A former New England Patriots player recalled his last encounter with the late Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant, who died in a helicopter crash on Sunday along with his 13-year-old daughter and several others in Calabasas, California. On Instagram, former Patriots strong safety Lawyer Milloy posted a photo of Bryant from Saturday’s basketball game at Mamba Sports Academy, per a report by Chloe Teboe of News Center Maine. Milloy’s daughter played the team led by Kobe’s daughter, Gianna Maria, who also died in the crash. According to Milloy, he wanted to say hi to Bryant but he was upset that his daughter’s team lost to Gianna Marie’s squad for the first time in three matches.
“Figured I'd wait until today to say hi and congrats on the victory.... Sad I didn’t get the chance,” said Milloy, who played for the Patriots from 1996 to 2002 and won a Super Bowl ring with the team.
Milloy also shared his encounter with Bryant during Richard Sherman’s celebrity softball event where the retired basketball superstar even gave him a few pointers on how to hit. “He was even kind enough to come say hi to my family. Special moment for me,” said Milloy. The retired safety also lauded Bryant’s shift from NBA stardom to giving back to the community and his family through the Mamba Sports Academy.
Brady, Edelman honor Bryant on social media
Patriots quarterback Tom Brady took to social media to pay tribute to Bryant, tweeting “We miss you already Kobe”.
He also posted a photo of him talking to Bryant at a Lakers game and accompanied it with the caption “We already miss you my brother RIP. God Bless you and your family.” Brady also posted an Instagram story with No. 24, referring to Bryant’s jersey number with the Lakers, and a heart, prayer and crying face emojis. Patriots veteran wide receiver Julian Edelman, for his part, tweeted “RIP to the legend.
Terrible terrible news" in his latest social media post. Thoughts are with the family.” Bryant’s death was first reported by TMZ Sports, which said that the former basketball legend was among nine people killed in the accident, per the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department.
We miss you already Kobe ❤️❤️🙏🏼🙏🏼
— Tom Brady (@TomBrady) January 26, 2020
RIP to the legend. Terrible terrible news. Thoughts are with the family. #MambaForever pic.twitter.com/dd1FMyKqQ7
— Julian Edelman (@Edelman11) January 26, 2020
Other NFL players pay tribute to Kobe
The NFL and various teams also paid tribute to Bryant on their respective social media accounts, including the San Francisco 49ers, the Los Angeles Chargers, the Patriots, Los Angeles Rams, Philadelphia Eagles, New York Giants, Seattle Seahawks and the Green Bay Packers, among others.
Players like Patrick Mahomes of the Kansas City Chiefs and Kirk Cousins of the Minnesota Vikings also honored Bryant’s memory with touching messages. Bryant played all of his 20 NBA seasons with the Lakers before he retired in 2006 as the league’s fourth all-time leading scorer.