WATCH: LeBron celebrates his 'brother' Kobe in emotional speech
LOS ANGELES – Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James delivered an emotional speech honoring his "brother" Kobe Bryant prior to the first Lakers game since the NBA great, his 13-year-old daughter and seven others died in a helicopter crash on Sunday.
James began by reading the names of all nine victims of the tragedy and then throwing a piece of paper containing his prepared remarks on the court. "Laker nation, man, I would be selling you all short if I read off this s*** so I'm going to go straight from the heart," James said to a raucous applause from the sold-out crowd at Staples Center in downtown Los Angeles.
"I know that at some point we will have a memorial for Kobe, but I look at this as a celebration tonight. "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," he said of Bryant, who played 20 seasons with the Lakers, 18 as an all-star, and won five NBA championships.
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LeBron celebrates his 'brother' Kobe in emotional speech - SABC News - Breaking news, special reports, world, business, sport coverage of all South African current events. Africa's news leader.Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James delivered an emotional speech honoring his “brother” Kobe Bryant prior to the first Lakers game since the NBA great, his 13-year-old daughter and seven others died in a helicopter crash on Sunday.
Read more »