‘My Heart Aches’: Former Niner Colin Kaepernick shared words of thanks for basketball legend Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gigi after their tragic demise

During his career as a QB with the San Francisco 49ers in the NFL, Colin Kaepernick had many friends among sports personalities. Many supported Kaepernick in his initiatives like the million dollar pledge. These have included Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, Snoop Dogg, Meek Mill and Serena Williams. Apart from them, however, there is another legend who was also quite close to the QB. Lakers superstar Kobe Bryant.

Bryant and Kaepernick had a few interactions, given that they played different sports. But the two men seemed to respect each other. Kaepernick, like many others, was therefore shocked but the events of January 2020.

The helicopter crash in January 2020 resulted in the death of NBA legend Kobe Bryant, along with his 13-year-old daughter and many others. After the crash, an emotional and shocked Kaepernick took to Twitter to share words of thanks to offer his condolences. The QB wrote, “My heart aches for his wife, children and family” in their efforts to deal with this devastating event.

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He wrote about how much of an inspiration Bryant was to him saying: “I will remember Kobe as a basketball legend, a father and a man.” He further stated that he wishes Bryant’s family could find some comfort in the words of comfort sent in by friends and fans around the world.

From hosting games to supporting his cause – How close was Bryant to Colin Kaepernick?

Kaepernick and Bryant only had a few public interactions, but fans could see their mutual admiration and respect in those few moments. It showed in the way they talked about each other in interviews, especially Bryant. It also helped that both were Nike athletes. The two stars had a brief interaction during the 2019 US Open, where they both went to watch Naomi Osaka perform.

Not only was Bryant a strong supporter of Kaepernick, but he also showed his support through his actions. In 2016, Kaepernick began his $1 million pledge, in which Koby donated $100,000 each month for 10 months to support minority communities. During the last month of the engagement, he had demand her famous friends to donate $10,000 to any charity of their choice.

In answer, Bryant has pledged to donate $10,000 to Youth Service, Inc. This is an organization dedicated to providing shelter and other services to at-risk children and families in Philadelphia. Kaepernick also tweeted about Bryant’s donation and thanked him.

With such camaraderie, it was only natural for Kaepernick to write the heartfelt words about Kobe Bryant’s unexpected demise.

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