Michael Jordan says he still gets choked up looking at his phone and a series of 17-month-old text messages.
The all-time hardwood great Jordan and late basketball icon Kobe Bryant chatted electronically about family, hoops and tequila in their final communications, just weeks before his death, the Chicago Bulls legend revealed.
Jordan told ESPN's Jackie MacMullan that he's kept those final text messages even if they inevitably bring a tear to his eye.
"He was just so happy," Jordan said of Bryant's final weeks of life. "He was doing so well."
The two basketball greats exchanged text messages midday on Dec. 8, 2019, seven weeks before Bryant, 41, his 13-year-old daughter Gigi, six friends and a pilot were killed when their helicopter crashed in Calabasas, California, about 30 miles northwest of downtown Los Angeles.
"This tequila is awesome," Bryant texted in reference to Jordan's Cincoro Tequila which had been sent to the retired L.A. Lakers guard.
"Thank you, my brother," Jordan responded.
"Yes, sir. Family good?" Bryant replied.
"All good. Yours?"
"All good."
At this point in Bryant's life, more than three years after he'd played his final game, the Lakers great was all about coaching daughter Gigi, an aspiring hoopster.
"Happy holidays," Jordan texted back, ESPN reported, "and hope to catch up soon. Coach Kobe??!"
"Ah, back at you, man," Bryant wrote. "Hey, coach, I'm sitting on the bench right now, and we're blowing this team out. 45-8."
The fact Bryant was taking such joy coaching a girls basketball team summed up the "Black Mamba's" passion for the game, according to Jordan.
"I just love that text," Jordan told ESPN, "because it shows Kobe's competitive nature."
Bryant and Jordan are the fourth- and fifth-highest scorers, respectively, in NBA history. They were also both fierce competitors, with Jordan leading the Bulls to six NBA titles while Bryant won five rings in L.A.
Bryant was elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame last year.
Jordan is scheduled to present Bryant at enshrinement ceremonies on Saturday.
