LeBron James Led A Team Prayer On The Plane When News Broke About Kobe Bryant’s Death

LeBron James was on a team plane when he found out Kobe Bryant died in a helicopter crash. However, the Los Angeles Lakers forward was able to remain composed enough to gather his teammates together and lead them in prayer.

As the current face of the Lakers, James has been called upon to publicly speak about the death of his friend since the tragic accident on January 26. The Akron, Ohio, native was on a team flight with several members of the organization when news broke about the crash which took the Lakers legend’s life.

A report from ESPN revealed details of how the players and staff handled the heartbreaking news. Bryant was not only a prominent figure for the organization but a friend to many onboard. Anthony Davis informed the outlet that everyone on the flight was crying.

There was still a state of disbelief for many as they frantically attempted to get online to verify the news. Davis says he was just getting a connection when Dwight Howard began crying and told him the 41-year-old was gone.

Head coach Frank Vogel had the unenviable task of addressing each person on the plane and calmly explaining that Bryant had died. The tragedy impacted players, coaches, training staff, security, and virtually every person on the flight associated with the Lakers.

Once everyone had been told the news of the crash was legitimate, James took it upon himself to gather his teammates together and led a prayer. This was especially difficult since the 35-year-old had spoken to Bryant on the phone the night before.

Even though he was unprepared, James came up with a prayer and felt the team coming together was more important than his words.

“It was just off the top of my head, just off the cuff. I think it was needed for us to come together and just give thanks to the man above,” he told ESPN.

His thoughts were with Bryant’s wife and children when he led the prayer.

“Even though at times we question him and question why he do some of the things that he do, know that he’s never made a mistake. And just hope that he has his hands on top of Vanessa [Bryant] and the kids at that time, and hope that he continues to watch over all of us.”

As reported by The Inquisitr, video footage captured James getting off the Lakers’ plane in tears after the harrowing flight. Bryant’s final Twitter post was an ode to his friend for passing him on the all-time scoring list.

.@KingJames reveals his Kobe Bryant tattoo

"Mamba 4 Life” ?? pic.twitter.com/iZBk9UpyVg

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) February 1, 2020