Michael Jordan cannot bring himself to remove late Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant's number from his phone. The interactions are too precious.
Jordan fondly recalled some of his final conversations with Bryant prior to the Lakers legend's tragic death in January of 2020. He told ESPN's Jackie MacMullan he has not been able to bring himself to remove the Lakers great's number from his cell phone:
“I don't know why,” Jordan said, via MacMullan, “but I just can't delete it.”
Jordan's final texts with Bryant included an inquiry regarding Kobe's role as coach of his daughter, Gianna, who–along with Kobe and seven others–also lost her life in that helicopter crash outside of Calabasas:
“Happy holidays,” Jordan texted back to the Laker icon, via MacMullan, “and hope to catch up soon. Coach Kobe??!”
“I added that little crying/laughing emoji,” Jordan said.
“Ah, back at you, man,” Kobe wrote. “Hey, coach, I'm sitting on the bench right now, and we're blowing this team out. 45-8.”
“His Airness” developed a special relationship with Bryant through the years. It was only right. The two were mirror images of each other, from their similar play styles to the ultra-competitive mindsets both brought to the hardwood.
Michael Jordan gave a touching tribute to the guy he called his “little brother” during Bryant's eulogy. He will honor Kobe again later this week as the presenter for the Lakers icon as Bryant is inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. Current Lakers star LeBron James recently reacted to Bryant's impending induction.
Bryant might be gone, but his legacy is enduring. This also pertains to personal relationships every bit as much as it does to the Lakers organization and the NBA as a whole.
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