Former NBA star Shaquille O'Neal honored legend Kobe Bryant with a heartfelt gesture. With the help of Riverside-based Effortless Motors, O'Neal helped to restore a 1996 Toyota Land Cruiser that was once owned by the Black Mamba himself. O'Neal presented the gift to Bryant's mother, Pam, on Sunday, August 24, also known as Kobe Day in Los Angeles.
In July, the current sports analyst and DJ spoke on the Off The Record podcast about his relationship with the late Bryant's family.
"I'm really close to his mom now. We talk all the time. I just call her to check on her, see if she needs anything. Flowers. ‘Love you’. ‘Miss you’. Stuff like that,” said O'Neal.
According to O'Neal's friend Anthony Hall, the 7'1" former Lakers star spotted the Land Cruiser parked in front of Pam Bryant's house. When she told him it had once belonged to her son, Kobe, he took notice—especially since the vehicle was in rough shape. O'Neal then reached out to the company that customizes his own jaw-dropping car collection for the one-of-a-kind restoration project.
This isn’t the first time O’Neal has honored his former teammate with a car-related tribute. In July, he revealed a video on social media showcasing his custom wide-body convertible Dodge Hellcat, inside of a garage with a memorial mural honoring Bryant.
It's unclear just how much the 1996 Land Cruiser restoration cost, or what Bryant's mother thought of the gift, but the token shows that O'Neal and Bryant's once-famous feud had long since been put to rest. O'Neal had told People in the past that, "I'll never get to see Kobe again, in real life, forever. And I just should have called. He should have called. We both should have called. But he's working, I'm working, so it's 'I'll see you when I see you.'"