Ahead of Kobe Bryant's induction into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame on Saturday, Michael Jordan revealed the final text messages he exchanged with the late Los Angeles Lakers legend prior to Bryant's death.
The exchange, which Jordan recounted in an interview with ESPN's Jackie MacMullen, took place in December 2019, a little over a month before Bryant, his 13-year-old daughter Gianna, and seven others were killed in a helicopter crash.
Here's an excerpt from MacMullen's piece:
"This tequila is awesome," Kobe texted, referring to Jordan's Cincoro Tequila, a bottle of which was sent to Bryant at the launch.
"Thank you, my brother," Jordan responded.
"Yes, sir. Family good?" Kobe replied.
"All good. Yours?"
"All good."
Jordan smiled, then decided to have a little fun. "He was really into coaching Gigi," MJ explains, "so I hit him up about that."
"Happy holidays," Jordan texted back, "and hope to catch up soon. Coach Kobe??!"
"I added that little crying/laughing emoji," Jordan chuckles.
"Ah, back at you, man," Kobe wrote. "Hey, coach, I'm sitting on the bench right now, and we're blowing this team out. 45-8."
"I just love that text, because it shows Kobe's competitive nature," Jordan added.
Jordan will get the honor of presenting Bryant as part of the 2020 Hall of Fame class, a group that also includes Kevin Garnett and Tim Duncan.
