After Alica Keys delivered a classical performance of “Moonlight Sonata,” his basketball idol, Michael Jordan, stepped to the podium to deliver an emotional speech about the late, great Kobe Bryant. As tears fell from his eyes and down his face, Jordan shared his fondest memories of the legend, how close they were as friends, and talked about the late nights where Bryant would ask him questions about life while being that pestering “nuisance” of a little brother.
“At first, it was an aggravation, but then it turned into a passion,” he admitted. “This kid had a passion like you would ever know. It’s an amazing thing about passion. If you love something, if you have a strong passion for something, you would go to the extreme to try to understand and to try and get it.
“As I got to know him, I wanted to be the best big brother that I could be. To do that, you have to put up with the aggravation, the late-night calls or the dumb questions. I took great pride as I got to know Kobe Bryant,” he said tearfully. “That he was just trying to be a better person, a better basketball player. We talked about business, we talked about family, we talked about everything. And he was just trying to be a better person.”
“Now he’s got me [crying]. I have to look at another crying meme for the next…I told my wife I wasn’t going to do this, ’cause I didn’t want to see this for the next 3 or 4 years,” he said as the crowd broke out in laughter and applause. “That is what Kobe Bryant does to me.”
Jordan went on to share another story about how Bryant sent him a late-night/early morning text sharing how he’s trying to teach Gianna some moves and asked Jordan if he could remember what he was thinking about at Gianna’s age as he was trying to work on his moves.
“I say, ‘What age?’ He says 12. I said, ‘At 12, I was trying to play baseball,” continued Jordan before a laughing audience.”He sends me a text saying ‘laughing-my-a**-off.’ And this is at 2 o’clock in the morning.”
Jordan went on to address Bryant’s wife, Vaness, and their daughters, saying how he and his wife will be there for them, before sending condolences to the families of the other people who perished in the tragic accident. He went on to stress the importance of living in the moment when with “When Kobe Bryant died, a piece of me died. And as I look in this arena, and across the globe, a piece of you died or else you wouldn’t be here. Those are the memories that we have to live with and learn from.
“I promise you from this day forward, I will live with memories of knowing that I had a little brother that I tried to help in every way I could. Please, rest in peace, little brother.”
