Dwyane Wade Shares His Favorite Off-the-Court Kobe Bryant Memory

Dwyane Wade is still mourning the loss of his friend and colleague, Kobe Bryant.

It was only a month ago that the legendary basketball player passed away in a helicopter crash in Calabasas, Calif. In addition to his death, Kobe’s 13-year-old daughter Gianna Bryant and seven others were also victims in the accident.

On Saturday evening, Wade opened up about his friendship with the late Lakers star at the Stance Spades Tournament during the 2020 NBA All-Star Weekend.

“It still doesn’t feel real,” he told E! News’ Rocsi Diaz. “The one thing we’re trying to do is we’re trying to continue his legacy… by continuing to live life. For me, I’m in my second act, as Kobe was in, so I look at it [as] ‘Alright, Kob. I gotta do my job to lead the next generation.’ Right now, I feel like it’s my job to lead.”

“There’s so much more to life. I miss my friend… we all do,” he continued. “I feel like we all lost a loved one. But he left such an incredible legacy and so many memories behind that we all keep talking about everyday.”

Wade also share one of his favorite off-court memories with Bryant, which he admitted was hard to choose because he had “so many” with the late star.

He explained that Kobe reached out to him after learning that he and Gabrielle Unionmoved to Los Angeles.

“For me, what I love was when we moved to L.A. he reached out to me right away and was like, ‘Yo, let me know when I can come and watch you play.’ That’s what I love… It was really about we’re family. And family supports family.”

Wade recalls not setting up a date to catch up with Bryant, because he wanted to wait until the play-offs.

“And I never reached out…,” he shared. “Because I knew he was busy but he definitely reached out to me. But this is an example of do not wait. I was waiting til the play-offs to catch up and we never got that opportunity to do it. But that’s how he was.”

Tonight’s NBA All-Star game will honor the late Lakers star and the eight other victims of the helicopter crash.

Kicking things off, Jennifer Hudson is set to perform a special tribute, while the players will sport jerseys that pay homage to Gianna and Kobe.

Additionally, the NBA Commissioner announced NBA All-Star Game MVP Award has been re-named to honor Bryant.

“Kobe Bryant is synonymous with NBA All-Star and embodies the spirit of this global celebration of our game,” Adam Silver said in a statement on Saturday evening, which was shared with E! News. “He always relished the opportunity to compete with the best of the best and perform at the highest level for millions of fans around the world.”

Earlier this week, Bryant and his teenage daughter were laid to rest. 

On Feb. 24, the Staples Center will hold a special public memorial service for the late star and the victims in the helicopter accident.