking
speech from Bryant's wife Vanessa, and a tear-jerking tribute from Michael Jordan.
Throughout their time on the Los Angeles Lakers, Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal won three
back-to-back championships.
If there's anyone who can speak to Bryant's talent on the court, it's Shaq.
While he admitted the idea of speaking at Bryant's memorial pained him to his core,
O'Neal pulled it together to honor his dear pal.
Shaq started off by paying tribute to Kobe's unimpeachable talent on the court, saying,
"Believe me, Kobe was truly a gifted and intelligent student of the game."
"I remember him saying, 'These guys are playing checkers, and I'm out here playing chess.'
And I would say, 'I guess so, Kobe.
I don't know how to play chess.'"
Specifically, O'Neal reflected on the day that Bryant finally gained his respect.
It all went down when fellow teammates were complaining about Bryant's ball-hogging, and
Shaq said he'd talk to him and resolve the issue.
It didn't go exactly the way he'd planned.
"I said, 'Kobe, there's no 'I' in 'team,' and Kobe said, 'I know, but there's an 'M-E'
in that motherf---er.'"
As he shared that story, O'Neal had a giant grin on his face, as the camera panned to
show the Staples Center crowd laughing and smiling along with him, including Bryant's
wife Vanessa.
With Bryant's approach to the game now clear to him, O'Neal remembered then telling the
team, quote, "Just get the rebound, he's not passing."
Although they were often pitted against each other on the court, Shaquille O'Neal is the
first to admit not everything was what it seemed.
"Sometimes like immature kids, we argued, we fought, we bantered, or insulted each other
with offhand remarks, our feud.
But make no mistake, even when the folks thought we were on bad terms, when the cameras were
turned off, he and I would throw a wink at each other and say, 'Let's go whoop some ass.'"
O'Neal made clear that the real truth was, saying,
"Kobe and I always maintained a deep respect and a love for one another."
Still, he acknowledged it's because of their friendly rivalry that they pushed one another
to succeed, drawing an unexpected analogy with two songwriting titans from The Beatles.
"As many of you know, Kobe and I had a very complex relationship throughout the years.
But not unlike another leadership duo, John Lennon and Paul McCartney, whose creative
rivalry led to some of the greatest music of all time, Kobe and I pushed one another
to play some of the greatest basketball of all time."
At the end of the day, these two achieved greatness together.
"I am proud that no other team has accomplished what the three-peat Lakers have done since
Shaq and the Kobe Lakers did it."
Not only will Shaquille O'Neal's speech make fans laugh, but it may even move them to tears.
At one point, O'Neal said,
"What filled Kobe's heart with the most pride was his role as a loving husband to Vanessa,
Daddy to Gigi and Natalia [and] Bianka and baby Capri, and a loving son and brother.
Kobe was a loyal friend and a true renaissance man."
Because of that commitment to his children, O'Neal plans to teach Bryant's daughters about
their father's love of basketball.
"I'll be sure to teach Natalia, Bianka, and baby Capri all your moves.
And I promise I will not teach them my free throw techniques."
Despite the major loss, there's one thought that's getting O'Neal through it.
He finished his tribute with a final, beautiful image, saying,
"For now, I take comfort in the fact [that] as we speak, Kobe and Gigi are holding hands,
walking to the nearest basketball court.
Kobe will show her some new Mamba moves today and Gigi soon masters them."
All in all, his speech was a bittersweet end to one of basketball's most epic stories.
"Kobe, you're heaven's MVP.
I love you, my man.
Until we meet again, rest in peace, Kobe."