When LeBron James Showed His Brotherly Love for Kobe Bryant With a Birthday Song

Published 08/23/2021, 6:30 AM EDT

23 August marks a great celebration in the heart of basketball fans. Today is the day Kobe Bryant would have turned 43. The ‘Mamba’ remains to be one of the greatest pioneers of basketball, and will always remain to be so.

Kobe has made many memorable moments in his long, illustrious career. He made the city of LA his home, spending his entire career with them. He won everything in his career and did not leave a single stone unturned. Bryant turned his childhood dream into a reality, becoming a prime example of ‘hard work pays off.’

He even made his mark on the international stage with Team USA. Kobe helped USA take gold in 2008 and 2012. Notably, his contributions with the ‘Redeem Team’ are the highlights of his USA career. We saw many behind-the-scenes moments from 2008, and one of them involves Kobe’s birthday celebration.

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LeBron sang for Kobe Bryant

The relationship between the ‘King’ and ‘Mamba’ was always special. Bryant passed on the torch to LeBron once he retired from the game. They shared the court a few times when they played together for Team USA. And, during that time, James even sang the birthday song for Bryant.

A look back at LeBron singing on Kobe’s birthday is just what fans would want to see today. In the heartwarming video, Bryant even has his late daughter, Gianna in his arms.

He and James continued their bond from 2008 all the way to LeBron wearing the purple and gold. Notably, Bryant even congratulated LeBron for surpassing him in career points. Now, let’s look at how Kobe Bryant and the 2008 ‘Redeem Team’ dominated the Olympics.

2008 Redeem Team

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The 2008 Team USA remains as one of the most important in USA basketball history. After an embarrassing bronze medal finish in 2004, USA basketball was in complete disarray. This is when the Redeem Team was be assembled; stars such as Kobe Bryant and Jason Kidd decided to suit up for the Olympics this time around.

The redeem team went on to win Gold at the 2008 Olympics. However, it was no easy job. Their finals match against Spain was nothing short of a battle, but Bryant came to the rescue. He went on to score 13 fourth-quarter points to seal the gold medal for Team USA. His famous celebration came in this game when he hit a clutch three-pointer.

The gold reinstated USA as the best international team and proved that no other team came close to the talent that they possessed. They went on to win yet again in 2012, which ended up being Kobe’s last Olympics stint.

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Written by:

Anuj Talwalkar is an NBA writer at EssentiallySports. He is a student studying at NM College in Mumbai, aspiring to pursue sports management to follow his love for sports. Anuj started following the NBA last year, and he loves to combine his passion for writing with his understanding of basketball.

When LeBron James Showed His Brotherly Love for Kobe Bryant With a Birthday Song

LeBron sang for Kobe Bryant

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2008 Redeem Team