Today would have marked his 46th birthday if Kobe Bryant had still been with us. In his absence, memories of his past birthdays are resurfacing. A video of Bryant’s 30th birthday celebration has gone viral.
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At the time, the U.S. “Redeem Team” was in Beijing for the 2008 Olympics and had defeated Argentina by 20 points just a day before Kobe’s big day. In a video from that birthday, LeBron James led the Happy Birthday chants for Bryant.
As James rallied his teammates and their families, he smiled ear-to-ear upon witnessing Bryant embracing and kissing his daughter, Natalia Bryant, who was five years old at the time. Here is how LeBron James opened up the birthday celebrations.
“Alright, here we go. Like I said, today is Kobe Bryant’s 30th birthday and we are going to sing Happy Birthday and on 3,1,2,3. Happy Birthday to you![♪]”
The entire Team USA and their family members gleefully sang the signature Happy Birthday song. James even brought a small pastry to mark the occasion and then shared a special hug and handshake with Mamba.
Throw it back to that time LeBron James led Team USA in greeting Kobe Bryant a Happy Birthday 🎂
Kobe would’ve been 46 🙌pic.twitter.com/dHx7Pmq4rq
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) August 23, 2024
LBJ’s dedication towards Bryant showed how much he acknowledged him. His love for The Black Mamba rings loud to this day.
James continues to celebrate Bryant
Last year, James subtly celebrated Bryant’s 39th birthday. On his Instagram, he posted a throwback photo of him clasping Mamba’s hand. It is difficult to ascertain from which year the picture is from, but it definitely looked 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 translated 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 handle.
The mutual respect between the two increased when they bonded during the 2008 Olympics. James has regarded Bryant as one of the best, while the Black Mamba also returned the love.
He celebrated LBJ’s arrival to the Lakers in 2018. Bryant was confident that James was going to carry forward his legacy. The Akron Hammer did a great job of doing so by winning the 2020 championship, a fitting tribute to Kobe, who has left deep imprints on the sport.
