Michael Jordan reveals final texts to Kobe Bryant

They may be two of the greatest competitors the NBA has ever seen but the final messages between MJ and Kobe have revealed much more.

Michael Jordan has revealed his final messages with Kobe Bryant, six weeks before the Lakers legend’s death.

In January 2020, Bryant, his daughter Gianna and seven others died in a helicopter crash after taking off in a thick fog on their way to a girls basketball tournament at his Mamba Sports Academy.

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It shocked the sporting world and saw an outpouring of grief for the Lakers legend.

Bryant had been nominated as a first-ballot entry to the NBA Hall of Fame in late December 2019, but was gone 38 days later.

On May 15, Bryant will enter the Basketball Hall of Fame, with Jordan chosen by Bryant's family to deliver the speech.

Jordan, widely renowned as the greatest basketballer to ever live, fought back tears as he gave an emotional speech at Bryant’s funeral, saying Kobe was “like a little brother”.

“Everyone always wanted to talk about the comparisons between he and I,” Jordan said at the time. “I just wanted to talk about Kobe.

“This kid had passion like you would never know. When Kobe Bryant died, a piece of me died.”

Jordan got emotional at Kobe’s funeral.

ESPN’s Jackie MacMullin has revealed the last exchange between Jordan and Bryant, with His Airness revealing to her he still has their final text message conversation saved on his phone.

It was bittersweet as he said it revealed a man who was happy and loving life, before cruelly being taken away far too soon.

Sent on December 8, the thread began with Bryant thanking Jordan for sending him a bottle of his Cincoro Tequila.

Bryant: This tequila is awesome.

Jordan: Thank you, my brother.

Bryant: Yes, sir. Family good?

Jordan: All good. Yours?

Bryant: All good.

Jordan smiled, then decided to have a little fun. “He was really into coaching Gigi so I hit him up about that,” he told MacMullin.

“Happy holidays and hope to catch up soon. Coach Kobe??!” Jordan texted.

“I added that little crying/laughing emoji,” Jordan said.

“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.”

Jordan said it showed just who Bryant was.

“I just love that text because it shows Kobe’s competitive nature,” Jordan told MacMullin.

Competitive is just who Kobe was.

Jordan and Bryant had several major run-ins on the court with actor John Cusack revealing the truth behind an iconic image of Kobe standing above MJ, who is laying flat on his back with the pair laughing.

“In that moment, at some point in the game, everyone knew Michael and Kobe were going to go one-on-one,” Cusack told Jimmy Kimmel Live late last year.

“So Kobe got the ball, he cleared everybody out and everybody started to bristle up with anticipation. It was going to be Kobe against Michael. Kobe started to drive and Michael stepped in front of him, right in front of me and he took the charge and he went down.

“Kobe’s standing above him and Michael just looked up at him and said, ‘Everybody in the f***ing building knew you weren’t gonna pass’.

“And then there‘s a pause and it was like the old pro got him and Kobe just started laughing and they both started laughing.”

He added it was like the “passing of the torch from one great to another”.

Kobe and MJ clashes have become things of legend.

It was the last time the pair played against each other.

MJ’s battle with Kobe was also explored in The Last Dance, with Bryant reciprocating the big brother-little brother relationship.

“He’s like my big brother. I truly hate having discussions about who would win one-on-one and fans saying, ‘Kobe, you’d beat Michael one-on-one’,” Bryant said in the documentary about the Chicago Bulls.

“I feel like, yo, what you get from me is from him. I don’t get five championships here without him, because he guided me so much and he gave me so much great advice.”

Expect some more tears for MJ at the Hall of Fame induction.

Originally published as Michael Jordan reveals final texts to Kobe Bryant