Shaq Gives Kobe Bryant's Mom A Heartwarming Gift – Her Son's Restored High School Car

In a heartwarming moment for sports fans — and anyone who needs a bit of hopecore in their life — Shaquille O'Neal gifted Kobe Bryant's mom the fully restored 1996 Toyota Land Cruiser that the late legend owned in high school. O'Neal gifted the car to Pam Bryant on August 23rd, 2025, which would have been Kobe's 47th birthday. 

Kobe Bryant and his daughterGianna passed away in January 2020 in a helicopter crash. It was a heartbreaking moment for the NBA community. Bryant was a five-time NBA champion while playing with the Los Angeles Lakers, and is considered one of the best two-way players in history. 

He played alongside O'Neal, who remained in contact with Bryant's mother the past five years after his teammate's death. "I'm really close with [Kobe's] mother now," O'Neal said on the Off The Record podcast. "We talk all the time, 'cause I know her pain," O'Neal said. "So I just call her, just to check on her — see if she needs anything. Flowers, love you, miss you — stuff like that." This now also includes gifting her Kobe Bryant's car. 

Notorious car collector O'Neal brought Kobe's 1996 Toyota Land Cruiser to Effortless Motors in Riverside, California to be restored — and he took this mission very seriously. O'Neal requested that they finish the pretty complex job in under two months and was very, very impatient about it, hoping to get it to Pam in time for Kobe's birthday. However, this was a big ask, since the car was in rough shape. Going from Philadelphia's snowy winters to Las Vegas' dry, sunny summers had left the SUV quite beat up, especially the paint. 

O'Neal requested that the Land Cruiser — one of Toyota's best-looking SUVs – be restored to its 1996 looks which meant removing its wrap to paint the vehicle its original, factory color. The team also had to fix all of the seats, adding to the tension of getting it done in time. 

Co-owners Ahmad Abdelrahman and Daniel Ubario told NBC Los Angeles that being a part of this project was a dream come true, despite all the chaos and pressure. "[His mom] was extremely thankful, and to be there on Kobe's birthday, and I met her for the first time. It meant a lot to me too," Abdelrahman said.