Kobe Bryant Celebration of Life: Michael Jordan Jokes About His ‘Crying Meme’ During Memorial Speech

During the celebration of life memorial for Kobe Bryant and Gianna Bryant, several figures took to the stage in order to pay tribute to the late NBA icon and his daughter. One of those figures, Michael Jordan, addressed Kobe during the ceremony and even made a light-hearted joke about the famous Crying Jordan meme in the process.

Jordan shed a few tears as he took the stage and began to speak about Kobe and subsequently acknowledged one of the most famous memes that he’s been featured in.

“Now, he’s got me… I’ll have to look at another crying meme for the next—” he said, which prompted laughs and applause from the entire crowd at the Staples Center. “I told my wife I wasn’t going to do this ’cause I didn’t want to see that for the next three or four years. This is what Kobe Bryant does to you.”

Jordan’s comment provided for a nice, light-hearted moment amid the emotional ceremony. Elsewhere in his own speech, Jordan continued, through tears, to comment on the legacy that Kobe would be leaving behind.

“Maybe it surprised people … but we were very close friends,” Jordan said. “Everyone always wanted to talk about the comparisons between he and I. I just wanted to talk about Kobe.”

Jordan noted that despite the rivalry the pair had during their time on the court, Kobe would always come up to him to seek out his advice so that he could improve his own game.

“At first, it was an aggravation,” he said. “But then it turned into a certain passion. This kid had passion like you would never know.”

“He wanted to be the best basketball player that he could be,” Jordan continued. “And as I got to know him, I wanted to be the best big brother that I could be.”

Jordan concluded his speech by noting just how difficult the loss has been for him and countless others.

“No one knows how much time we have, that is why we must live in the moment, we must enjoy the moment, we must reach and see and spend as much time as we can with our families and friends and the people that we absolutely love,” he said, per E! News. “When Kobe Bryant died, a piece of me died and I know a piece of you died or else you wouldn’t be here. Those are the memories that we have to live with.”

“From this day forward, I will live with the memories of knowing that I had a little brother that I tried to help in every way I could,” Jordan concluded. “Please rest in peace, little brother.”