The NBA world wishes happy birthday to legend, Kobe Bryant

Kobe Bryant will always be remembered as one of the best players in NBA history. The Lakers Legend played for 20 seasons, where he won five championships. He also won two Finals MVPs and one regular season MVP. His tragic death still haunts us, but now we should honor him as one of the best to ever play basketball. Today, he would have turned 44 years old, and many players around the league decided to wish him a happy birthday.

Kyrie Irving is one of the players that decided to congratulate the legend via his Twitter account. The Nets player had a deep friendship with Kobe, at a point that he considered the Legend as his mentor. Not only on the court as a player, but also outside as a person. “VIII•XXIII  Love you Big brother  @kobebryant Happy Solar Return, and (cheers) to you. You and all the angels celebrate in Paradise! The Black Mamba lives on….(forever)” expressed the player.

More Lakers News

Lakers set to air a TV special on Kobe Bryant Day

Kobe Bryant uncommon way to strengthen his ankles

Other players, such as former Kobe's teammate Pau Gasol, also decided to congratulate ‘Black Mamba’. The Spanish player tweeted “Happy birthday, hermano. Miss you (mamba), always (in our hearts)”. Both players shared a locker room from 2008 to 2014, where they won back-to-back championships. They became close friends even after Gasol's departure to the Chicago Bulls. Buddy Hield and Caron Butler also share their love for Kobe.

Of course, the Los Angeles Lakers also congratulated one of their best players via social media. However, the most impactful comment came from Kobe Bryant's wife, Vanessa Bryant. She shared a photo via Instagram with the comment “Happy birthday, baby! I love you and I miss you so much! #44”. Congratulations will keep coming, and they are all well deserved. Kobe was not only great on the court, he was great as a person.

Kobe Bryant's day TV special

The Lakers will release a TV special honoring the late great, Kobe Bryant. The Lakers’ TV network announced it would air a compilation of interviews conducted throughout Bryant’s 20-year Lakers career to show what kind of person he was when he was not playing. The special “Backstage: Lakers – The Backstage Interviews: Kobe,”. The half-hour special will premier at 8 pm ET