Although the debates, both old and new about who the best player ever is are continuing to be brought up with ferocity in light of the release of ESPN and Netflix’s “The Last Dance,” partisans of Michael Jordan, LeBron James and Kobe Bryant as the GOAT could stand to appreciate some of the moments between the players they all consider the best. Over the last few months since Kobe’s passing, we’ve learned more about how close he and LeBron James were, as well as how LeBron looked up to him earlier in his career. Perhaps one of the most defining things about their rivalry, which never culminated in an NBA Finals, was their friendship. Part of that friendship, like most, came with making jokes.
LeBron’s sense of humor and proclivity for cracking jokes with his teammates even made Kobe laugh when the subject was Kobe himself. A video recently resurfaced from the 2008 Olympics when LeBron started imitating Kobe’s mannerisms right in front of Kobe.
Kobe was rarely in the mood for jokes, but humor appears to be one of the ways that he and LeBron used to connect as friends.
