Until the end of time, LeBron James and Kobe Bryant will be tied together in the realms of basketball history. As two of the greatest players to step on the court this century, James and Bryant built a special relationship during their respective careers. Their bond only grew tighter when James joined Bryant's longtime home franchise, the Los Angeles Lakers. During his second season with the Lakers, James passed Bryant on the National Basketball Association's all-time scoring list. As a true legend, Bryant congratulated James with a tweet.
"Continuing to move the game forward, LeBron James. Much respect my brother," he wrote.
Less than twenty-four hours, Bryant passed away alongside his daughter, Gianna, during a tragic helicopter crash. His tweet congratulating James still stands as the last on his account. One year later, James took time to reflect on the tragic passing of his opponent and friend.
"Us being able to remember him and wear the [Kobe Bryant honorary, Black Mamba] jerseys during the postseason and have the postseason success we had, as you guys saw with those uniforms. We got a lot of guys that wear his shoes still to this day," he told reporters after last night's win against the Bulls.
"I'm able to wear the 2-4 on my finger every night, and when we play at Staples Center you see that 8 and 24 in the rafters and be able to just live his legacy on. There's a lot of things that die in the world, but legends never die, and he's exactly that. So, it's all about representing him."
Shortly after speaking to the legacy of his friend and fellow Laker, Anthony Davis spoke about Bryant's legacy with the Lakers and the entire NBA.
"As we approach his one-year anniversary, it saddens our hearts to actually come to the realization that he's gone," Davis told ESPN.
"I know I still have trouble with it, you still just can't believe it... To this day, it's, 'Mamba on three!' anytime we bring it in because we still want to recognize that he's a part of our organization. And ever since the tragedy happened, we had a mindset that this is bigger than, you know, ourselves."
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