Shaquille O’Neal will soon be the primary subject of a career-spanning documentary series aptly named “Shaq.” While fans would assume that late Lakers legend Kobe Bryant would play a rather large role in the series, it looks like that may not be the case. The reason for that is because Bryant’s family reportedly requested that O’Neal and the rest of the creators behind the upcoming series “reduce the amount” of Bryant in the project. “I think there’s a really strong amount of Kobe,” director Robert Alexander said. “There’s two sides to it.”
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He added that plans did have to change slightly based on the Bryant family’s request. “But to be transparent, we also got to a point where we had a certain amount of their story in the film,” Alexander continued. “Kobe’s family essentially requested that we reduce the amount of Kobe we have in the film.” When interviewer Rich Eisen asked why, Alexander made it clear that the team decided to respect the family’s wishes. “I’m not totally sure, but out of respect for their wishes we did it, we went ahead and we complied. … So I’m very proud of what we ended up with, as far as the amount of Kobe content that we have, that relates to Shaq’s story, but at the end of the day it’s a Shaq film.”
Former Orlando Magic player Shaquille O’Neal is the subject of a new four-part documentary series airing next month on HBO. Titled simply “Shaq,” the series will detail the life and career of the NBA Hall of Famer and pop culture icon, from his upbringing in a military family to his ascent to superstardom. The series will feature exclusive interviews with O’Neal as well as important figures from his life including his family as well as former NBA teammates Penny Hardaway, Dwyane Wade, Dennis Scott, Brian Shaw, Derek Fisher and Rick Fox. Interviews with coaches Phil Jackson and Pat Riley and former Los Angeles Lakers general manager Jerry West will also be part of the special.
