Charles Barkley Releases Statement On Kobe Bryant's Death
PHOENIX, AZ - MARCH 03: NBA legend Charles Barkley speaks during half time of the NBA game between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Phoenix Suns at Talking Stick Resort Arena on March 3, 2017 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
Hundreds of current and former basketball stars have expressed their condolences for Kobe Bryant's tragic death yesterday. On Monday, NBA analyst Charles Barkley, who battled Kobe and the Lakers numerous times at the end of his career, had a statement to make.
NBA.com released a statement from Barkley today where the Hall of Famer expressed his deepest condolences. Barkley called losing Kobe and his daughter Gianna on par with "losing a family member."
He summed up his emotions by saying his "just sad. Really sad."
Via NBA.com:
“First, I want to express my deepest condolences to the families and friends of all nine people killed in this tragedy. I really want to emphasize that in remembrance of the other seven people involved. For me, this is like losing a family member, to lose Kobe and his daughter, Gianna. Basketball is a close knit fraternity and I’m just sad. Really sad. My thoughts and prayers are with Vanessa and their girls, the Lakers family and every basketball fan around the world.”
Barkley and Kobe squared off in the 1999 NBA West First Round of the playoffs when Barkley was with the Houston Rockets. In the final playoff series of Barkley's career, Kobe and the Lakers beat the Rockets 3-1.
Back in 2015, Barkley told TMZ that he felt Kobe was one of the 10 best players ever. He even conceded that Kobe was better than him.
It's clear Sir Charles had tremendous respect for The Black Mamba.
