Los Angeles — Oscar-winner and longtime Lakers fan Jack Nicholson is mourning the loss of his late friend Kobe Bryant, who died in a helicopter crash Sunday. A heartbroken Nicholson spoke exclusively to CBS Los Angeles about Bryant hours after the accident.
“My reaction is the same as almost all of L.A.,” Nicholson said. “Where we think everything’s solid, there’s a big hole in the wall. I was used to seeing and talking to Kobe that — it kills you. It’s just a terrible event.”
Nicholson recalled the first time he met Bryant: “I teased him. … It was at the Garden in New York (Madison Square Garden) and I offered him a basketball and asked him if he wanted me to autograph it for him. He looked at me like I was crazy.”
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And there were the countless special moments Nicholson witnessed from his famed courtside seat.
“I sat right behind his jump shot on the left hand side. I can see him going up and I can tell the first instant if it’s going in.”
“I remember the totality of how great a player he was. … We’ll think of him all the time and we’ll miss him,” he said sadly.
