And Jordan- widely regarded as the greatest basketball player of all-time - led the tributes as the world mourned the all-time NBA legend. So when West and Jordan met for dinner at Craig's on Melrose on Feb. 23, the night before Bryant's public memorial, West watched Jordan carefully, making sure he was supporting his friend as he grieved. The truth is, this had been happening from the moment Bryant entered the NBA in 1996. ", MORE: Kobe, the Nike deal and takeaways from 'The Last Dance', MJ kept NBA superstars at a distance, but Kobe broke through, Doc out as Clips coach after surprising playoff exit, Cuban offers help, picks up Delonte West by car, Lakers heavy Finals faves, but Heat popular bet, LaMelo not worried about LaVar's draft thoughts, Calif. enacts new law prompted by Kobe crash, Adebayo redeemed as Heat advance to Finals, NBA Finals: Storylines and stats that matter ahead of Lakers-Heat, Jimmy Butler and the Heat are caught in a barista battle in the NBA bubble, 'You have to be cut from the cloth': The embodiments of Miami Heat culture, Lowe: What a key play by Andre Iguodala tells us about Heat-Celtics, Don't take LeBron James for granted in 2020, Why NBA teams are desperate enough to use zone defenses, Jokic's beloved Serbian coach always knew the big man was destined for greatness, Fistfights, battle lines and Show(boat) time: Inside the Lakers' Kobe-Shaq dynasty, Jordan never stopped to dry his tears during the 10-minute speech, Kobe's greatness was both beautiful and maddening, Lakers legend Kobe Bryant: Remembrances and reaction, How Phil Jackson is influencing today's NBA coaches, Bryant, who died along with eight others in a helicopter crash on Jan. 26, Kobe, the Nike deal and takeaways from 'The Last Dance', Spent seven years at the Los Angeles Daily News. With Kobe, it was the complete opposite. "I know a lot of players were intimidated by him and called him 'Black Jesus' and all this other stuff. I loved Kobe — he was like a little brother to me.” pic.twitter.com/r8JNMjfuRR, There’s no words to express the pain Im going through with this tragedy of loosing my neice Gigi & my brother @kobebryant I love u and u will be missed. When he learned that Jordan had the rights to footage shot of his final season, Bryant commissioned a camera crew to film his final seasons. You have no items in your shopping cart. The sporting world lost a true legendThoughts and prayers with his family.RIP Champ ❤️ pic.twitter.com/Rnn5JZaA0X, Few bigger icons in the history of world sport than Kobe Bryant. How did two ultracompetitive alpha dogs bond so deeply? "Kobe was also an amazing dad who loved his family deeply - and took great pride in his daughter's love for the game of basketball. ", And Tony Parker posted: "I’m heartbroken by this news, you were a true legend, and friend. RIP Kobe + GiGi ❤️ I know you said keep going but today we can’t. I’m stunned.
Because I'll be damned if I retire without a purpose. To see all content on The Sun, please use the Site Map. "You can't learn if you don't ask," Bryant said in 2019, during the interview he did for "The Last Dance." There's just only so much time and so few people who were actually capable of doing something with his advice.