LeBron James Mourns Loss of Kobe Bryant With Touching Tribute on Instagram
By Michael Luciano
The NBA is still struggling to cope with the death of Kobe Bryant at the age of 41, as he was one of nine passengers, 13-year-old Gianna Bryant among them, that perished in a helicopter accident in Calabasas on Sunday.
Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James, who always looked at Kobe as a mentor and someone to idolize, poured his heart out on Instagram, as he can't believe Kobe and Gianna are gone so young.
LeBron mourns the death of Kobe Bryant pic.twitter.com/GB3YgN1DPR
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) January 28, 2020
James speaks for anyone who ever saw Kobe play and grew up idolizing either No. 8 or No. 24.
The last Tweet Kobe sent in this world was a statement congratulating LeBron for moving past him on the NBA's all-time scoring list. Not even a full 24 hours later, Bryant was one of nine killed in a helicopter crash.
Continuing to move the game forward @KingJames. Much respect my brother ?? #33644
— Kobe Bryant (@kobebryant) January 26, 2020
The finality of what has happened is starting to sink in for James and Laker Nation.
James and Bryant were supposed to be rivals given how their careers intersected, but the duo sprouted a mutual friendship from Day 1. Many around the globe and around the Lakers are still in shock from Kobe's untimely demise, but James is among those that felt this loss in their core.