Comedian Dave Chappelle paid tribute to the late Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant during his recent Netflix special, “8:46.”

The longtime stand-up extraordinaire also made a surprising revelation when speaking about his NBA idol:

“I loved Kobe Bryant. He died the day I won a Grammy. That was why I didn't show up at the Grammy's, because Kobe died,” said Chappelle. “They had both of his f***ing jersey numbers hanging up — 8 and 24 — well, that's my birthday. I cried like a baby.”

Many had wondered why Chappelle had missed out on the Grammys, but not many knew that the Lakers legend's death had touched him to that degree.

Chappelle's Netflix special revolves on the cases of sheer racism and police brutality the country has endured over the years — a picture he paints in correlation to dates and times that coincide with some key moments in his life.

Chappelle returned to comedy after a long hiatus after his popular Comedy Central show, “Chappelle's Show,” came to an end in 2006 when he walked away due to some artistic disagreements.

The name of this new special, “8:46,” is the time that former police officer Derek Chauvin knelt on George Floyd's neck. Chappelle speaks at length about the boiling point of racism and what has caused the civil unrest the United States has witnessed over the last few weeks, naming some of the African Americans who died unjustly.

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Not many comedians can blend political satire and social commentary into a stand-up routine, but Chappelle is as good at it as it gets in the modern day.

Chappelle, 46, is a winner of the Mark Twain Prize, an award presented to individuals who have “had an impact on American society in ways similar to” Twain, a controversial but sharp social commentator.

One could argue the longtime comedian has never been more vulnerable in this performance, revealing how much the death of Kobe Bryant affected him and how deeply saddened the chain of recent events has made him over the past few weeks.