Kobe Bryant Once Watched Goldfish’s Funeral to Support His Friend Chris Sacca’s Kids

Tributes have been pouring in for Kobe Bryant in the days following his tragic death. The NBA legend’s family, friends, and fans around the world all took to social media to describe just how much of an impact Bryant had on their lives. According to the Los Angeles Times, one of the athlete’s friends, Chris Sacca, honored Bryant by recounting the time that the former Laker made a sweet impression on his family.

“Somehow yesterday was bad and today feels even worse,” Sacca told the LA Times in an email on Jan. 28 about Bryant’s passing.

Not only did he open up about Bryant’s death, but Sacca, a billionaire investor, and the late icon’s friend and mentor, also described a moment featuring his dear friend and, surprisingly enough, a goldfish funeral.

“I told Kobe that our kids’ fish had died and that we were going to have a funeral/celebration of life of it,” Sacca wrote. “I told him that we were going to stream it on Periscope, and he asked me what time.”

Bryant promised to watch the live stream and, as Sacca went on to detail, he did indeed tune in.

“Sure enough,” Sacca wrote, “when the time came, Kobe logged in and watched our fish funeral live and sent his sympathies to our kids. As a dad, he knew how important it was to them and that it mattered to them.”

As he continued to describe, Sacca and Bryant’s conversations always began with them discussing their families. They typically spoke in the evening after their children had gone to bed.

“The priority for him,” Sacca wrote, “was always being at home in time to be with them.”

Just like Sacca noted, Bryant was definitely a family man. Following his death, many of his closest friends and family even detailed as much in their tributes. On Instagram on Jan. 26, Alex Rodrguez issued a moving tribute to Bryant that highlighted the athlete’s focus on family time.

“I last saw him a few months ago,” Rodriguez wrote, captioning a slideshow of photos of Bryant, including one of him with his family. “I will remember what he told me about how much he loved Vanessa and his girls, and that he continued to say no to 99 percent of offers, choosing instead to spend as much time with his family as possible.”

“I will remember his greatness. I will remember his guidance. I will remember his friendship. I will remember that he made me a better person,” he continued.