August 23 is a special day on the basketball calendar. No, it doesn’t signify any particular date about a historic achievement as such. August 23, is the birth anniversary of Lakers icon Kobe Bryant, who would have turned 42 if he lived today. Unfortunately, a tragic air accident took his life, leaving a void in the world. 

On Kobe’s birthday, we can tune into old clips of the Mamba to cheer ourselves up and enjoy how good he was. The five-time champion dedicated half his life to get better at playing basketball. Besides, conquering the NBA, Kobe also represented team USA in the Olympics and won two gold medals in 2008 and 2012. 

The journey to winning the 2008 games was a special one. Team USA came out winning only the bronze medal in a disappointing campaign in the 2004 games. This fired Kobe up, who wanted to lead the team in 2008 and help them find success. 

Ultimately, Kobe did lead the team to Olympic gold, fulfilling the objective he set out to complete. The reason why we are bringing up the story about the 2008 games is that Team USA played the gold medal game on August 24, against Spain. The day before the crucial game was Kobe’s birthday, which the team celebrated together.  

When LeBron James beautifully organized the birthday celebrations for Kobe Bryant

LeBron James and Kobe Bryant shared a huge mutual respect. In 2008, LeBron was still with Cleveland, while Kobe was a three-peat winner. During their Olympic campaign, Kobe’s birthday coincided on the eve of the gold medal game against Pau Gasol’s Spanish national team. 

During a team gathering on August 23, LeBron took over as the initiator and sent out a loud announcement to his teammates and their families, who were also present in the room. “Today is Kobe Bryant’s 30th birthday, and we’re gonna sing happy birthday,” LeBron says in the video. 

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As the whole room unites to sing Kobe the birthday song, the Mamba gets up from his seat, holding his daughter Natalia in his arms. After a thundering applause, LeBron walks up to his teammate, gives him a slice of the birthday cake, and shares a quick hug. 

This is truly a heartwarming video for every basketball fan out there. LeBron James and Kobe Bryant shared a strong brotherhood, that illuminated the NBA. LBJ surpassed Kobe in the all-time scoring list, just a day before the latter embarked on the journey that would take his life. Kobe even posted a photo on Instagram to congratulate LeBron on the achievement.