On Monday, Jimmy Fallon ended his show with a special tribute to one of his friends, Kobe Bryant, who along with his daughter Gianna was among the nine victims of a tragic helicopter crash in Calabasas.
Fallon emotionally retells the story of how and Kobe met, back when he was 21 and Kobe was just a 17-year-old rookie with the Los Angeles Lakers. Their relationship began, of all things, with a beer run.
"Let’s honour Kobe, Gianna and the other lives lost. Love your family, love your teammates and outwork everyone else in the gym. To Vanessa and all those affected by this tragedy, we love you and we’ll always be there for all of you. Kobe, when we meet again, we’re going on a beer run,” said Fallon in his closing remarks.
Around the late night circuit, other hosts also paid tribute to Kobe. Jimmy Kimmel chose to forego his usual live-studio audience and dedicated his entire one-hour show to Kobe’s memory.
Kobe was a frequent guest on Kimmel’s show, and a clip from one of his appearances in 2018 about Gianna and his basketball legacy has been making the rounds again online in the aftermath of the crash.
h/t The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon
