Shaq -- Congratulates Kobe ... 'Love U Lil Bro'

What feud?

Shaquille O'Neal says he loves Kobe Bryant like a brother ... despite their rocky "Tell Me How My Ass Tastes" past ... and to prove it, he offered Mamba some advice on his upcoming retirement.

"Its time for u to take it all in," Shaq tweeted to his former teammate ... "Sit back, relax & enjoy all that u have built. Love u lil bro."

The two essentially buried the hatchet back in August ... when they appeared on a podcast together and expressed regret over the way their feud played out in the media back in the day.

Of course, the biggest shot fired was Shaq's freestyle attack on Kobe in a NYC club back in 2008 ... but it seems they're both over it now.