Kobe Bryant: Resurfaced Video Shows LeBron James Reacting to Bryant's 2006 Playoffs Buzzer Beater

With Kobe Bryant dying in a helicopter crash on Jan. 26, there have been a number of tributes to [...]

By Brian Jones

With Kobe Bryant dying in a helicopter crash on Jan. 26, there have been a number of tributes to him and the eight other victims who died in the crash, including his 13-year old daughter Gianna Bryant. And with Bryant being a Los Angeles Lakers legend, past videos of him in action continue to resurface. One of the latest videos to emerge was when Bryant hit the game-winning shot against the Phoenix Suns in the 2006 playoffs. But it wasn't so much the shot that stood out, it was LeBron James' reaction to Bryant that caught everyone's attention.

James knew that Bryant was going to hit the shot because he had the ball in his hands with seconds left. Despite two people on him, Bryant made the shot with ease.

"You don't let him get the ball. I don't care," James said in the video.

It was an upset win for the Lakers as they were the No. 7 seed and the Suns finished the regular season No. 2 in the Western Conference. However, the Suns ended up winning the series 4-3 after winning the next three games.

In the 2005-2006 season, Bryant played in 80 regular-season games and averaged 35 points per contest. He was named to the All-NBA First Team and the NBA All-Defensive First Team.

When the Lakers had their first game since the helicopter crash, a special ceremony was held for Bryant and the eight victims of the helicopter crash. James spoke to the fans at Staples Center and he talked about how much Bryant meant to him.

"I look at this as a celebration tonight," James said. "This is a celebration of the 20 years of the blood, the sweat, the tears, the broken down body...the determination to be as great as he could be. Tonight we celebrate the kid that came here at 18 years of age, retired at 38 and became probably the best dad that we've seen over the last three years. Tonight is a celebration.

"Kobe is a brother to me," James continued. "From the time I was in high school watching him from afar, to getting in this league at 18 and watching him up close, all the battles that we had throughout my career, the one thing that we always shared was that determination to just want to win, to just want to be great. The fact that I'm here now means so much to me. I want to continue, along with my teammates, his legacy."

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