Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant died on Sunday in a helicopter crash that killed nine people in Calabasas, Calif., including Bryant’s 13-year-old daughter Gianna.
The shocking news hit the entire sports community hard as Bryant’s impact extended beyond basketball with a global reach. NBA players were visibly emotional before and during Sunday’s games. The Raptors and Spurs honored Kobe with an in-game tribute — as did Neymar following a goal with PSG.
But in a heartbreaking and surreal reaction to Bryant’s death, Shaquille O’Neal’s son, Shareef, shared that Bryant reached out to him the morning of the deadly crash — less than two hours before the crash. Shareef posted a screenshot on Twitter, showing an Instagram direct message from Kobe who was checking in on the UCLA transfer.
In the screenshot, it appeared that Kobe reached out to Shareef unsolicited for the first time in months (at least on Instagram). Shareef announced earlier in the week that he intended to transfer from UCLA. He referred to that in his response to Kobe.
Shaq, too, reacted on social media after Kobe’s death.
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