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‘I’m sick right now:’ Shaq posts heartbreaking tribute for Kobe Bryant

Click to play video: 'NBA legend Kobe Bryant killed in helicopter crash near Los Angeles'
NBA legend Kobe Bryant killed in helicopter crash near Los Angeles
WATCH: NBA legend Kobe Bryant killed in helicopter crash near Los Angeles – Jan 26, 2020

Shaquille “Shaq” O’Neal posted a heartbreaking tribute for his friend and former teammate Kobe Bryant following the news of his death on Sunday.

The former Los Angeles Laker said he was “sick.”

“There’s no words to express the pain I’m going through with this tragedy of loosing [sic] my niece Gigi & my brother [Kobe Bryant],” he wrote on Twitter. 
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READ MORE: Kobe Bryant killed in helicopter crash near Los Angeles ⁠— reports

“I love u [sic] and u will be missed. My condolences goes [sic] out to the Bryant family and the families of the other passengers on board.”

Bryant, the retired NBA superstar, was among nine killed in a helicopter crash outside Los Angeles on Sunday. He was 41.

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CNN and NBC also reported Bryant’s 13-year-old daughter, Gianna, was among the victims.

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“Kobe was so much more than an athlete, he was a family man,” O’Neal said.

READ MORE: Canadian basketball community pays tribute to Kobe Bryant

“That was what we had most in common. I would hug his children like they were my own and he would embrace my kids like they were his.”

The retired NBA player added Bryant’s daughter Gianna, or “Gigi,” was born on the same day has his younger daughter Me’Arah.

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O’Neal, 47, and Bryant played for the Lakers between 1996 and 2004, becoming one of the most iconic duos in basketball.

Click to play video: 'Moment of silence for Kobe Bryant at NBA game between Rockets, Nuggets'
Moment of silence for Kobe Bryant at NBA game between Rockets, Nuggets

The two went on to win three back-to-back championships together between 2000 to 2002, the Bleacher Report noted.

But the two also had an ongoing public feud for years. In 2004, after losing to Detroit Pistons in the NBA Finals, the two parted ways.

Bryant stayed and played with the Lakers, while O’Neal went on to play with the Miami Heat.

Click to play video: '‘Utter devastation:’ Whitby gym-goers react to Kobe Bryant’s death'
‘Utter devastation:’ Whitby gym-goers react to Kobe Bryant’s death

The two exchanged petty conversations and critiqued each other’s games for years.

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But in 2009, during an NBA All-Star Game, some say the feud ended — the two picked up trophies for co-MVPs during the game, the Washington Post reported.

“You told me to take the trophy home,” O’Neal said in 2009.“I took it home and gave it to [my son] Shareef. I realized then that I may have messed something up. Because a lot of times that our beef was going on, you know me, I’m the master of marketing. About 60 per cent of the time, I was just saying to keep it going.”Many fans believed part of the Kobe-Shaq feud was a marketing campaign.READ MORE: Celebrities react to Kobe Bryant’s death: ‘My heart is in pieces’

“I was an a**hole to this guy [Bryant], so I owe you an apology,” he said.

In 2018, the two sat in front of each other during a sit-down segment, reflecting on their beef.

O’Neal also paid tribute to his friend on Instagram.

“I miss you already brother. This is truly unbelievable. Everyone please keep the Bryant’s in your prayers,” he said.

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A post shared by DR. SHAQUILLE O'NEAL Ed.D. (@shaq)

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