Inside The Heat

Dwyane Wade Among Those To Celebrate Life Of The Late Kobe Bryant

Shandel Richardson

Feb 14, 2016; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Western Conference forward Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers (24) controls the ball against Eastern Conference guard Dwyane Wade of the Miami Heat (3) in the second half during the NBA All Star Game at Air Canada Centre. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 14, 2016; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Western Conference forward Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers (24) controls the ball against Eastern Conference guard Dwyane Wade of the Miami Heat (3) in the second half during the NBA All Star Game at Air Canada Centre. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports / Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports
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More than four years have passed since NBA great Kobe Bryant was killed in a helicopter crash.

On Friday, Bryant would have turned 46. Miami Heat legend Dwyane Wade was among those to celebrate Bryant's life.

Wade posted his thoughts on X.

The basketball world continues to mourn the loss of one of the greatest players in league history. Bryant passed before he was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. He finally received the highest honor in May of 2021.

Bryant left the game after winning three NBA titles, all with the Los Angeles Lakers. When he teamed with Shaquille O'Neal, it was considered one of the best ever duos.

"Today is one of the saddest days of my lifetime," an emotional Wade said during an social media post at the time of Bryant's death. "It seems like a bad dream that you just want to wake up from. It's a nightmare."

Wade and Bryant had a long history during their playing days. Wade is generally considered the third-best shooting guard of all-time behind Bryant and Michael Jordan. Bryant and Wade faced off 20 times in their careers.

"If you got the chance to know Kobe, if you got the chance to really know Kobe, there's nobody better man," Wade continued in his post in 2020. "Emotions are all over the place. These are the moments where you ask, 'Why?'"

Shandel Richardson is the publisher of Miami Heat On SI. He can be reached at shandelrich@gmail.com

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Shandel Richardson
SHANDEL RICHARDSON

Shandel has covered the NBA since 2010, with previous stops at The Athletic and South Florida Sun-Sentinel.  He has covered six NBA Finals, one Super Bowl, the NCAA basketball tournament. He has also been a beat writer for the Miami Hurricanes and contributed on every major beat in South Florida since 2003, including the Miami Dolphins and Miami Marlins. He can also be read in the Sportsbook Review for gambling coverage from around the NBA. A native of Bloomington, Illinois, Shandel attended Southern Illinois University in Carbondale. He's also worked for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and Kansas City Star.  TWITTER: @ShandelRich EMAIL: shandelrich@gmail.com You can subscribe to our YouTube channel here Follow all of our Miami Heat coverage on Facebook here