On Friday night, Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James gave a touching speech honoring the late basketball great, Kobe Bryant.
His speech came at the first Lakers game since Kobe, his 13-year-old daughter Gianna, and seven others died in a helicopter crash on Sunday.
Speaking to a sold-out crowd at Staples Center in Los Angeles, Lebron read off the names of all nine victims of the tragedy, then decided to speak from his heart.
Although details of Kobe's memorial have not been released, Lebron called the game a celebration for "his brother." He said, “This is a celebration of the 20 years of the blood, the sweat, the tears, the broken down body, the getting back up — the determination to be as great as he could be.” Bryant played 20 seasons with the Lakers, 18 as an all-star, and he won five NBA championships.
Lebron continued, “Tonight we celebrate the kid who came here at 18 years of age, retired at 38 and became probably the best dad we’ve seen over the last three years..
He ended his speech with one of Kobe's favorite sayings— “So in the words of Kobe Bryant, Mamba out.” But added that he hopes that his legacy will live on forever.