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Michael Jordan provided a moment of levity at the memorial service for Kobe and Gigi Bryant: 'Now he's got me — I'll have to look at another crying meme'

Michael Jordan
Michael Jordan provided the crowd with a much-needed laugh while remembering Lakers superstar Kobe Bryant. Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images
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The NBA world gathered at the Staples Center in Los Angeles to mourn the loss of Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna "Gigi" Bryant on Monday.

While the gathering was a somber one, there were moments of levity, with former teammates sharing fond memories of the Lakers superstar and former rivals paying their respects to Bryant one last time.

Michael Jordan offered a touching eulogy for Bryant. "Kobe left nothing in the tank. He left it all on the floor," Jordan said.

"Kobe was my dear friend; he was like my little brother," Jordan said. "Everybody always wanted to talk about the comparisons between he and I. I just wanted to talk about Kobe."

At one point, Jordan teared up and provided a much-needed moment of levity in the midst of some somber circumstances, referencing the "Crying Jordan" meme that was inescapable for years.

"Now he's got me — I'll have to look at another crying meme for the next," Jordan said with tears streaming down his face before getting cut off by laughs and applause. "I told my wife I wasn't going to do this because I didn't want to see this for the next three or four years. That is what Kobe Bryant does to me."

 

You can watch Jordan's whole speech below.

 

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Tyler Lauletta is a sports reporter for Business Insider covering everything from the latest in NFL trades to the NBA playoff race to that weird rugby highlight you don't quite understand but know to be impressive. Hailing from Philadelphia, he is a known Truster of The Process. He graduated from Temple University. You can contact him at tlauletta@jkmperu.com with your questions, pitches, or if you ever feel like gloating after your favorite team beat the Philadelphia 76ers.