On January 26, shocking news surfaced that Los Angeles Lakers great Kobe Bryant had died in a helicopter crash at age 41.
Ahead of Kobe’s sudden death, the former Lakers superstar sent a message to the team’s current superstar, LeBron James. Bryant’s message was one of a humble nature, in recognition of LeBron’s recent feat.
LeBron, Kobe linked by NBA greatness and history
On Saturday evening, LeBron James and the Lakers were involved in a road game against the Philadelphia 76ers. Ahead of the game, it was made clear to fans everywhere that James could pass Kobe for third-place on the all-time NBA scoring list.
It happened in the third quarter as LeBron officially passed Kobe in terms of career points. Right now he sits at No. 3 and Bryant one spot below him. James now has 33,655 points as of this report, while Bryant had 33,643 during his 20-year NBA career.
Most likely, Kobe Bryant was watching somewhere or was notified once LeBron hit the major milestone. James is now behind former Utah Jazz and Lakers star Karl Malone for second-place. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar sits at No. 1, after spending multiple seasons with Milwaukee and Los Angeles in his career.
LeBron made sure to mention how much of a role Kobe played in terms of shaping his basketball career. In a lengthy video from ESPN following James’ accomplishment, he spoke of his favorite Kobe memories and how much he admired the basketball great. The stories arrived after a surreal moment for James where he passed one of his idols.
LeBron also paid tribute to the former Lakers star for the game. James was shown wearing black sneakers ahead of the scoring milestone with “Mamba 4 Life KB 24/8” inscribed on them in gold marker.
.@KingJames wrote "Mamba 4 Life" on his shoes as he has a chance to pass @kobebryant for third on the all-time scoring list 🐍 pic.twitter.com/9n6afaaXBR
— ESPN (@espn) January 26, 2020
In late December, Kobe attended a historic performance as LeBron and the Lakers took on the Dallas Mavericks. During that game, James achieved his 9,000th career assist with Bryant watching from the nearby seats.
Kobe Bryant’s final tweet praises LeBron James’ achievement
Kobe is originally from the City of Brotherly Love. He wasn’t in attendance for the Lakers game in Philadelphia but still made sure to send out a tweet to congratulate the latest Lakers superstar on the career achievement.
“Continuing to move the game forward,” Kobe tweeted at LeBron. “Much respect my brother,” Bryant added with a muscle emoji and #33644.
Continuing to move the game forward @KingJames. Much respect my brother 💪🏾 #33644
— Kobe Bryant (@kobebryant) January 26, 2020
It showed that the man who previously ranked amongst the three-greatest scorers in league history was humble enough to take the time to recognize LeBron moving past him. Like many other people, Kobe has known for years that the league is in good hands with James, and will continue to be there as LeBron’s career goes forth.
All love between @kobebryant and @KingJames 🤝 pic.twitter.com/EsK4CHtwbQ
— ESPN (@espn) January 26, 2020
It’s also known that Kobe Bryant will continue to receive deserved recognition in the coming days, weeks, months, and years as he was amongst the true greats in the sports world.