Credit: Twitter
Drake is one of the biggest names in the music industry, but he is also a huge fan of basketball and the late Kobe Bryant. The Canadian rapper has paid tribute to the NBA legend several times, both in his songs and in his videos. Drake recently recalled how he met Kobe for the first time and shared the story at a concert in Los Angeles in 2023.
Drake said that his first move from home was to Los Angeles, California, and this is the place where he met Kobe Bryant. The Canadian rapper said that he was on Lil Wayne’s tour bus when he wanted to play an album for him but asked to wait for someone.
"I was on Lil Wayne's tour bus... He said, 'I got this album... I want to play it for you. But we got to wait for somebody to get here first.' So I waited on the bus for an hour and a half. Finally, this tall figure walks through the bus... and it's Kobe Bryant."
Watch the video here:
The audience erupted in cheers and applause as they celebrated the memory of Kobe Bryant, who passed away in a tragic helicopter crash in 2020. In his track “From Florida With Love,” the rapper recalled hearing his mentor Lil Wayne’s 2008 hit, “Lollipop,” on a tour bus with late basketball player Kobe Bryant before it was released. During an appearance on Young Money Radio, Drake also opened up about why it was an “out of body” experience. Drake has also dedicated his song "Toosie Slide" to Kobe, which features a tribute to him in the video.
The start of Drake's concert in Los Angeles on Monday night was preceded by LeBron James and his son Bronny, a positive sign of the 18-year-old's remarkable recovery from his shocking cardiac arrest in July. Drake was accompanied by James and his USC student-athlete son as he made his way toward the stage at Crypto.com Arena.
