If the death of Kobe Bryant hit people who didn’t even personally know him this hard, imagine what it did to those who did know him. People already heard from Shaq, but now LeBron James has spoken. When he learned of the news, he was in tears, like the rest of the world.
In 2008, Kobe Bryant completed his comeback, which began in 2006, following the departure of Shaq from the Lakers. The years of 2006-2008 were also when LeBron James established himself as the NBA’s elite. Sports media hyped a Kobe/LeBron rivalry that never really came.
However, in 2008, LeBron James and Kobe Bryant did bond, during the Olympics, along with Dwyane Wade, Chris Paul, and Carmelo Anthony. A big reason why LeBron joined the Lakers, in 2018, was Kobe Bryant recruiting him. In the wake of his death, LeBron was silent, but came with a heartfelt IG post for Kobe and Gigi, sending well-wishes to Vanessa and his surviving family.
