Lakers: Shaq Offers Advice, Humor to Kobe Bryant on Retiring

Kobe Bryant’s former Lakers teammate Shaquille O’Neal offered advice and a bit of humor regarding the Mamba’s retirement 

Countless NBA stars have weighed in on the news that Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant will be retiring at the end of the season. He’s one of the most important figures in the NBA in the past two decades. His performance and ascent have inspired many players in the new generation of the NBA and they showed their respect of him for that.

However, Bryant had more influence than just serving as an inspiration to younger players. His influence stretches to his peers and even the generation of NBA players who came slightly before him. That includes his former teammate and one of the great centers of all-time, Shaquille O’Neal.

On Monday afternoon, Shaq took to Twitter to speak on Kobe’s retirement and offer No. 24 some simple advice on how to handle the last five months of his NBA career:

Ever the comedian and opportunist when it comes to making a joke, Shaq again addressed Kobe’s retirement on Tuesday morning when he shared a video with Kobe and Shaq’s faces superimposed on two guys doing what O’Neal called “the retirement dance:”

The relationship between Bryant and O’Neal has always been one of the most complex to come out of the NBA. They were dynamic and dangerous on the court together, but then grew to despise each other as their time on the Lakers wore on. Those bridges have been mended in recent years, though—which is a good thing considering that we might not have gotten to see the video Shaq shared if they hadn’t made up.

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Shaq wasn’t the first and won’t be the last to offer wisdom, joke about, or even just speak on Kobe’s retirement. However, their history together makes what O’Neal has to say seem just a little more important than others.