Paul George shares a tribute to Kobe Bryant on Instagram

The LA Clippers star shares a memory of Bryant on the anniversary of his passing.

On the one-year anniversary of one of the most painful days in sports history, many in the NBA community are sharing their thoughts of the late, great Kobe Bryant. Among those is Clippers star Paul George, who idolized Bryant growing up in the Los Angeles area.

George left a touching tribute on his Instagram account: two photos of the pair embracing and smiling in the Indiana Pacers locker room, accompanied by the following caption:

“I knew I held on tight for a reason. We miss and love you big bro! RIP to all the lives lost too soon! Mamba FOREVER!”

George has talked at length about his early interactions with Bryant, and how he patterned his game after the Laker legend. He also wore the jersey number 24 for the first three seasons of his career in honor of Bryant.

A year ago, George took to Instagram just as he did today, sharing his thoughts while the loss was still fresh in his mind:

“God please be with the families involved. Heal every broken heart and be there in there time of need! Still can’t believe this 😢 I’m grateful to have someone like you to look up to growing up in Cali. You inspired me to play basketball and to dominate on both ends. You made it cool to play defense and bust someone’s ass on offense. Thank you for taking me under your wing and being in my corner. Rest easy Kobe! 🙏🏾🙏🏾😢🐍”

George is clearly still grieving a year later, as many of us are.