LeBron James Says Kobe Bryant Is 'With Us Every Day'
LeBron James will continue to make Kobe Bryant proud.
The 35-year-old Los Angeles Laker touched on the late Bryant while talking to reporters at the NBA All-Star Practice and Media Day in Chicago on Saturday.
"We know that he's watching over us and, you know, it’s our responsibility to represent the purple and gold. Not only for him, but for all the greats, everybody who’s ever come to the Lake show," James expressed. "I don’t want to – I don’t really want to sit up here and talk about it too much. It’s a very sensitive subject, but he’s with us every day."
Bryant, his 13-year-old daughter, Gianna "Gigi" Bryant, and seven others died last month in a helicopter accident.
James, as well as the rest of the NBA, will honor Bryant and his daughter during the All-Star game on Sunday. James' team will be wearing the No. 2, in honor of Gianna's Mamba Academy basketball team jersey number. Giannis Antetokounmpo's group will wear Bryant's No. 24.
It's been a couple of rough weeks for James, who has been mourning the death of his close friend. During the Lakers first game since Bryant's death, he gave a touching speech.
"This is truly a family and I know Kobe and Gianna, and Vanessa, and everybody thank you from the bottom of their heart as Kobe said," James told the crowd. "I know as some point we will have a memorial for Kobe, but I look at this as a celebration tonight. This is a celebration of 20 years of the blood, the sweat, the tears, the broken down bodies, the getting up, the sitting down, the countless hours. The determination to be as great as he could be. Tonight we celebrate the kid that came here at 18 years of age, retired at 38, and became probably the best dad that we have seen over the last three years."
On Friday, ET spoke with Anthony Davis about continuing Bryant's legacy with the Lakers and making him proud.
"It's tough, it's nothing that you can get over right away, especially in the Laker organization. He's touched so many people in the organization that it's not something that you just get over," Davis expressed. "We see his numbers every day on the floor, in the facility. We wear it on our jerseys. It's something we don't get away from and we don’t want to get away from it. We try to use that as motivation and fire power and go out and play for him every night."
Hear more of what he said in the video below.
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