Ice Cube Reveals He Texted Kobe Bryant To See If He Would Text Him Back

BYAron A.11.5K Views
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Ice Cube speaks on what Kobe Bryant meant to him and Los Angeles as a whole.

Fans beyond Los Angeles have been mourning the untimely passing of Kobe Bryant and his 13-year-old daughter Gianna. As tributes poured out on social media and in the streets, many of his friends in the public eye -- those who had the chance to meet him or play him in the NBA -- have spoke out to discuss his greatness and what he meant to the sport.

Ice Cube, a die-hard Lakers fan, went on ESPN's The Jump where he discussed the passing of Kobe Bryant and his legacy. One of the most heartbreaking parts of the interview, though, is when he revealed what happened when he first got the news. He explained that he received the news but he immediately texted Kobe "to see if he would hit me back."

"And when I didn’t get it back, you don’t immediately start to worry because he’s Kobe and he always gets back sooner or later," he said. More than just a player, Kobe was a father and Ice Cube expressed his condolences to Vanessa Bryant, their kids, and all of their family.

"Me personally, I don’t have too many heroes that’s younger than me, and that was one of them," he said. "It’s profound but I think more about his family and I hope the city wraps their arms around the family and embrace them as much as they embraced Kobe."

Peep the clip below. 

About The Author
Aron A. is a features editor for HotNewHipHop. Beginning his tenure at HotNewHipHop in July 2017, he has comprehensively documented the biggest stories in the culture over the past few years. Throughout his time, Aron’s helped introduce a number of buzzing up-and-coming artists to our audience, identifying regional trends and highlighting hip-hop from across the globe. As a Canadian-based music journalist, he has also made a concerted effort to put spotlights on artists hailing from North of the border as part of Rise & Grind, the weekly interview series that he created and launched in 2021. Aron also broke a number of stories through his extensive interviews with beloved figures in the culture. These include industry vets (Quality Control co-founder Kevin "Coach K" Lee, Wayno Clark), definitive producers (DJ Paul, Hit-Boy, Zaytoven), cultural disruptors (Soulja Boy), lyrical heavyweights (Pusha T, Styles P, Danny Brown), cultural pioneers (Dapper Dan, Big Daddy Kane), and the next generation of stars (Lil Durk, Latto, Fivio Foreign, Denzel Curry). Aron also penned cover stories with the likes of Rick Ross, Central Cee, Moneybagg Yo, Vince Staples, and Bobby Shmurda.
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