“Rest in Power”: Kevin Garnett and Shaquille O’Neal Pay Tribute to Carl Weathers, Who Played Apollo Creed in ‘Rocky’ Franchise

The famous quote delivered by Carl Weathers, aka Apollo Creed in Rocky, “There is no tomorrow,” left an indelible impact on millions of people around the world. The Emmy Award nominee sadly bid farewell at the age of 76, and his death received an emotional response from various NBA entities, including Shaquille O’Neal and Kevin Garnett. Weathers’ family released a statement informing the world that he had passed away peacefully in his sleep. 

O’Neal shared an Instagram post of a young Carl Weathers by ESPN. Shaq has been a huge fan of bodybuilding and he also got the chance to meet the 220-pound legend in 2007. 16 years ago, the 4x NBA champion met Weathers at the ESPYs at Kodak Theatre on July 11. Shaq and Weathers shared a small moment where they greeted each other on the red carpet. 

Sports gave Weathers a head start in his career that he always took pride in. He joined San Diego University through scholarship, to show the world that sports is also a helping hand, just like academics. It did not stop there. The Rocky sensation started his career in the NFL as a linebacker for the Oakland Raiders.

He played two seasons and just 8 games in the NFL and later in the Canadian Football League (CFL), where he had a few highlights. His aspiration to work in front of the camera helped him leave sports. They always say you should burn your first dream to achieve your second. Well, that is what Weathers did, and became a household name because of the ‘Rocky’ movie franchise. He only went on to achieve bigger and better things as he was nominated for an Emmy for his role in The Mandalorian in 2021.

Boston Celtics great Kevin Garnett took the time to share “Rest in Power” for Weathers, sharing the same post that Shaq storied on his Instagram. Along with Dwyane Wade’s wife Gabrielle Union, ‘Rocky’ Sylvester Stallone also had some beautiful words to share which reduced fans to tears.

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Sylvester Stallone, Gabrielle Union, and Magic Johnson speak highly of Apollo Creed

Stallone believes his life can be defined as before and after Carl Weathers. He shared on his Instagram, “My life was forever changed for the better the day I met Carl Weathers. Rest in power and keeping punching.” Along with his, Stallone shared a video of him speaking about the demise. 

Speaking on their famous movie franchise, he shared, “I never could have accomplished what we did with Rocky without him. He was absolutely brilliant.” Los Angeles Lakers legend Magic Johnson also had some beautiful words to share, writing, “Rest in peace to the truly amazing actor and entertainer, Carl Weathers. We all marveled at his talents on the big screen in the “Rocky” franchise as Apollo Creed.”

The earliest reaction to Weathers’ demise was from Dwyane Wade‘s wife Gabrielle Union, who shared on her Instagram story, “#RIPCARLWEATHERS”, sharing the iconic image of Apollo Creed holding Rocky’s picture from the famous movie. The death of Carl Weathers has brought the fans of the sporting world and the film industry together as they mourn the loss of a legend.

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