Shaquille O’Neal Restores Kobe Bryant’s High School SUV, Gifts It to Bryant’s Mother on His 47th Birthday

Shaquille O’Neal has gifted Pam Bryant a fully restored 1996 Toyota Land Cruiser once owned by her son, Kobe Bryant, during his high school days at Lower Merion outside Philadelphia. The surprise presentation took place on Aug. 23, which would have marked the late Lakers star’s 47th birthday.

O’Neal commissioned Effortless Motors, a Riverside, Calif., customization shop that has previously worked on his cars, to return the Land Cruiser to its original condition after years of exposure left the vehicle weathered.

“The paint, we had to do a complete 360 restore. Interior was a little rough,” co-owner Daniel Ubario told NBC Los Angeles. Partner Ahmad Abdelrahman added, “The number one thing you don’t want to do is let Shaq down.”

The SUV had spent time in Las Vegas, where Pam Bryant now lives, and had endured harsh winters in Pennsylvania when Kobe was a prep phenom. The shop’s overhaul met O’Neal’s standards, and, more importantly, Pam Bryant’s. “She was extremely thankful,” Abdelrahman said.

“It was in a little rough condition,” Ubario said. “The paint, we had to do a fully, fully restore, 360 restore. Interior was a little rough.”

The job was completed to Shaq’s satisfaction, but, more importantly, to Kobe’s mom’s.

“She 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.

“To be there on Kobe’s birthday and meet her for the first time meant a lot.”

Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna, 13, died in a January 2020 helicopter crash. Bryant retired from the Los Angeles Lakers in 2016 and was 41.