Shaquille O'Neal has told plenty of previously untold stories about his time with former Los Angeles Lakers co-star Kobe Bryant. This anecdote was told roughly three weeks before his death, as the big man appeared on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon and talked about how a young Bryant met him and Penny Hardaway before his rookie season in the NBA:
Transcript via The Sports Rush:
“Actually, Kobe reminded me of the story. I was in Orlando, and him and his family came in the locker room, and he asked Penny for an autograph, and I guess Penny kinda blew him off or whatever, I’m not sure, this is what Kobe was telling me. And then he said he came up to me and I was really nice to him, and I had never knew that until one day he told me (during) his rookie year. He was like ‘do you remember me?’ I was like ‘nah.’ He was like ‘I came in the locker room’ and I was like ‘oh yeah, that was you.”
Even before breaking out as a high school star, Kobe Bryant was a big fan of the NBA after his father, Joe Bryant, had done a stint in the league before going overseas to resume his career.
It's weird to think about Hardaway blowing off one of the best players of his generation, though meeting players in the locker room is always a hit-or-miss scenario.
Shaq and Kobe would go on to win three titles together, then established a feud for a few years before becoming friendly again at the tail end of their careers.