During the fifth episode of Michael Jordan’s 10-part docu-series The Last Dance, the Sunday (May 3) installment opened up with an appearance from the late Kobe Bryant. 

The former Los Angeles Laker had recently given an interview about the Chicago Bulls legend before his untimely passing on January 26. 

“It was a rough couple of years for me coming into the league because at the time the league was so much older; it’s not as young as it is today, so nobody was really thinking much of me,” Bryant said reflecting on his 1998 All-Star game with Jordan who also was named the MVP. “I was a kid that shot a bunch of air balls.” 

Following the end of the fourth quarter of the All-star matchup at Madison Square Garden, Jordan and the then 19-year-old Bryant would hug and tell one another, “I’ll see you down the road.” 

Bryant spoke authentically about his relationship with Jordan during The Last Dance recalling the guidance he would often receive from who he would call his “big brother.”

“I had a question about shooting his turnaround shot so I asked him about it and he gave me a great, detailed answer but, on top of that, he said if you ever need anything, give me a call,” Bryant revealed. 

He also touched on the Bryant versus Jordan topic. 

“I truly hate having discussions about who would win one-on-one. You heard fans saying ‘Hey, Kobe, you beat Michael one-on-one. ‘I feel like, what you get from me is from him,” Bryant recounted before later stating. “I don’t get five championships here without him because he guided me so much and gave so much great advice.” 

The Lakers’ touching cameo was an emotional one for fans as the Sunday episode aired just four months after the 41-year-old NBA icon and his 14-year-old daughter Gianna died in a helicopter crash along with seven others in Calabasas, California.  

During the airing of the episode NBA stars and basketball fans joined together to pay an honorary tribute to Bryant. 

The Last Dance airs Sundays at 9 PM ET on ESPN.