This Saturday Kobe Bryant will be enshrined into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and will be inducted by none other than Michael Jordan himself.

 

As Jordan prepares for the monumental moment, he spoke with ESPN’s Jackie MacMullen and the topic of the last time he ever exchanged words with Kobe Bryant was over a text message.

According to Michael Jordan, the last text exchange took place on Dec. 8, 2019, just 49 days before Bryant’s fatal helicopter crash. Kobe shows appreciation to Jordan on his Cincoro Tequila to start off the communication. They then talked about their families before Jordan asked about Bryant’s move to coaching. Read the text exchange (below):

“This tequila is awesome,” Jordan said Kobe texted him after he had sent over a bottle.

“Thank you, my brother,” Jordan says he responded.

“Yes, sir. Family good?” Kobe replied.

“All good. Yours?”

“All good.”

Jordan wanted to talk to Bryant about his daughter’s basketball team—which he was coaching. “He was really into coaching Gigi,” Jordan said, “so I hit him up about that.”

“Happy holidays,” Jordan texted back, “and hope to catch up soon. Coach Kobe??!” “I added that little crying/laughing emoji,” Jordan chuckles.

“Ah, back at you, man,” Kobe wrote. “Hey, coach, I’m sitting on the bench right now, and we’re blowing this team out. 45-8.” … “I just love that text,” Jordan says, “because it shows Kobe’s competitive nature.” Jordan added, “I don’t know why, but I just can’t delete it.”