A tearful Michael Jordan on Monday remembered his “little brother” Kobe Bryant at a star-filled memorial in Los Angeles for the basketball great and his daughter, Gianna, who died with seven others in a helicopter crash last month.
“When Kobe Bryant died, a piece of me died, and as I look in this arena, across the globe, a piece of you died,” Jordan said with tears streaming down his face.
“I promise you, from this day forward, I will live with the memories and knowing that I had a little brother,” added Jordan, widely regarded as the greatest NBA player in history. “I tried to help in every way I could. Please rest in peace, little brother.”
Photo: Robert Hanashiro-USA TODAY Sports
The public memorial — dubbed “A Celebration of Life for Kobe and Gianna Bryant” — was held at Staples Center, the arena where Bryant wowed fans for 17 years, and known as “the house that Kobe built.”
The 2/24 date carried special significance as it coincides with Bryant’s jersey number — “24” — and Gianna’s “2” jersey number.
Shaquille O’Neal also spoke at the ceremony, drawing cheers as he recalled the three NBA titles that he and Bryant won together.
Photo: Reuters
“Kobe and I have pushed one another to play some of the greatest basketball of all time and I am proud that no other team has accomplished the three-peat the Lakers have done since Shaq-and-the-Kobe Lakers did it,” O’Neal said.
He also spoke of their well-known feuding, saying that even though “we fought, bantered or insulted each other with off-handed remarks,” there was mutual respect between the pair.
“Make no mistake. Folks thought we were on bad terms, [but] when the cameras were turned off, he and I would throw a wink at each other,” O’Neal said.
Beyonce, backed by a choir, opened the ceremony with one of Bryant’s favorite songs XO, followed by Halo.
“I’m here because I love Kobe,” said the singer, who was dressed in a golden suit — the color of the Los Angeles Lakers, Bryant’s team for two decades.
Bryant’s widow, Vanessa, paid a tearful tribute to her 41-year-old husband and middle daughter, saying she could not fathom life without them and describing Kobe Bryant as “my everything.”
“God knew they couldn’t be on this earth without each other,” she said in her first public remarks since the Jan. 26 crash. “He had to bring them home together.”
She spoke of her heartbreak at not being able to watch Gianna — who was 13 and one of couple’s four daughters —grow up and missing important moments of her life.
“I won’t be able to tell her how gorgeous she looks on her wedding day,” Vanessa Byrant said through tears, receiving a standing ovation for the tribute. “I’ll never get to see my baby girl walk down the aisle, have a father-daughter dance with her daddy.”
Earlier in the day, her lawyers filed a lawsuit in Los Angeles Superior Court against the operators of the helicopter involved in the crash.
The lawsuit names Island Express Helicopters, Island Express Holding Corp and the estate of the helicopter’s pilot, Ara Zobayan, who was among the victims.
The US National Transportation Safety Board is still investigating the exact cause of the crash, although preliminary findings showed no sign of mechanical failure.
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