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LeBron James Shows His Kobe Bryant Fandom Ahead of Hall of Fame Ceremony

Published 05/10/2021, 1:49 PM EDT

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When LeBron James joined the Los Angeles Lakers in 2018, Kobe Bryant officially passed on the torch to him. Although they were never able to play together in their NBA career, this was the closest it got. LeBron, who grew up idolizing Kobe, was now able to continue his legacy.

Fast forward three years later, Kobe is now going to be inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame. Although he may not be here anymore, he will be inducted posthumously. The ceremony is in five days and LeBron is hyped for it. Complex Sports recently shared a collage of Kobe pictures on Twitter where they wrote, “This week, Kobe will be inducted into the Hall of Fame. Hall of Famer Kobe Bryant.”

The image collage shows four of Kobe’s most iconic pictures from his title celebrations. LeBron couldn’t hide his excitement to see the Black Mamba being honored, as he replied to the tweet by saying “(Mamba) 4 Life!!” 

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While Kobe was the fiercest competitor, he also shared a mutual admiration for the King. In fact, his last ever tweet is a congratulatory message to LeBron. It came after LeBron crossed Kobe in the all-time scorers list.

Brotherly relationship of Kobe Bryant and LeBron James

Since he joined the Lakers in 2018, LeBron and Kobe shared a few intimate on-court moments when Kobe came to watch courtside. They would dap each other up, or just a hug, but that was enough for Lakers fans to be emotional. While that is when their affection for each other became more public, LeBron and Kobe were friends for years. But the Lakers union made them brothers.

“We’ve been close,” Bryant said back in 2016. “We talk more than people know.”

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Then after Kobe passed away in January 2020, LeBron was among the most affected players on the Lakers team. “I promise you I’ll continue your legacy man!” is what he said a day after Kobe’s passing. And just months later, LeBron and the Lakers brought home the title dedicated to Kobe. That was the one of the best tributes to Kobe.

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Five years since he bid adieu to the game, Kobe will now be added into the Hall of Fame this week, where he rightfully joins the best to have ever played the game. And with Michael Jordan doing the honors for Kobe, it could not have got any better. Mamba forever!

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Written by:

Aaron Mathew

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Aaron Mathew is a sports analyst at EssentiallySports. A graduate in Mass Media from Xavier’s College, Aaron has been a part of EssentiallySports since May 2020 where he covers both NBA and NCAA basketball news, and has also covered NBA 2K. In the past, Aaron has worked at the Sports Desk of Mumbai Mirror.
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