Despite their highly-publicized feud during their time as teammates with the Los Angeles Lakers, it is also a known fact that Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant were eventually able to patch up their differences years later. These two actually developed a very close friendship, and this is exactly why Shaq was so deeply hurt by the untimely passing of Kobe in January.

Recently, O'Neal shared the grieving process he went through upon learning of that tragic helicopter accident.

“When he passed away, I couldn't believe it,” he said, via Ryan Parker of The Hollywood Reporter.

Denial is one of the first reactions any person could have when faced with such a shattering bit of news. Shaq was no different, as he simply could not accept that one of his closest friends had just passed away in such a devastating manner.

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Shaq went on to say that one of the first things he did was to go on a trip down memory lane, going through some old videos of himself and Kobe during their unforgettable time together with the Lakers.

“I watched every playoff game that we ever played,” he added. “I just sat in my room and told people I don't want to talk to anyone. And I am just looking at him [on film] like it can't be true because he is right there on the screen.”

It is also worth noting that O'Neal had just recently lost his sister to cancer. It has been a terrible past few months for the Hall of Famer, and we truly hope that he is able to move past this challenging time in his life sooner rather than later.