Redeem now - Shaquille O'Neal joked about the moment his former teammate Kobe Bryant gained his respect early in his career at a memorial for the star and his daughter Gianna on Monday.
- O'Neal recounted the moment that two of Bryant's Lakers teammates complained to him that Bryant was not passing enough.
- O'Neal said that as one of the team's senior players, he went to Bryant and told him: "Kobe, there's no I in team."
- Bryant replied: "No, but there is a M-E in that, motherf-----."
- Afterward, O'Neal said he went back to the teammates, the Lakers legends Rick Fox and Robert "Big Shot Rob" Horry, and told them: "Just get the rebound; he's not passing."
- Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.
Shaquille O'Neal joked that his former Los Angeles Lakers teammate Kobe Bryant once told him there is an "M-E" in team after his teammates complained that Bryant was not passing the ball enough.
In a moment of levity at an otherwise somber memorial for Bryant and his daughter Gianna at the Staples Center in downtown Los Angeles on Monday, O'Neal recounted a moment early in Bryant's career when two of his fellow Lakers came to him to complain about Bryant's selfishness on the court.
"The day Kobe gained my respect, the guys were complaining, saying, 'Shaq, Kobe's not passing the ball,'" O'Neal told the crowd at the memorial, which included Beyoncé, Jay-Z, Jimmy Kimmel, Usher, and Alicia Keys.
"I said, 'I'll talk to him.' I said, 'Kobe, there's no I in team.' And Kobe said, 'I know, but there's a M-E in that, motherf-----.'"
Afterward, O'Neal said he went back to the teammates, the Lakers legends Rick Fox and Robert "Big Shot Rob" Horry, and told them: "Just get the rebound; he's not passing."
You can watch the emotional moment below:
—Mamba Insider (@Mamba_Insider) February 24, 2020
After that lighthearted anecdote, O'Neal took a more serious and reflective tone, telling the audience: "Mamba, you were taken away from us way too soon. The next chapter of your life was just beginning, but now it's time for us to continue your legacy.
"You said yourself that everything negative — pressure, challenges — is all an opportunity for me to rise. So we now take that sage advice, and we now rise from anguish and begin with the healing.
"Just know that we got your back, little brother."
Read more:
The 9 most moving moments at the memorial for Kobe and Gigi Bryant
Sign up for notifications from Insider! Stay up to date with what you want to know. Subscribe to push notificationsWatch: Ohio Rep. Tim Ryan is running for president — here's how mindfulness helps this top congressman stay calm in DC
ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7o8HSoqWeq6Oeu7S1w56pZ5ufonysu8GeZJuqqZa7tXnMnqSoqpmWuW6%2Fx5qorqGcobJuu82emKVlmqS4pr%2BMp6ZmoV2eu27AxJqkZmpgZ31ufg%3D%3D