Kobe Bryant left his mark on the NBA and its players over the course of his 20-year career.
Bryant was killed Sunday in a helicopter crash that claimed the lives of his 13-year-old daughter, Gianna, and seven others. Many took to social media to show their support, including his wife, Vanessa, who broke her silence Wednesday.
Paul Pierce was one of many who used social media to remember the five-time NBA champion. And during Wednesday’s episode of ESPN’s “The Jump,” he spent some time remembering his fallen friend.
“Even right now it doesn’t even feel real,” he said. “A guy who motivated me, who brought the best out of me on and off the court. And I tell people today there would be no Paul Pierce ‘The Truth’ without Kobe. If people know where the nickname the truth came from, it was from me having a really good game against Kobe Bryant and Shaq dubbing me ‘The Truth.’ … I felt like I lost a brother. I felt like I lost a family member. … We had a lot of great moments on and off the court. …”
You can watch the full clip below:
Paul Pierce speaks for the first time about Kobe Bryant: "There would be no Paul Pierce the Truth without Kobe." Stay for the end, just so moving. pic.twitter.com/2MihkD2sXy
— Rachel Nichols (@Rachel__Nichols) January 29, 2020
A GoFundMe has been set up to help the J.J. Altobelli, whose mom, dad and sister were killed in the crash, as well as Vanessa and the Mamba Sports Foundation helping set up the MambaOnThree to help the other victims.
