Michael Jordan Shares the Final Text Messages He Had with Kobe Bryant before His Passing

NBA legend Michael Jordan recalls the final text messages he had with his pal and late Lakers champion Kobe Bryant before the tragic accident that claimed his life.

It has been more than a year since the iconic basketball player Kobe Bryant and his teenage daughter Gigi lost their lives in a helicopter crash that killed seven other persons.

The world plunged into grief and mourning following the tragedy; loved ones, family, fans, and celebrities aired their discontentment over the news, including Bryant's "big brother," Michael Jordan.

While speaking to ESPN in a recent interview, Jordan maintained that Bryant had a great retirement plan and family and was ready to live a happily-ever-after life.

He went ahead to share their final text messages dated December 8, 2019. The conversation showed that the friends were close as the deceased sent an appreciation text regarding a bottle of Cincoro tequila sent to him earlier.

They chatted a bit about family life, and Jordan joked about Bryant's coaching skills since he knew the father loved coaching Gigi, his young daughter.

The deceased's mentor is saddled with the responsibility of inducting him into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.

In the same interview, he said: "I just love that text because it shows Kobe's competitive nature. His style of play was identical to mine. He stayed true to his course, and I respect that."

Jordan, who was emotional during the memorial service in February last year, showed a never-before-seen side of him publicly while maintaining that he is unhappy about the untimely exit of the Lakers star.

The Hall of Famer explained that a piece of him died when he heard the sad news. He talked about their strong bond as "big brother and little brother" and how inspiring such a relationship seemed.

Jordan, a legendary sports star who mentored Bryant and saw him as a "little brother," was affected and has not gotten over the incident as he keeps pondering why.

The deceased's mentor is saddled with the responsibility of inducting him into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in a few days.