Well, it's finally arrived: Kobe Bryant finally made his first appearance on the Michael Jordan docuseries "The Last Dance." The Lakers legend reportedly recorded his piece in the project shortly before his tragic death in a helicopter accident in late January.
Bryant was referenced almost immediately with the episode being dedicated to him. Shortly thereafter, the documentary went into his first NBA All-Star appearance and took the viewer to the perspective of the Eastern All-Stars locker room. There, the best players of the late 1990s spoke about Bryant -- including Jordan himself.
The highlight was Kobe himself recognizing, in no uncertain terms, that everything about his game came from Jordan himself and that there's no Kobe without M.J.
As one might imagine with the reveal of a person whose life was cut short, many players, as well as other individuals, expressed how that moment in the episode made them feel on Twitter. In what should come as a surprise to no one: everyone was certainly feeling a mixed bag of emotions, mostly stemming from the disbelief that Bryant is no longer here.
Here are some of the best tweets in response to Bryant's appearance in Sunday's episode.
KOBE WAS MY MJ🙏🏽😢
— Trae Young (@TheTraeYoung) May 4, 2020
We all miss you Kobe 💜💛 pic.twitter.com/7K2IRjExxh
— Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) May 4, 2020
It will never feel real Kobe isn't here with us..
— 🏁 Jamal Crawford (@JCrossover) May 4, 2020
😥😥😥😥 that intro just tore me apart man. Man I wish Kobe was here to see this man. Thank you for sharing that beautiful and special footage Mike! We miss you Bean❤️🙏🏽! #TheLastDance
— Quinn Cook (@QCook323) May 4, 2020
Still doesn’t seem real. #RIPKobeGigi
— Leigh Ellis (@LeighEllis) May 4, 2020
seeing kobe on the last dance pic.twitter.com/X7EYMYcrJH
— ᵂᴬᴸᵀᴱᴿ (@_MorantSZN) May 4, 2020
"you want this ball again you better rebound."
— Rob Perez (@WorldWideWob) May 4, 2020
MJ and Kobe practices might have been better than the games.
Kobe taking about MJ is just too good. Too f’ing good. The respect is so evident. Gives you chills man.. #TheLastDance
— Louis Riddick (@LRiddickESPN) May 4, 2020
— Timothy Burke (@bubbaprog) May 4, 2020