Monday night, LeBron James shared an emotionally-charged Instagram post on the passing of his good friend and mentor, Kobe Bryant.
In the first public comments from James on the crash that killed Bryant, his daughter Gianna, and seven other people, the Los Angeles Lakers star bared his soul to the world while honoring his friend.
James was extremely close with Bryant and his daughter, whom he identified in the social media post as “niece Gigi.”
He also shared that he spoke with Bryant on Sunday morning before the crash, noting he never thought “for one bit in a million years that would be the last conversation we’d have.”
It’s a trying time for everyone close to this situation, and the impact of Bryant’s passing has been felt on an international scale. The Lakers were slated to play Tuesday night against the Los Angeles Clippers, but the NBA announced Monday that the game was postponed as the organization continues to grieve the loss.