Kobe Bryant has several fans across the world irrespective of what industry they work in. Snoop Dogg, one of the greatest Hip Hop artists of all time, is a fan too. He witnessed him and Shaquille O’Neal bring the Lakers back to life at the turn of the century. Bryant won 5 championships throughout his time as a Laker in the NBA for 20 years. And when he retired, superfan Snoop gifted him a Chevy Impala worth at least over $55,000.
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Kobe started with being the second-fiddle to O’Neal and helped the Lakers win 3-straight championships between ’00 and ’02. But after Shaq left for Miami, Bryant took over the team and made it his own. He would go on two win two more championships for the Lakers, a feat that cemented him as one of the greatest ever to don the gold and purple. Upon Kobe’s retirement, Snoop, the super fan he was, knew he had to honor the athlete who had given so much to the city of LA. The Rapper thought nothing would suit Bryant better than a Chevy Impala.
Snoop Dogg remembers gifting Kobe Bryant a ’64 Chevy Impala
In his recent appearance on The Pivot Podcast, Snoop Dogg reminisced about the time he gifted Kobe Bryant a customized ’64 Chevy Impala. It was a purple and gold-painted masterpiece he had owned for years.
In that very car, he got the autographs from multiple Lakers stars after he pulled up in it when Jerry Buss received his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. And to this day he adores the moment when he gifted Kobe that car as his favorite fan moment, as per his revelation.
“The one I gave Kobe was like this Impala right here [Chevy ’64]. But it had all the great Lakers on the back of it. I had Kareem [Abdul-Jabbar], Cooper, and they all signed it. That was the crazy s***. I pulled up my s*** to Jerry Buss when he got his star. And they were all there. Jamaal Wilkes, Michael Cooper, and they all walked out to the street and signed my s***.”
Listen to him tell the complete story on the following YouTube video from The Pivot Podcast.
Kobe was indeed happy after receiving that thoughtful gift from Snoop and posted about the same on his official Twitter handle.
Unbelievable retirement gift from my man Snoop today #KB20 pic.twitter.com/vTATznwnKc
— Kobe Bryant (@kobebryant) July 7, 2016
It wasn’t the only tribute by the rap icon.
Snoop Dogg’s rap song for Kobe
Following Bryant and his daughter’s death in 2020, Snoop developed a tribute rap song for the Los Angeles icon on the 2020 ESPYs. There haven’t been many players blessed enough to have a cultural icon like Snoop Dogg dedicate a song to them. But then, Kobe Bryant was no average athlete.
Especially after his death, when the whole world mourned the loss of greatness, the city of LA was far worse. They had seen Kobe brave any challenge and his sudden death was beyond shocking. But the song by Snoop wasn’t just to mourn the death of the legend but also to celebrate the greatness and legacy he left behind.
