Kobe Bryant was remembered at the NBA All-Star game earlier this month, where two other legends of the sport shared an emotional moment. Allen Iverson, who was seen wearing a Bryant No. 8 Los Angeles Lakers jersey, was greeting the fans before he ran into Dwyane Wade. When they saw each other, the two embraced for at least 20 seconds while fans watched.
.@dwyanewade and @alleniverson shared a heartfelt moment after the NBA All-Star Game’s tribute to Kobe Bryant 🙏
(via coachjhoward/Instagram) pic.twitter.com/gD4JJMfRJd
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) February 18, 2020
A number of Twitter users responded to the video with a lot of love.
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“Out of all the players I feel like AI taken Kobe’s passing the worst,” one fan wrote. “Came in the league together and battled it out in the finals when the were both in their prime. I feel for AI.”
“A.I. and Kobe had a few battles on the court this is genuine respect for Kobe luv A.I my favorite SIXER of all time!!!” another Twitter user wrote.
“AI has always been one of if not the most genuine and heartfelt guys the game has ever seen, and he showed it and then some this weekend,” another fan added.
Prior to the All-Star game, Iverson sat down with the Player’s Tribune and he talked about the battles he and Bryant had on the court.
“It was always a battle between me and him,” Iverson said during the interview. “And then, having the chance to be on the same team with him…”
“I mean, looking back on it, that was it. Just having the chance to play with my guy,” Iverson continued. “Not knowing that would be the only time that I had a chance to play with him.”
Iverson reacted to the death of Bryant and Gianna on Instagram when first heard the news.
“Words cannot express how I’m feeling today. The only 2 words that ring in my head — devastated and heartbroken. I cannot seem to shake this feeling no matter what I’ve tried to do since hearing this yesterday,” Iverson wrote on Instagram.
“People will always remember how we competed against each other in the league, but it goes so much deeper than that for me,” he continued. “The story of us being drafted in arguably the deepest class of its kind ever in the NBA can be debated for many years to come. However, his generosity and respect for the game is something that I witnessed first-hand every time we stepped on the dance floor to compete.”
