Kobe Bryant‘s death four years ago sent shockwaves through the NBA community and the world at large, and it is still impacting people, though not entirely for the best reasons. Most recently, his parents put the first championship ring that he won with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2000 up for auction.
The Black Mamba’s complicated relationship with his parents has been well-documented, thus leading many people to be frustrated that they would be prioritizing money over such an important item in their son’s legacy. The act is getting an even worse reception because this is their second attempt to auction off the ring, following their first try in 2013. He and his parents were on the road to mending their relationship, but that got stifled as Bryant was not aware of the auction and did not give his consent to sell the items.
This unfortunate betrayal of sorts coming from his family makes it difficult to cope with the fact that he is gone and the lack of respect for what he has left behind. There have been other people, namely Kwame Brown and Smush Parker, who haven’t attempted to do anything of this nature but have had negative things to say about Kobe since his tragic death in January 2020.
Thankfully, there are some people, whether close to him or simply fans, who have gone out of their way to properly honor the five-time NBA Champion. Join VIBE as we look back at five celebrities who have done right by Kobe Bryant’s legacy.
Pau Gasol
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Pau Gasol’s commitment to the Bryant family following the death of Kobe and his daughter Gianna is one of the most heartwarming things. Every social media post of him spending time with Bryant’s widow Vanessa and the daughters he left behind is a reminder that the bonds formed on the court can go beyond it in a special way.
It is easy to offer condolences, send money, and check in every so often. Gasol has gone above and beyond to ensure that his former teammate’s family feels love, and care, and has a male presence in their lives. It feels like he never misses a holiday or birthday. That’s the type of teammate-turned-brother that everyone should want in their lives.
LeBron James
Image Credit: Harry How/Getty Images
LeBron James stepped into some big shoes when he joined the Los Angeles Lakers in 2018. Kobe Bryant spent his entire career sporting the purple and gold, bringing them five championships. King James was always compared to him and Michael Jordan, so joining his team was criticized by many.
Despite the fact they were often pitted against one another, the two had a great relationship. Kobe’s final tweet before he died was him giving James respect for passing him on the NBA’s all-time scoring list. They had intense battles on the court, but a mutual respect and appreciation for each other’s commitment to playing basketball at the highest level.
It almost felt like a storybook moment when LeBron led the Lakers to their first NBA Finals victory in ten years just a little under nine months after Kobe passed. It was an emotional season for the team coupled with the COVID-19 pandemic that halted the NBA season for four months. Still, Bron and his teammates powered through and used Bryant’s heartbreaking death as fuel to achieve greatness on the court just like he did.
Bad Bunny
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Bad Bunny is clearly not a hooper, but he used his musical gifts to pay tribute to the man he called his “favorite player forever.” He released “6 Rings” one day after Kobe Bryant passed away, referring to the five NBA championships he won and the ring he put on his widow Vanessa Bryant’s finger.
“I still remember the first game of yours I witnessed, the excitement and the many times you got me on my feet,” he sang. “You showed me that everything in life is done with passion. To win, you have to have a heart.”
It didn’t stop there, though. He shouted out Kobe again on the remix to PARTYNEXTDOOR’s “Loyal,” singing about how his love with a woman is infinite like the Los Angeles Lakers ties to the Black Mamba. Benito has also worn both Bryant’s No. 8 and No. 24 jerseys at several of his live performances. The flesh is not eternal, but someone’s deeds can be. Bad Bunny made sure that when he eventually leaves this Earth’s plane, his love for the legendary basketball player will always be known.
Adam Silver
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There is never a right time to lose a legend, whether it be old age or a tragic helicopter crash like the way we lost Kobe Bryant. However, the NBA found a way to honor him a few weeks after his passing at the 2020 All-Star Game.
Adam Silver and his team changed the rules so that each team would be playing to win each quarter as opposed to just having the high score after all four quarters were completed. The team with the higher points total after every quarter would win $100,000 for a charity of their choosing before their scores would reset.
In the fourth quarter, the total scores from the first three would be tallied up and then each team would be playing to score 24 more points than whoever had the highest point total in honor of Kobe’s jersey number. In addition to this, the All-Star MVP award was renamed after the late hooper given his excellent performances throughout his 18 All-Star Game appearances.
While this did not heal the wounds of Kobe Bryant’s loss, it properly paid homage to his legacy in the NBA and incorporated a charitable element into the competition.
Shaquille O’Neal
Image Credit: Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images
Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant achieved massive success together, so it was only right for Shaq to narrate Kobe’s tribute video for the unveiling of his statue at Crypto.com arena in February. He called Kobe “the most competitive player” he’d ever seen and the “best teammate” he ever had. However, this is only the latest in the many times Diesel has spoken about his former teammate.
Days after Kobe passed, Shaq spoke about him on Inside The NBA. “The fact that we lost probably the world’s greatest Laker, the world’s greatest basketball player… People are gonna say ‘take your time’ and get better but it’s gonna’ be hard for me. I already don’t sleep anyway… but I’ll figure it out.”
He had a speech at Bryant’s funeral in 2020, where he hilariously recounted telling Kobe “There’s no ‘I’ in team” during a game, only to be countered with “There’s a ‘me’ in that motherf**ker.” While their tense history is well-documented, they came together for an unfiltered one-on-one interview reflecting on their time in LA and feelings toward each other. The love was clear then, and Shaq continues to make it clear now.
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