LeBron James reflects on ring night without Kobe Bryant there

The Los Angeles Lakers championship ring ceremony was a celebration but also a little empty. Of course, it was not only because thousands of fans were not in the arena to cheer, but they were also not there to once again mourning the loss of a legend, Kobe Bryant, a loss inextricably linked to their franchise in 2020, as long as their championship. LeBron James knows what he was missing and shared those feelings with Lakers fans after Tuesday’s ring night.

James shared an art piece created by a fan on Instagram featuring Kobe Bryant in a suit next to LeBron getting his ring, something that spoke to LeBron a great deal enough to share and credit the artist, Jeff Cole.

Lakers vice president of basketball operations Rob Pelinka was Bryant’s agent and also one of Bryant’s closest friends. Between Bryant’s past on the Lakers, his friendship with Pelinka, and the one with James that got stronger after James joined the Lakers, the Lakers honoring Kobe Bryant will go beyond just the year in which they lost him.