Nancy Lieberman Shares Final Texts With Kobe Bryant 48 Hours Before Fatal Helicopter Crash
Kobe Bryant, his daughter Gigi, and seven others died when a helicopter crashed into a hillside near Los Angeles on January 26, 2020.
Basketball Hall of Famer Nancy Lieberman, who currently coaches in Ice Cube's Big3 League, cultivated a friendship with Bryant over the years. Merely two days before his unexpected death, Bryant exchanged text messages with Lieberman emphasizing the significance of promoting women's sports.
Bryant consistently championed women's sports. As he concluded his NBA career and his daughter Gianna, also known as "Gigi" Bryant, developed a passion for basketball, his dedication to supporting women in sports appeared to intensify.
Last week, Lieberman, 66, appeared on former Indiana Pacers' player Mark Jackson's podcast, 'The Mark Jackson Show,' where she discussed the text conversation she had with Bryant 2 days before the crash.
Had a great time talking hoops on the Mark Jackson show! Tune in below🎧https://t.co/ygk9vkgKj2
— Nancy Lieberman (@NancyLieberman) July 29, 2024
"Kobe, there's a couple of radicals that I'm working with," Lieberman said. "Radicals?" Bryant responded. "Yeah, men... and they are arguing about what you said to the media the other day."
"When do you want to talk about it?" the NBA legend replied.
She mentioned that she had been trying for years to arrange a time to work with Gigi's team.
"Kobe and I had been talking for two years and putting Gigi's team through practice for a day. And then life got busy, and we're doing all this stuff... we never did it," Lieberman said during the podcast.
"Saturday night after midnight, Kobe calls me because he's chop chop. I'm like, 'Hey, Kobe, yeah, how you doing?' He goes, 'OK, details ...You'll fly in, you'll Uber to the house, we'll grab some food, we'll hop on the helicopter, you go to the Mamba, you have as long as you want with Gigi and her team.' So, we had the plan set," she recalled.
Bryant was eager for Lieberman to share her basketball expertise with his daughter and her teammates given her impressive background.
Lieberman began her WNBA career during the league's first season in 1997. She also coached the Detroit Shock, an NBA G League team, and served as an assistant coach for the Sacramento Kings.
NBA legend Michael Jordan also revealed his last text exchange with Bryant.
In May 2021, Jordan shared with 'ESPN' that he had kept their final messages and mentioned that the baller was in high spirits in the weeks leading up to his death.
"He was just so happy," Jordan, 61, said of Bryant's mood before the accident. "He was doing so well."
"This tequila is awesome," the Philadelphia native had texted, referring to Jordan's Cincoro Tequila he had received. "Thank you, my brother," Jordan replied.
"Yes, sir. Family good?" Bryant asked. "All good. Yours?" Jordan responded. "All good," Bryant answered.
Jordan then inquired about Bryant's latest coaching endeavors with Gigi. "Happy holidays," Jordan wrote. "and hope to catch up soon. Coach Kobe??!"
"Hey, coach, I'm sitting on the bench right now, and we're blowing this team out. 45-8," Bryant responded.
Kobe Bryant died on January 26, 2020. He was 41.
The shooting guard, who spent his entire 20-year career with the Los Angeles Lakers, is considered one of the greatest basketball players in the history. He won 5 NBA championships and was an 18-time All-Star and a two-time NBA Finals MVP.
Bryant was posthumously voted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2020 and named to the NBA 75th Anniversary Team in 2021 in Cleveland, Ohio.
