Kobe Bryant’s family wanted one thing.

Kobe Bryant and Shaq have a very interesting history. The two went through plenty of ups and downs, especially toward the end of their time together in Los Angeles. Ultimately, they will be remembered for winning a whopping three titles in a row during the early 2000s. Tomorrow, HBO will begin releasing its four-part docuseries on the life and career of Shaquille O’Neal. Fans are very excited to watch this new documentary, and it is assumed that Kobe will be making some appearances throughout. However, Kobe has passed away, which makes it a bit more difficult to provide coverage.

Recently, the director of the documentary, Robert Alexander, sat down with Rich Eisen to speak about making the new project. Additionally, he touched on the Kobe parts of the documentary. As he explained, Kobe’s family wanted to reduce the amount of Kobe Bryant-related scenes. Eventually, Alexander and Shaq obliged out of respect.

“But to be transparent, we also got to a point where we had a certain amount of their story in the film,” Alexander said. “Kobe’s family essentially requested that we reduce the amount of Kobe we have in the film.

“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.”

It makes sense that his family would make a request like this given everything that has gone on. Kobe is no longer around to explain himself, and it’s better for all sides if the documentary remains focused on Shaq.

Got a story or tip for us? Email Sports Gossip editors at tips@sportsgossip.com 

Want More From Sports Gossip? 

For all the latest breaking Sports Gossip, be sure to follow SportsGossip.com on FacebookInstagram, and Twitter.