Shaquille O'Neal Says 'We All Knew' Kobe Bryant Would Be Inducted Into Hall of Fame: 'I Wish He Was There'

Shaquille O'Neal has mixed emotions about his late teammate and friend Kobe Bryant being inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame this past weekend.

O'Neal, 49, appeared virtually on Jimmy Live Live! Monday, where he spoke about Bryant's induction at the hall's ceremony on Saturday, where Bryant's widow Vanessa accepted the award on his behalf while joined by their daughters.

"I just wish he was here to receive the prestigious award because we all knew he was going to be a Hall of Famer," O'Neal said of Bryant, who died at age 41 in a tragic helicopter crash alongside his daughter Gianna and seven others in January 2020.

"His wife did a great job," the Inside the NBA co-host added of Vanessa, 39. "His daughters, they looked beautiful. I wish he was there."

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O'Neal most recently remembered Bryant during an interview on NBC News' 3rd Hour of the Today show in January, just ahead of the one-year anniversary of the famed athlete's tragic death.

"We had a very enigmatic relationship," O'Neal told Craig Melvin of his friendship with Bryant. (The pair played together on the Los Angeles Lakers together for eight seasons from 1996-2004.) "That's why I would say, we were the most dominant one, two points ever created. Enigmatic, controversial, having fun and there never will be another like us," he continued. "You know, it's still kind of hard. [I] redid my living room, redid my gym. His picture is up on the wall."

"He was already a legend," O'Neal added. "He was already a guy that will never be forgotten, but he was definitely, definitely gone too soon."

MATT CAMPBELL/AFP via Getty Images Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal

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In February 2020, O'Neal delivered a heartfelt tribute at Bryant's celebration of life, where he reflected on their friendship and the memorable moments they shared as Lakers teammates.

"When I ever imagined speaking to a group of people about Kobe Bryant, I usually pictured it in a context of a Hall of Fame induction or as a guest speaker at one of Kobe and Vanessa's foundation events, but never did I imagine that I would be here speaking today … and it pains me to my core," he said at the time. "Like all of you, I continue to be devastated over the loss of my friend, my little brother, Kobe Bryant and my beautiful niece Gigi. All of us were forever changed on January 26."

Calling Bryant "a loyal friend and a true renaissance man," O'Neal went on to discuss their "very complex relationship," which he said wasn't always what it seemed from the outside.

"Kobe and I pushed one another to play some of the greatest basketball of all time," he explained. "Yeah, sometimes like immature kids, we argued, we fought, bantered, and made offhand remarks to each other, but make no mistake: even when folks thought we were on bad terms, when the cameras were turned off, he and I would throw a wink at each other and say 'Let's go whoop some ass.' In truth, Kobe and I always maintained a deep respect and love for one another."