On Jan. 25, LeBron James officially passed Kobe Bryant for third on the NBA’s all-time scoring list against the latter’s hometown Philadelphia 76ers.
Unfortunately, less than 24 hours after James’ accomplishment, Bryant was among nine people who died in a helicopter crash outside of Los Angeles.
Leading up to James passing Bryant and shortly after, there was mutual respect between them despite the media/fans trying to compare them.
As the world mourns the loss of Bryant, James reportedly had a phone call with him after the 76ers game, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic:
One final conversation: LeBron James and Kobe Bryant had phone call late Saturday night after James passed Bryant on the NBA scoring charts, sources tell @TheAthleticNBA @Stadium.