NBA superstar Kobe Bryant killed in helicopter crash
Sportscaster Jim Gray reacts to the basketball player's passing.
Kobe Bryant, who died in a helicopter crash Sunday, was remembered on Twitter, as fans noted his final tweet paid homage to LeBron James, who moved past the late basketball icon for third place on the NBA’s career scoring list.
'“Continuing to move the game forward @KingJames. Much respect my brother 💪🏾 #33644,” Bryant tweeted.
The 35-year-old James set the milestone on a driving layup against the Philadelphia 76ers on Saturday night.
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The Los Angeles Lakers star scored the basket with 7:23 left in the third quarter and he waved to a Sixers crowd that gave him a rousing standing ovation when the mark was announced by the public address announcer. The basket gave him 33,644 points.
James entered 18 points shy of passing Bryant on the list and couldn’t quite get there in the first half. He scored six points in the first quarter but had four turnovers that included an errant pass into the seats. He opened the second quarter with a layup, and then went to the free throw line for his next four points, giving him 12.
He finished the first half 3 for 7 from the floor, missed all three 3s, had five turnovers and three fouls for 14 points.
With a nod to Bryant’s nickname, James scribbled “Mamba 4 Life” on his Nikes against the 76ers.
Bryant, who played his entire career with the Lakers, finished with 33,643 points.
The hashtag on Bryant’s last tweet, "#33644," referred to the number of points needed to beat his own record that James scored as small forward.
The 18-time NBA All-Star who won five championships and became one of the greatest basketball players of his generation during a 20-year career with the Lakers was 41.
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After James passed Bryant on Saturday, he remembered listening to Bryant when the superstar came to speak at a childhood basketball camp.
“I remember one thing he said: If you want to be great at it, or want to be one of the greats, you’ve got to put the work in,” James said. “There’s no substitution for work.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.