Had it not been for a tragic helicopter crash in January 2020, Sunday, Aug. 23 would've been Kobe Bryant's 48th birthday. No one will ever forget his legendary NBA career, the impact he had on the Los Angeles Lakers franchise or the touch he had on people in general.
Bryant remains an icon of icons, and on Sunday, a number of former Lakers players took to X (formerly Twitter) to commemorate what would've been Bryant's birthday. Pau Gasol, the Hall of Fame big man who won two championships with him, made it clear that he still thinks of him as family.
As a teammate, as an opponent at times and, more importantly, as a brother, always uncondicional and eternal love.
— Pau Gasol (@paugasol) August 23, 2026
Happy birthday hermano, miss you. 🙏🏼❤️ pic.twitter.com/fe12IsKg0w
Forward Caron
Butler spent just one year with Los Angeles, but during that time, he developed something of a bond with Bryant. He also wished the Hall of Famer a happy birthday.
Happy Birthday Bean…
— Caron Butler (@realtuffjuice) August 23, 2026
🤲🏿 pic.twitter.com/ngVXODNI2k
Mychal Thompson never played with Bryant, but he still took to X to mark what would've been Bryant's 48th trip around the sun.
WOW…Kobe…48? Ohhhh man weer gettin OLD…I miss Kobe… pic.twitter.com/839gYUeG60
— Mychal Thompson (@champagnennuts) August 23, 2026
Fellow Lakers legend Magic Johnson wished Bryant well.
I want to wish a happy heavenly birthday to Kobe Bryant! 🙏🏾🪽
— Earvin Magic Johnson (@MagicJohnson) August 23, 2026
Bryant, his daughter Gianna and seven other souls died in that helicopter crash on Jan. 26, 2020. He helped lead the Lakers to five NBA championships, won two scoring titles and ended up with 15 All-NBA selections and 12 All-Defensive team nods. For his career, he scored 33,643 points, which is more than any other guard in league history.
This article originally appeared on LeBron Wire: Former Lakers players wish Kobe Bryant a happy birthday
