Shaq's son Shaqir O'Neal reshares old snap with Lakers legend Kobe Bryant

Shaqir O'Neal, the son of legendary NBA player Shaquille O'Neal, recently shared a nostalgic photograph featuring himself and the late Kobe Bryant. On his Instagram story, Shaqir reposted a throwback photo of him as a teenager shaking hands with Bryant, a fellow Lakers icon.

Shaqir posted on Instagram story (@shaqironeall/IG)

The image, which appears to have been taken during a basketball game, was previously posted by Shaqir on his Instagram in August 2018.

"Mamba mentality," Shaqir captioned the post, referring to Bryant's iconic nickname.

Shaqir O'Neal's father Shaq and Bryant had a well-documented and sometimes tumultuous relationship during their time as Lakers teammates. They played together for eight seasons, winning three NBA championships in a row from 2000 to 2002.

Tragically Bryant died in a helicopter crash in January 2020 at the age of 41, along with his daughter Gianna.

Shaqir, who plays college basketball for the Florida A&M Rattlers, has spoken in the past about the influence Bryant had on him and the legacy he left behind. His Instagram story post is a tribute to the basketball legend, whose fifth anniversary of passing will be observed this weekend.

Shaqir O'Neal shines as Florida A&M Rattlers defeat Mississippi Valley

Following a zero-point game against Arkansas–Pine Bluff on Saturday, where he only played seven minutes, Shaqir O'Neal bounced back against Mississippi Valley State on Monday. The 6-foot-8 junior scored 10 points and grabbed 6 rebounds in 14 minutes of play as the Rattlers defeated the Delta Devils 83-53.

Florida A&M registered just their 5th win of the season, and a back-to-back win for the first time since early December. Before their win against Arkansas–Pine Bluff, FAMU had dropped six consecutive games.

Shaqir hit 3 of 4 shots, including one 3-pointer, and was a perfect 3-for-3 from the free throw line.

Here is the full stat line for O'Neal vs MVSU:

• 14 minutes played
• 10 points
• 6 rebounds
• 2 assists
• 1 block
• 1 steal
• 4 turnovers
• 3-4 FG
• 1-2 3PT
• 3-3 FT

Shaqir O'Neal joined the Rattlers this season after playing two seasons at Texas Southern, where he started only two games during his time there. At FAMU, he has started in 10 games so far increasing his playing time to around 20 minutes per game compared to 8.2 minutes at Texas Southern.

The Los Angeles native forward is averaging 8.2 points and 3.5 rebounds per game while shooting 50.5% from the field and 65.9% from the free throw line.