Kobe Bryant's posthumous appearance in Michael Jordan docuseries leaves fans devastated: 'This hurts all over again'
ESPN's 'The Last Dance' is making waves across the internet.
The fifth episode of the series aired on May 2 night and rehashed some timeless memories of NBA superstar Michael Jordan facing off against the legendary Kobe Bryant in the 1998 NBA All-Star Game. It also featured some gripping trash talk by Jordan, USA Today reports.
However, the episode quickly turned into a tear-jerker when Kobe appeared on screen talking about his hero MJ. It was particularly jarring to see the passionate dribbler after he, his daughter, and seven others lost their lives in a horrific helicopter crash back in January.
During the interview, Kobe recalled how Jordan was instrumental in helping him through some early struggles as a young player and always being there for him through the years.
The legendary shooting guard also explained why he didn't care for any talk about who would win 1-on-1 games because, according to him, it was Jordan who created it all and no one could compare with him.
And while it was incredibly sad to see Kobe, knowing full well that he is no longer around, several NBA players and fans felt the same way. On their own accord, they took to social media to pay their respective tributes to the star who was snatched from too soon.
"This, and this hurts all over again!! #Kobe-bean Bryant," a devastated fan wrote on Twitter.
"KOBE WAS MY MJ," Trae Young of the Atlanta Hawks wrote, adding several sad emoticons.
"That intro just tore me apart man. Man, I wish Kobe was here to see this man. Thank you for sharing that beautiful and special footage Mike! We miss you Bean! #TheLastDance," Quinn Cook of the Los Angeles Lakers tweeted.
"It will never feel real Kobe isn't here with us.." NBA veteran Jamal Crawford wrote.
"Damn that just hit me. Seeing grown retired Kobe, recently interviewed for this documentary. Kobe was supposed to be watching this with all of us. Tweeting with us... RIP legend #TheLastDance," Nigerian-American basketball analyst Ros Gold-Onwude added.
"I don’t think I’ll ever get over the fact that Kobe is no longer with us," talk show host Alexis Morgan tweeted.
"Still hard to wrap my mind around Kobe being gone man," rapper Domo Genesis wrote.
It is fair to say the sporting world is still reeling from the tragic death of NBA legend Bryant.
"He was like my big brother… I don’t get five championships here without him, because he guided me so much, and gave me so much great advice," Bryant said of Michael Jordan in ESPN's ten-part docuseries.
"I had a question about (MJ’s) turn-around shot, so I asked him about it… He gave me a great detailed answer, and on top of that, he said if you need anything, give me a call. It’s like my big brother," he added.
"It was a rough couple years for me coming into the league because at the time the League was so much older… I was a kid that shot a bunch of airballs, you know what I mean? And at that point, Michael provided a lot of guidance for me," Bryant recalled.
Earlier this year, in an unfortunate accident, Bryant, 41, Gianna, 13, and seven others, including two of Gianna's teammates at the Mamba Sports Academy and Orange Coast College baseball coach John Altobelli, died after a helicopter carrying them crashed into a mountainside in Calabasas, California, on January 26.
