Michael Jordan Pays Tearful Tribute to ‘Little Brother’ Kobe Bryant, Brings Down the House Joking About ‘Crying Jordan’ Meme

One of the many speakers at today’s memorial for Kobe and Gianna Bryant was a visibly emotional Michael Jordan paying tribute to his “little brother.”

“In the game of basketball, in life, as a parent, Kobe left nothing in the tank, he left it all on the floor. Maybe it surprised people that Kobe and I were very close friends, but we were very close friends. Kobe was my dear friend. He was like a little brother,” Jordan said. “Everyone always wanted to talk about that comparisons between he and I. I just wanted to talk about Kobe.”

Jordan talked about how passionate Bryant was and how it rubbed off on him and made him “want to be the best big brother that I could be.”

He joked a bit about their relationship, the “late-night calls and the dumb questions,” and almost brought down the house with a crack about the “Crying Jordan” meme.

“He knows how to get to you in a way that affects you personally, even though if he’s being a pain in the ass,” Jordan continued. “But you always had a sense of love for him in how he could always bring out the best in you, and he did that for me.”

He concluded by saying, “To live in the moment means to enjoy each and every one that we come in contact with. When kobe Bryant died, a piece of me died. And as I look in this arena and across the globe, a piece of you died, or else you wouldn’t be here. Those rea the memories that we have to live with and we learn from. I promise you from this day forward I will live with the memories of knowing that I had a little brother that I tried to help in every way I could. Please, rest in peace, little brother.”

You can watch above, via CNN.