Justin Timberlake Reveals How Friend Kobe Bryant ‘Inspired’ Him: We Had a ‘Father Connection’
As people all over the world continue to mourn the untimely death of basketball legend Kobe Bryant, Justin Timberlake took to Instagram to share a heartfelt message for his friend.
“We met when we were both teenagers and bonded over our drive and process. I was in awe of what you could do with a basketball and knew your talent went beyond your physical gifts and stretched to your mentality,” the “Say Something” artist, 38, began his lengthy post on Monday, January 27.
“A mentality that I would take with me throughout my whole career and still use every day. As the years went by, I watched you do things that seemed humanly unimaginable. And, through [the] ups and downs, championships and injuries, you still remained with an unwavering resolve about your mentality to remain fierce to competition,” Justin continued. “But, every time we would speak, something started to change … your patience and ease grew. And it inspired me to continue to grow for myself. Years passed, and the ‘old man’ jokes would start to be traded back and forth.”
The longtime actor went on to explain how Bryant transcended his role as an athlete. “We both appreciated a good ‘ribbing.’ We joked about ‘The Vino Club.’ You nicknamed yourself ‘Vino’ to represent how one could age gracefully as a fine wine does. But, you never stopped aiming to inspire me,” he wrote. “Your confidence in me was huge — it really affected me because I admired you so much. I don’t mean as one of the greatest athletes ever. I mean as a person. People sometimes can confuse a will to win with a lack of compassion. That wasn’t you. You had both qualities.”
Timberlake concluded his emotional eulogy by sharing one of his final encounters with Bryant. “The last conversation that we shared was about being fathers and what that meant. That was, beyond all the things that we could do in this world, our true legacy. Who our children are and what beautiful people they will become. And, I guess right now, without being able to find all the words, THAT father connection is what is most devastating for me,” he expressed.
“I am sending my love to Vanessa and your family and to the families of everyone connected in the mourning of this terrible tragedy. My heart is broken and my family lifts you up in our thoughts and prayers. Kobe … you have connected so many of us,” Justin added. “The Mamba Mentality will last for all of time. I know that will be a source for me every day as it has been for so many days before. Your legacy is with us. It’s our responsibility to pass it down now. I hope you I can continue to make you proud, Vino. Champ, MVP, Legend, Hero, Inspiration, Father, Friend. I’m gonna miss you, brother. Mamba forever.”
Beautifully said, Justin. Rest in power, Kobe.
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