-The world was
heartbroken yesterday
by a helicopter accident
in Los Angeles
that claimed the lives
of nine people,
including that of Kobe Bryant
and his 13-year-old
daughter Gianna.
Kobe was such a life force,
so strong and creative
and inspired
that in my head,
I thought that he was going
to live forever.
I met Kobe when he was 17
and I was 21.
He was a rookie on the Lakers,
and I was just starting out
in the comedy scene in L.A.
We were at a party, and we
didn't know anyone the party,
so we just started talking.
And I said, like,
"Hey, what do you do?"
And he goes,
"I play basketball."
I go, "Where?"
And he goes, "For the Lakers."
I go, "Wow."
He goes, "What do you do?"
I go, "I'm a stand-up comic."
We just got along,
we hit it off, started talking.
He was telling me he was into
poetry, and I met his sister.
She was there.
And so, then, the guy that was
having the party said,
"Hey, guys, who wants to make
a beer run?"
And Kobe wasn't drinking.
He was 17.
So he goes, "I'll do it."
He goes,
"Jimmy, you want to come?"
So I go, "Okay."
So, I get in the car,
it was me and Kobe Bryant.
And we -- he's brand-new
in L.A., and me too.
I didn't know L.A. at all.
And we drive down
Sunset Boulevard
to this place called
Pink Dot.
It looked like a 7-Eleven.
Well, I thought it was
a 7-Eleven.
You pulled in. And --
But it wasn't a 7-Eleven.
Anyway, so I go in, and I
open the door and it's locked.
And the guy goes, "Sorry,
I can't sell you anything."
And I go, "We just want to get
some beer right there."
And he goes,
"Yeah, I can't do that."
And I go, "But just real quick,
we know what it is.
It's just there."
And he goes,
"Yeah, that's not how --
the way this place works.
We're delivery only. We're not
allowed to sell things."
And I go, "Uh, okay."
And then Kobe
takes out his I.D.
and he puts it up against
the glass and he goes,
"I'm a Laker."
[ Light laughter ]
And the guy opened the door,
and we walked out
with five cases of beer
and we saved the party.
So we saved the party,
we say good night,
and of course Kobe
went on to become a legend.
Five NBA titles,
two Olympic gold medals,
18 All-Star appearances.
One of the most brilliant
and most respected players
in NBA history.
And when we'd run into each
other over the years,
we'd laugh about that night
that we first met.
[ Crying ]
[ Clears throat ]
We'd laugh at all the good
things that had happened since.
And we'd laugh at how much fun
it was to raise kids
and all the stupid mistakes
we made
trying to figure out
how to be good dads.
And Kobe had four daughters,
and I had two daughters.
And today, he and one of
his girls are gone.
But I think I knew Kobe enough
to know that he rose
to any challenge by digging
deeper and getting back to work.
So let's honor Kobe, Gianna,
and the other lives
that were lost yesterday
by following his example.
Love your family,
love your teammates,
and outwork everyone
else in the gym.
To Vanessa and all those
affected by this tragedy,
we love you and will always be
there for all of you.
Kobe, when we meet again,
we're going on a beer run.
