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LeBron James reposts Lakers’ Kobe Bryant birthday tribute

The current Los Angeles Lakers superstar had a bond on and off the court with the NBA legend, but didn’t create his own birthday wishes post.
Matt Ryan|
Feb 17, 2013; Houston, TX, USA; Western Conference guard Kobe Bryant (24) of the Los Angeles Lakers grabs onto Eastern Conference forward LeBron James (6) of the Miami Heat in the fourth quarter of the 2013 NBA all star game at the Toyota Center.
Feb 17, 2013; Houston, TX, USA; Western Conference guard Kobe Bryant (24) of the Los Angeles Lakers grabs onto Eastern Conference forward LeBron James (6) of the Miami Heat in the fourth quarter of the 2013 NBA all star game at the Toyota Center. | Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

LeBron James and Kobe Bryant developed a strong relationship on and off the court. For his would-be 47th birthday on Saturday, James just reposted the Los Angeles Lakers birthday wish.

James, now, 40, and still playing for Bryant’s former team, formed their bond while teammates on the gold-medal winning 2008 Beijing Team USA squad known as “The Redeem Team”, and the 2012 London winners.

The two have a lot of memories together:

There’s a clip of LeBron leading the way to celebrate Kobe’s 30th birthday in 2008 with Team USA.

RELATED: Vanessa Bryant has tear-jerking birthday message for husband Kobe

17 years later from his 30th and now six birthdays after the tragic helicopter crash that took Kobe and his daughter Gigi’s life along with seven others, LeBron celebrated him by reposting the Lakers one below.

RELATED: Natalia Bryant shares 3-word birthday post to dad Kobe with sweet throwback photo

Kobe
LeBron James/Instagram

LeBron joined the Lakers for the 2018-2019 season, and he gave an epic speech to Lakers fans after Kobe’s death in 2020.

James and the Lakers would end up winning the 2020 NBA Finals in the “NBA Bubble” in Florida, and he’d dedicate the win to Kobe in epic fashion afterward.

Kobe would be proud of all James has accomplished — and he’s not even done. He, too, embodies the “Mamba Mentality” Kobe had. But should he have given his own brithday shoutout?

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Matt Ryan
MATT RYAN

Matt Ryan is a dedicated sports journalist with over 20 years of experience in digital and linear media. After receiving a Masters in Journalism from USC, he’s worked for Fox Sports, NBC Sports, Yahoo Sports, USA Today Sports Media Group, and Bally Sports, while holding various leadership roles along the way.

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