Hip Hop

JAY-Z Reflects On His Last Conversation With Kobe Bryant

Jay-Z is opening up about the last thing Kobe Bryant said to him.

We have not yet managed to get over the heartbreak caused by losing Kobe Bryant and his teenage daughter, Gianna. News broke on Jan. 26 that the NBA champion had passed away suddenly in a helicopter accident. Foggy weather conditions and poor visibility resulted in the light aircraft crashing into the side of a mountain in Calabasas, and Bryant was one of 9 people onboard, including the pilot, all of whom perished in the incident. Dozens of tributes have since poured in, as mourners share the impact which the retired LA Lakers player had on their lives and attempt to comfort his widow Vanessa and their 3 remaining daughters, the youngest of who is only 8-months-old.

Someone who was close to the athlete is Jay-Z. The “Family Feud” rapper revealed that his last conversation with his friend involved the late basketball player expressing untold pride for his daughter.

“So, Kobe was a guy that looked up to me and we’ve hung out multiple times and he was last at my house on New Year’s. He was just in the greatest space that I’ve seen him in,” the founder of Roc-A-Fella Records said during an appearance at Columbia University.

“One of the last things he said to me was, ‘You’ve gotta see Gianna play basketball. And that was one of the most hurtful things because he was so proud. And the look on his face was like — I looked at him and said, ‘Oh, she’s going to be the best female basketball player in the world.’ He was just so proud. So that’s really a tough one. My wife and I took that and taking that really tough. That’s all I’ll say on that. Just a great human being and was just in a great space in life.”

Rest in peace, Kobe and Gianna.