Today would have been his 46th birthday if Kobe Bryant were still with us. In his absence, memories of his past birthdays are flooding back. A video of Bryant’s 30th birthday party has gone viral.
At that time, the US Redeem Team was in Beijing for the 2008 Olympic Games and had defeated Argentina by 20 points just one day before Kobe’s big day. In a video from that birthday LeBron James sang Happy Birthday to Bryant.
As James gathered his teammates and their families around him, he beamed as he saw Bryant hug and kiss his then five-year-old daughter Natalia Bryant. This is how LeBron James kicked off the birthday celebrations.
“Alright, here we go. As I said, today is Kobe Bryant’s 30th birthday and we sing Happy Birthday and on 3,1,2,3. Happy birthday!(♪)”
The entire Team USA and their families happily sang the signature Happy Birthday song. James even brought a small pastry to celebrate the occasion and then gave Mamba a special hug and shake.
LBJ’s devotion to Bryant showed how much he valued him. His love for the Black Mamba remains unbroken to this day.
James continues to celebrate Bryant
Last year, James Bryant’s 39th birthday celebrated discreetly. On his Instagram, he posted an old photo of himself clutching Mamba’s hand. It’s hard to say what year the picture is from, but it definitely looks like it’s from LBJ’s early NBA days, or maybe even his rookie year.
James captioned the photo with an infinity symbol and a snake emoji, which translates to: “Forever Mamba“The 39-year-old loves this imagery when it comes to Bryant. He also used these symbols to mark Bryant’s 46th birthday on his X-grip.
The mutual respect between the two grew as they grew closer during the 2008 Olympics. James considered Bryant one of the best, and the Black Mamba also returned his love.
He celebrated LBJ’s arrival to the Lakers in 2018. Bryant was confident that James would carry on his legacy. The Akron Hammers did this brilliantly by winning the 2020 championship, a fitting tribute to Kobe, who left a deep mark on the sport.
