‘Kobe would want us to push through’: Shaq won’t cancel his Super Bowl party in Miami

Madeleine Marr
·2 min read

The show must go on.

Shaquille O’Neal is reeling after the death of his former Los Angeles Lakers teammate Kobe Bryant, but won’t let his sadness get in the way of his Super Bowl party in Miami Friday night.

The onetime Miami Heat star is bringing his Shaq’s Fun House to Mana Wynwood and will put on his best game face.

But the carnival-like party is sure to be a toned-down affair in the wake of Bryant’s tragic death last weekend in a helicopter crash that also claimed eight other people, including the Lakers legend’s 13-year-old daughter, Gianna, an aspiring basketball star.

Shaq couldn’t contain his tears during a TNT tribute at LA’s Staples Center Tuesday night along with a somber Dwyane Wade, Charles Barkley, Kenny Smith, Ernie Johnson, Reggie Miller and Jerry West. And after that outpouring of grief, we had to wonder if he’d make it down to Miami, after all.

“I haven’t felt a pain that sharp in a while,” O’Neal admitted, with tears streaming down his cheeks. “It definitely changes me.”

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But, pro that he is, Shaq will play host and make sure everyone has fun. To pay homage to his “little brother,” O’Neal said on Instagram that the Wynwood event will still happen, despite his grief.

“Been going back and forth the past couple of days on if I should even have my event in Miami this weekend,” Shaq captioned the post. “Part of me wanted to stay to myself as I reflect what my brother and his family mean to me and my family. But in thinking what would Kobe want, what would he do? Kobe would want us to push through and celebrate life.”

O’Neal goes on to say that he will donate 100 percent of proceeds from Friday night’s Fun House to all the families who lost loved ones in the accident and to the Kobe and Vanessa Bryant Foundation.

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“Together we will celebrate all those who lost their lives in Sunday’s tragedy. RIP my brother, my friend and my homie, The Black Mamba. Until we meet again.”

Tickets available at shaqsfunhouse.com