Beautiful Virgin Islands

Tuesday, Jun 03, 2025

Michael Jordan Wept For Kobe Bryant And Joked He'd Created A New Crying Meme

Michael Jordan Wept For Kobe Bryant And Joked He'd Created A New Crying Meme

"I told my wife I wasn't going to do this, because I didn't want to see this for the next three or four years. That is what Kobe Bryant does to me."
Michael Jordan openly wept as he remembered Kobe Bryant at a memorial service Monday, and then lightened the mood by joking that he was going to have to look at another "Crying Jordan" meme as a result.

"I told my wife I wasn't going to do this, because I didn't want to see this for the next three or four years. That is what Kobe Bryant does to me," Jordan said to laughs at a packed Staples Center. "He knows how to get to you in a way that affects you personally ... even if he’s being a pain in the ass."

Jordan was one of several speakers at the memorial for Kobe and his 13-year-old daughter, Gianna, who died in a helicopter crash last month along with seven other people. Thousands attended the memorial at the home of the Los Angeles Lakers, the team Kobe played with for the entirety of his 20-year NBA career.

Jordan made a reference to the meme of his face, red-eyed with tears streaming down his cheeks, from his 2009 induction into the Basketball Hall of Fame. He also spoke with emotion, describing their decadeslong friendship and how he thought of Bryant as a "little brother."

The two played against each other in the late 1990s and early 2000s before Jordan retired. They are often compared in debates about who was the greatest basketball player in NBA history.

"Maybe it surprised people that Kobe and I were very close friends, but we were very close friends," Jordan said. "Everyone always wanted to talk about the comparisons between he and I. I just wanted to talk about Kobe."

Jordan talked about how Bryant, like younger siblings who "for whatever reason always tend to get into your stuff," would often text and call him at odd hours of the night.

"It was a nuisance," Jordan said. "But that nuisance turned into love over a period of time just because the admiration that they had for you as big brothers or big sisters, the questions, the wanting to know every little detail about the life they were about to embark on."

He said that as he came to know Bryant more, he wanted to be "the best big brother that [he] could be."

"When Kobe Bryant died, a piece of me died," he said. "I will live with the memories of knowing that I had a little brother that I tried to help in every way I could."
Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
Harvard Urges US to Unfreeze Funds for Public Health Research
Businessman Mauled by Lion at Luxury Namibian Lodge
Researchers Consider New Destinations Beyond the U.S.
53-Year-Old Doctor Claims Biological Age of 23
Trump Struggles to Secure Trade Deals With China and Europe
Russia to Return 6,000 Corpses Under Ukraine Prisoner Swap Deal
Microsoft Lays Off Hundreds More Amid Restructuring
Harvey Weinstein’s Publicist Embraces Notoriety
Macron and Meloni Seek Unity Despite Tensions
Trump Administration Accused of Obstructing Deportation Cases
Newark Mayor Sues Over Arrest at Immigration Facility
Center-Left Candidate Projected to Win South Korean Presidency
Trump’s Tariffs Predicted to Stall Global Economic Growth
South Korea’s President-Elect Expected to Take Softer Line on Trump and North Korea
Trump’s China Strategy Remains a Geopolitical Puzzle
Ukraine Executes Long-Range Drone Strikes on Russian Airbases
Conservative Karol Nawrocki wins Poland’s presidential election
Study Identifies Potential Radicalization Risk Among Over One Million Muslims in Germany
Good news: Annalena Baerbock Elected President of the UN General Assembly
Apple Appeals EU Law Over User Data Sharing Requirements
South Africa: "First Black Bank" Collapses after Being Looted by Owners
Poland will now withdraw from the EU migration pact after pro-Trump nationalist wins Election
"That's Disgusting, Don’t Say It Again": The Trump Joke That Made the President Boil
Trump Cancels NASA Nominee Over Democratic Donations
Paris Saint-Germain's Greatest Triumph Is Football’s Lowest Point
OnlyFans for Sale: From Lockdown Lifeline to Eight-Billion-Dollar Empire
Mayor’s Security Officer Implicated | Shocking New Details Emerge in NYC Kidnapping Case
Hegseth Warns of Potential Chinese Military Action Against Taiwan
OPEC+ Agrees to Increase Oil Output for Third Consecutive Month
Jamie Dimon Warns U.S. Bond Market Faces Pressure from Rising Debt
Turkey Detains Istanbul Officials Amid Anti-Corruption Crackdown
Taylor Swift Gains Ownership of Her First Six Albums
Bangkok Ranked World's Top City for Remote Work in 2025
Satirical Sketch Sparks Political Spouse Feud in South Korea
Indonesia Quarry Collapse Leaves Multiple Dead and Missing
South Korean Election Video Pulled Amid Misogyny Outcry
Asian Economies Shift Away from US Dollar Amid Trade Tensions
Netflix Investigates Allegations of On-Set Mistreatment in K-Drama Production
US Defence Chief Reaffirms Strong Ties with Singapore Amid Regional Tensions
Vietnam Faces Strategic Dilemma Over China's Mekong River Projects
Malaysia's First AI Preacher Sparks Debate on Islamic Principles
White House Press Secretary Criticizes Harvard Funding, Advocates for Vocational Training
France to Implement Nationwide Smoking Ban in Outdoor Spaces Frequented by Children
Meta and Anduril Collaborate on AI-Driven Military Augmented Reality Systems
Russia's Fossil Fuel Revenues Approach €900 Billion Since Ukraine Invasion
U.S. Justice Department Reduces American Bar Association's Role in Judicial Nominations
U.S. Department of Energy Unveils 'Doudna' Supercomputer to Advance AI Research
U.S. SEC Dismisses Lawsuit Against Binance Amid Regulatory Shift
Alcohol Industry Faces Increased Scrutiny Amid Health Concerns
Italy Faces Population Decline Amid Youth Emigration
×