Los Angeles Lakers player LeBron James has posted an emotional tribute to Kobe Bryant following the NBA veteran’s death on Sunday.

James broke his silence on Instagram on Monday evening after Bryant, daughter Gianna, and seven others died in a helicopter crash in the Los Angeles hills.

Bryant was a five-time NBA champion who played for the Lakers throughout his 20-year career.

James made it clear he is still trying to process the shocking death of an iconic long-time rival and friend long before they had expected to say farewell. 

‘I’m not ready but here I go. Man I sitting here trying to write something for this post but every time I try I begin crying again just thinking about you, niece Gigi and the friendship/bond/brotherhood we had,’ James wrote.

‘Please give me the strength from the heavens above and watch over me! I got US here! There’s so much more I want to say but just can’t right now because I can’t get through it! Until we meet again my brother!!’ 

James’ message came alongside a photo of him in a Lakers uniform greeting Bryant as he rose from a courtside seat.

Bryant’s final post on Twitter before his death was a message to James, saying: ‘Continuing to move the game forward @KingJames. Much respect my brother.’

It came as James, scored 29 points in the LA Lakers’ defeat to the Philadelphia 76ers, moving him to 33,655 career points, a total of 11 more than Bryant’s 33,644.

In a moving image shared on Instagram, Kobe wrote: On to #2 @kingjames! Keep growing the game and charting the path for the next.’

LeBron James was a teenager when he first met Kobe Bryant at a youth basketball camp, in awe of his idol and ears open as the Los Angeles Lakers star offered advice to the prodigy that has lasted to this day.

‘I was just listening,’ James said. ‘I was just trying to soak everything up I could. I remember one thing he said was that if you want to try and be great at it, and want to be one of the greats, you’ve got to put the work in.’

James put in the work and followed Bryant’s path — from making the leap from high school straight to the NBA, to winning NBA titles, and, eventually, to playing in Los Angeles. With a driving right-handed layup, James no longer chased Bryant, he zoomed past him for third place on the NBA’s career scoring list.

‘I’m just happy to be in any conversation with Kobe Bryant, one of the all-time greats to ever play,’ James said.