NBA legend Shaquille O'Neal said he has kept in touch with his former teammate Kobe Bryant's mother, Pamela."I always check in on Kobe's mom," O'Neal told People in an interview released on Thursday. "I check in on his mom once a month, make sure she's okay. Their mom has been through a lot in a couple of years, and that takes a toll, and sometimes you just need somebody to just call to check on you."I kind of know what it feels like with the passing of her son, but I don't know what it feels like to lose a son and a husband, so I'm sure she has a lot of pain that she's dealing with."Kobe Bryant's father, Joe, a former NBA player, died of a stroke in July last year. In 2020, Kobe and his 13-year-old daughter Gigi died in a helicopter crash, along with seven other people.Shaquille O'Neal recalled that before Kobe's death, the late LA Lakers legend used to "check in" on his parents.O'Neal and Bryant played together for eight seasons with the Lakers, winning three straight championships from 2000 to 2002. The 7-foot-1 center was named the NBA Finals MVP in each of their title runs.O'Neal and Bryant's off-court relationship soured towards the end of their stint as teammates. The rift reportedly stemmed from a difference in their roles. The superstars' former coach, Phil Jackson, chronicled the latter years of the messy relationship in a book.Shaquille O'Neal calls Kobe Bryant the 'best teammate' in a tribute videoShaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant's feud de-escalated as they went on with their NBA careers. After their retirement, the NBA legends praised each other, even appearing in several engagements.During Bryant's statue unveiling ceremony in February 2024, O'Neal narrated a tribute video by "NBA on TNT." In the clip, O'Neal referred to Bryant:"The most competitive player I’ve ever seen and the best teammate I ever had."Bryant spent his entire 20-year NBA career with the LA Lakers. When he retired in 2016, he was widely regarded as among the greatest basketball players of all time. The NBA named the All-Star Game MVP Award in his honor. Bryant was posthumously inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame as part of the Class of 2020.Meanwhile, Shaquille O'Neal played for 19 seasons and is a four-time champion. He retired in 2011 and went into the HOF in 2016.